A group of 52 citizens has expressed deep concern over the government’s formation of three new high-level committees on the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), warning that placing them under military intelligence oversight risks escalating militarisation and oppression in the region.
In a joint statement, the citizens protested against three notifications issued by the Cabinet Division on 10 September 2026, which established the “National Committee on Chittagong Hill Tracts,” the “Executive Committee on Chittagong Hill Tracts,” and the “Advisory Committee on Chittagong Hill Tracts.”
Under the gazettes, the prime minister chairs the National Committee, the home secretary heads the executive committee, and the chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord Implementation and Monitoring Committee presides over the Advisory Committee.
However, the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) has been tasked with providing necessary secretarial manpower and infrastructural support to two of these committees. The signatories described the step as motivated, shameless, and authoritarian, noting that long-standing grievances exist against the intelligence agency for curtailing indigenous rights.
They warned that intelligence oversight would multiply human rights violations and intensify military rule, standing as a primary obstacle to the “Rainbow Nation” vision repeatedly declared by the prime minister.
The statement also criticised the government for ignoring public objections and failing to appoint a local hill representative to head the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, choosing instead to appoint a non-hill State Minister in violation of the CHT Accord.
According to the specified terms of reference, the Advisory Committee must submit recommendations on CHT development, security, counter-terrorism, and communal harmony to the Executive Committee within two months.
The Executive Committee will then draft a national strategic plan within three months for finalisation by the National Committee.
Additionally, the Home Secretary-led Executive Committee has been asked to review existing laws, accord conditions, and regulations to recommend necessary amendments, reforms, and new legislation for sustainable development.
Recalling the region’s history, the citizens noted that around 100,000 hill inhabitants were displaced by the Kaptai Hydroelectric Project in the 1960s, followed by army camp expansion that severely affected local agriculture, livelihoods, environmental management, demographics, and indigenous lifestyles.
This led to over two decades of armed conflict that caused heavy military and civilian casualties.
Although 26 formal rounds of talks culminated in the 1997 CHT Accord, key provisions remain unimplemented 29 years after its signing.
The citizens highlighted that the 1991–1995 BNP administration led by Khaleda Zia made a significant contribution by holding 13 formal meetings with the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), whereas the subsequent Awami League government merely continued that negotiation process.
The statement pointed out that following the 2024 mass uprising – where withdrawing military rule from the hills was a major demand – indigenous people suffered at least two bloody communal attacks during the interim government’s tenure, resulting in at least seven deaths.
In response to the BNP’s “Rainbow Nation” election commitment, voters across all three hill districts overwhelmingly elected three BNP candidates in the 12 February 2026 national election.
Expressing concern that a section of the government is again viewing the CHT through a security lens as in the 1980s, the signatories urged the authorities to abandon bureaucratic and military prescriptions.
They called for resolving the issue politically through renewed dialogue with all legitimate representatives, restructuring the committees free from intelligence control, and taking immediate concrete steps to implement the CHT Accord.
Here is the concluding paragraph for the news story, incorporating the first five signatories:
The signatories to the statement include former Jahangirnagar University professor Anu Muhammad, human rights activist and founding chairman of Manabadhikar Sanskriti Foundation Advocate Sultana Kamal, Nijera Kori coordinator Khushi Kabir, Naripokkho member Shirin Parveen Haq, and Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) executive director Dr Iftekharuzzaman.
Urging the government to abandon bureaucratic and military prescriptions, they called for resolving the Chittagong Hill Tracts issue politically through renewed dialogue with all legitimate representatives, restructuring the newly formed committees free from intelligence control, and taking immediate effective steps to implement the 1997 CHT Accord.
