The committee asked the ministry to submit a report in its next meeting scheduled for July 21, stating the opinions the ministry had given on the matter.

"We will inform the committee of the ministry's role on the issue," Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Moudud Ahmed told The Daily Star after yesterday's meeting of the committee held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

After discussing the issue for over one and a half hours, the meeting was adjourned. Lawmakers from both the ruling and the opposition parties took part in the discussion.

The committee members said they have no question about the presidential power of mercy, but they wanted to know the role of the law ministry.

The meeting also decided to discuss the judicial probe commission's report on August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka and the removal of the IGP who was convicted in a contempt case this year.

About the presidential amnesty, the committee was informed that President Iajuddin Ahmed in January this year granted amnesty to Mohiuddin Jintu, who was awarded death penalty 23 years ago in a double-murder case.

In his appeal to the president for mercy, Jintu claimed himself to be the founder president of the ruling BNP's Sweden chapter.

After evading capture by the law enforcers for more than two decades, he surrendered to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court, Dhaka on January 3 this year. He was granted amnesty within 10 days of the surrender.

Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Dhaka, Motiur Rahman in 1982 sentenced Jintu to death for murdering businessmen Abdul Khaleq Rana and Firoz Al Mamun of Demra the same year. The judgement was delivered in absentia.

Meeting sources said responding to lawmakers' queries, a senior official of the law ministry told the meeting that they had received a file from the home ministry in this regard. However, the official could not complete his statement as the law minister himself assured the committee of informing it of the matter in the next meeting.

"We will discuss the involvement of the law ministry in this matter," Committee Chairman Khandakar Mahbubuddin said after the meeting.

Awami League lawmaker and committee member Suranjit Sengupta said he did not challenge the president's power of mercy. "But I have the right to know what opinion the law ministry had given to the president."