People’s Anger on CHT Commission The motorcade of the International Commission on Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) came under attack near Parjatan Motel Holiday Complex in the district town on Saturday afternoon while it was heading toward the capital. The CHT Commission members, led by its co-chairman Sultana Kamal, were kept confined at the motel by the agitated Bangalees from the morning. The angry Bengali-speaking people hurled brickbats at Omdamia Hill area at about 1:30pm when the International Commission members boarding on a microbus were heading toward Rangamati under strict police protection. Apart from Sultana Kamal, CHT commission members Khushi Kabir, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Swapan Adnan and Hana Shams Ahmed were also in the motorcade. At that time, Kotwali Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Monu Imtiaz Sohel, CHT Commission research officer Iliera Dewan and driver Jewel received injuries on their heads. Getting informed, Deputy Commissioner Md. Mostofa Kamal, police officials Habibur Rahman and Abul Kalam Azad rushed to the police station. Mr. Mostofa Kamal said administration was not informed of the issue on the visit of CHT Commission members earlier. Witnesses said the CHT Commission team came here from Khagrachhari secretly on Friday night amid protest by different organisations. The secret mission of CHT Commission to Rangamati and the following attack on their motorcade have arisen a burning question that why the CHT Commission all on a sudden became too enthusiastic now in regard to a four decade long issue, the clash between the Hilly people and the Bengali-speaking people in Hill Tracts. The Hilly –Bengalee tension is a long issue since Zia and Ershad regime began settling the Bengalees in the Hill Tracts on a large scale. The military dictators sent army to secure new settlers and the settlement going on while the Hilly people specially the Chakma community organized the hilly young men and started armed resistance. In the late 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s bloodshed in the Hill Tracts became regular phenomena. Army men were killed in sudden attacks and the Army would drive operations which claimed hilly lives. To stop such collusion inside the national boundary it was the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who despite numerous challenges took initiative, and a Peace Treaty was signed between the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the Jana Shanghati Samiti (JSS) on 14 December 1997. The treaty was opposed by the then main opposition BNP and UPDF, another small hilly organization that did not want Peace Treaty and did not surrender their arms. BNP opposed as if they had wanted Pakistani style oppression on the Hilly people. The then AL government started to materialize ‘97-Peace Treaty’ but it stumbled when BNP came to state power followed by Interim government. Now the same government, same Prime Minister is in power who realized the Hilly people’s anguish and the necessity of Bengali people’s security there and arranged Peace Treaty. The AL government ensured Hilly people’s normal life, reserved their natural diversity, developed infrastructure, provided jobs to the JSS men, admission of the hilly students to Universities, Medical Colleges on quota basis according to our constitution, when hilly girls are working in garments in big cities, when hilly people are joining in the main stream, when AL government is working hard to keep harmony between the two communities; why some human rightist are about to foil government effort. As the government of the people, the government is always neutral to handle the Hilly people and the Bengali people’s problem though most of the Bengali settlers are BNP minded as they were largely settled by President Zia, the founder of BNP. In this circumstances the CHT Commission declared their march toward Hill Tracts for the interest of a specific group, Hilly people. The Bengali people there generally think the government is only working for the Hilly people (A neutral body becomes foe to both parties). Moreover the movement of the CHT Commission personalities is a vow to keep pressure on the government to satisfy hilly people to earn their own interest. When the Bengali people thought all are going against them, they burst into fury and attacked the CHT Commission men despite police protection. The CHT Commission, International Human Rights Groups, the intellectuals, and the country men all have to understand that the government is dealing with a highly sophisticated issue that is almost fifty years old. It requires time to solve it. Thus, excessive sympathy to any group from any corner will lead to communal clash there. All need to understand it. . ON LINE PUBLICITY CELL Write Up: N. Shammo .
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 13:51:57 +0000