52 eminent citizens raise concern over new CHT committees

Fifty-two eminent citizens have expressed deep concern over the formation of three new high-level committees on the Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT), warning that the move could lead to increased militarisation in the region.

In a joint statement issued today, they said the CHT crisis should be resolved politically through discussions with relevant stakeholders.

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On September 10, the Cabinet Division issued three separate gazette notifications forming three committees on the CHT. These are: "National Committee on CHT Affairs" headed by the prime minister, "Executive Committee on CHT Affairs" led by the home ministry secretary, and "Consultative Committee on CHT Affairs".

The Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) will provide secretarial and infrastructural support to the first two committees.

Terming the move an "intentional and authoritarian" step, the citizens expressed fear that it would multiply militarisation and human rights violations against the indigenous people in the hills.

They believe this step contradicts the current government's election manifesto and the prime minister's pledge to establish a "rainbow nation".

Recalling the CHT Peace Accord, the statement said a non-indigenous state minister was appointed to the Ministry of CHT Affairs in violation of the accord's conditions, which was not addressed despite objections from the hill people.

The statement noted that the failure to implement the fundamental clauses of the 1997 accord, even after 29 years, has left the establishment of peace in the hills and the rights of indigenous people unresolved.

The signatories strongly demanded the immediate reconstitution of these committees, freeing them from intelligence control, and the full implementation of the CHT Accord. They also urged the government to refrain from any fresh attempts to establish bureaucratic rule in the region.

The signatories include Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman, economist Anu Muhammad, human rights activists Sultana Kamal and Nur Khan, senior Supreme Court lawyer ZI Khan Panna, photographer Shahidul Alam, Nijera Kori Coordinator Khushi Kabir, Naripokkho's Shireen Parveen Huq, Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) Executive Director Shamsul Huda, and Dhaka University professors Sumaiya Khair, Samina Luthfa, and Zobaida Nasreen, among others.