The opposition lawmakers registered a noisy protest when the deputy speaker giving the commerce minister floor to respond to a call attention notice found him absent in the House.

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Moudud Ahmed stood to respond to the AL lawmakers' protest and asked the opposition deputies why they were raising such strong protest.

Opposition Chief Whip Abdus Shahid then brought the absence of commerce minister to the law minister's notice and termed it a violation of the rules of parliament.

Moudud then looked at the commerce minister's seat and found it vacated.

Earlier, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the Jatiya Sangsad, ruling BNP lawmaker Manzur Quader read his call attention notice about mixing chemicals in food grains. Deputy Speaker Akhter Hamid Siddiqui, who was presiding over the session, gave floor to the commerce minister for response. But Altaf was not available in the House and did not even arrange for someone else to respond to the notice for him.

The deputy speaker, apparently baffled in the face of opposition protest, said he had seen the commerce minister in the House only a while ago.

The deputy speaker then shifted the notice to the next day's business.

The Rules of Procedure of the Jatiya Sangsad say a minister shall attend the House to respond to a call attention notice that is already accepted by the House. He may do it by proxy as well.