The Chittagong Hill Tracts is an area in the southeastern part of Bangladesh, consisting of three districts: Rangamati, Khagrachhari, and Bandarban. This area of the Chittagong division is called the Chittagong Hill Tracts as it is full of hills and valleys. A large part of the country is covered with forest. One murder after another has been happening in the Chittagong Hill Tracts for the last few months. The Naniyarchar Upazila Chairman was assassinated earlier, and five more people were shot dead at his funeral the next day. After thee killings, there has been renewed tension and concern in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
To establish peace and safety, the government of Bangladesh signed a peace agreement with the peace forces in the Chittagong Hill Tracts on December 2, 1997. So then, more than 24 years had passed. But there is a great deal of controversy over the implementation of this agreement. The government side says that the implementation work is going on. But the hill tribes have not yet received any of the rights promised in the contract.
The hill tribes were supposed to be self-governing. According to the agreement, there should have been a ministry, and there should have been a regional council. There was a plan to form a land commission. It has been formed. But all this is not working. These councils haven’t had elections in 20 years, and the people who were put in charge of them at the start are still in control.
The election of these councils is in the hands of the local voters. But the list of those voters was not made. There are some special laws regarding land ownership in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. According to the laws of the British period, the land is traditionally owned by the hill people who have been living there, but they do not have any documents of ownership of these lands. But later, when the Bengalis were taken there and settled for good, a land dispute started, which was seen as the root cause of the crisis. The Land Commission was formed in 2001 to solve this problem. But in the last 21 years, they have not been able to resolve a single dispute. In the last 24 years since the signing of the peace agreement, the hill organizations have been divided. There are frequent reports of clashes between them and even killings. The Chittagong Hill Tracts did not develop in the same way as the rest of the country.
Although there is a mobile phone network all over the country, that network was established in the Chittagong Hill Tracts many years later. Many places still do not have a network. There are also allegations of eavesdropping on mobile phone conversations.
The development has taken place in 61 districts of Bangladesh but not in three districts, and those three districts are the three districts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. As such, the Chittagong Hill Tracts must be neglected. The purpose of the peace agreement has not been fulfilled because illegal weapons, murders, and extortion are still taking place in the hills. The hill tribes had hoped that all the clauses of the agreement would be fully implemented, but the government did not fully implement it.
But it is pertinent to mention that since the signing of the peace agreement till 2020, the Special Works Organization or Engineer Construction Battalions of the security forces under the government development project have done a lot of work in developing road infrastructure in the hilly areas. According to the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, 442.22 km of paved roads have already been constructed; construction is underway on another 140.618 km. The importance of the peace agreement can be seen in the comparative development figure. Most of the projects implemented are being conducted for the welfare of the local tribes. The total number of projects for the tribes of the Chittagong Hill Tracts is 360 (91%). The post of chairman is always reserved for the tribes. There are 218 admission quotas for the tribal people in the CHT in some public universities, medical colleges, and some specialized educational institutions.
By taking some initiatives, peace and security can be ensured in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. They are:
- To maintain peace, economic activity must be increased. Permanent peace will be established only if a developed society can be built on health and health through education.
- If there is any legal validity to the peace treaty, it must be settled by the court. Controversy over the implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts agreement should be removed.
- The Land Commission has to take initiatives to mitigate the land dispute. So, rules and regulations should be made about this severe problem as soon as possible.
- The major problem in the Hill Tracts is land. Since the British period, they have been in possession of land, but they do not have any documents of ownership of these lands. However, the government should provide an answer to this issue. To identify the valid owner, documents should be provided.
- The executive authority has to appoint a military force to annihilate the offenses.
Today, we are in a position to affirm unequivocally that the peace deal has resulted in the establishment of new development projects and institutional structures in the mountainous region. This has opened the door to the possibility of the area’s being more affluent and peaceful. Particularly crucial to everyone is seeing the peace deal carried out in its entirety as quickly as possible. In this way, not only the government but also other parties need to work together. Due to the present condition of events, new geopolitical and geopolitical calculations are being made regionally and globally. Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean are impacted by this feature. Growth and safety of the mountainous region shouldn’t be utilized to promote limited objectives, but with a positive and constructive attitude.
Shahariar Islam is LLB (Honors) graduate from the University of Asia Pacific
