Hill Voice, 2 December 2024, Special Correspondent:

Overall situation of Chittagong Hill Tracts

27 years of the historic CHT Accord signed between the Bangladesh Government and the PCJSS in 1997 with a view to resolving the CHT problem through political and peaceful means are about to pass. But even in 27 years, the CHT Accord has not been properly implemented. As a result, a political and peaceful solution to the CHT problem was not achieved through the CHT Accord.

Instead of a political and peaceful solution to the CHT problem through the implementation of the CHT Accord, successive governments gradually intensified the conspiracy to suppress the ongoing movement for the implementation of the CHT Accord led by the PCJSS through extensive militarization like the pre-accord ruling regime, which reached the final level during the period of the previous Awami League government under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina.

As in the pre-accord situation, very subtle settlement of the outsider Muslims, conversion of Jumma people to Islam, communal attacks on Jumma people and burning of village after village by Muslim settlers with the direct support of state forces, land grabbing and eviction, rape and abduction of Jumma women, criminalization of members and supporters of PCJSS engaged in the movement for the implementation of the CHT Accord labelling them as ‘terrorists’ etc. all activities of ethnic cleansing intensified.

The ruling class did not stop at such anti-accord and anti-Jumma interest activities, the army, based on the colonial policy of ‘divide and rule’, formed armed terrorist groups one after another with some opportunistic and unruly persons of the Jumma peoples and have been instigating them against the ongoing movement of the Jumma people led by PCJSS for implementation of the CHT Accord as well as the realization of the right to self-determination of the Jumma people providing them shelter.

Incidentally, it should be noted that there is a conspiracy to evict the Jumma people from their traditional lands forever through activities such as the establishment of a land port at Thegamukh, the construction of the Thegamukh-Chittagong port connection road and the border road, the establishment of luxury tourist centers by the army, the declaration of reserve forest, establishment of BOP of BGB at here and there, oil and gas exploration and extraction in Kachalong-Sita hill topography etc putting forward as a pretext of development without the proper implementation of the CHT Accord, for the purpose of implementing the blueprint to turn the CHT into a Muslim-dominated region. So-called various development activities including Rangamati Science and Technology University, Medical College are being forcibly implemented by the government using the state forces despite the opposition of the Jumma people, of which the main aim is to establish an anti-Accord and anti-Jumma interest political center in the name of these education institutions.

With the aim of destroying the democratic movement of the Jumma people to implement the CHT Accord under the leadership of PCJSS, the army-BGB-Police and the ruling group in CHT have intensified the oppression and persecution on common Jumma villagers including the members and supporters of PCJSS and allied organizations beyond limit. Especially oppression and persecution such as searching and vandalizing the office of PCJSS, filing false cases against and arresting the members and supporters of PCJSS, searching and ransacking their houses, creating terror by gathering information and lists of members of PCJSS and its affiliated organizations, etc. are being carried out by army-BGB-police.

In fact, there is no alternative to the implementation of the CHT Accord to preserve the non-Muslim populated characteristics of the CHT. Through a two-and-a-half-decade long bloody struggle, this CHT Accord, the charter of the rights of the hill dwellers has been achieved. Any conspiracy not to implement this accord and any conspiracy to suppress the movement of the Jumma people to implement this accord in a fascist manner can never bring good results in the greater interest of the country.

Only through the proper, full and speedy implementation of the CHT Accord can there be a sustainable solution to the CHT problem and the multifaceted conspiracy of the ruling group of Bangladesh to turn the non-Muslim CHT into a Muslim dominated region can be foiled. The Jumma people, led by the PCJSS, are determined to resist these conspiracies of the ruling group through a larger resistance movement. It can be considered that there is no other option but to strengthen the greater movement for the implementation of the CHT Accord and the realization of the Jumma people’s right to self-determination.