Hill Voice, 29 July 2026, Dhaka: Representatives of civil society and leaders of various political parties have expressed frustration, stating that although five months have passed since the BNP-led government took office, no effective measures have been taken to implement the historic 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Accord. They called for the immediate formation of a National Commission on the CHT, with the participation of all relevant stakeholders, to address the situation.
The speakers made these remarks at an exchange of views titled “Five Months of the BNP-led Government: Assessing the Progress in Implementing the CHT Accord,” organized by the CHT Accord Implementation Movement at the National Press Club on Wednesday, 29 July 2026.
The meeting was moderated by Dipayan Khisa, a member of the CHT Accord Implementation Movement, and attended by representatives of civil society, international human rights experts, and top leaders of various political parties.
Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB); Saiful Haque, General Secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh; Shamsul Huda, Executive Director of the Association for Land Reform and Development; Nazmul Haque Prodhan, General Secretary of Bangladesh JASAD,; Abdullah Al Kafi Ratan, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), and Fazlul Rashid Firoz of Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (JASAD) addressed the meeting.
The written statement at the program was presented by Zakir Hossain, Joint Coordinator of the CHT Accord Implementation Movement. He recalled that although there had been a demand to include the implementation of the CHT Accord in the government’s declared 180-day priority agenda, no progress has been made over the past five months. He also said that the appointment of a non-indigenous State Minister to the Ministry of CHT Affairs calls into question the government’s sincerity regarding the implementation of the Accord.
The following six demands were presented to the government by the organization:
1. In accordance with the CHT Accord, immediately appoint an Indigenous representative as the full Minister of the Ministry of CHT Affairs, and immediately remove the non-Indigenous State Minister whose appointment is inconsistent with the Accord.
2. Reconstitute and activate the existing Advisory Council, in accordance with the Accord, to advise the Ministry of CHT Affairs.
3. Adopt a time-bound action plan with a clearly defined timeline for the implementation of the Accord.
4. Reconstitute the Accord Implementation and Monitoring Committee at the earliest possible time.
5. Functionalize the CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission without delay by formulating the necessary rules and regulations.
6. Immediately initiate a high-level policy dialogue between the government and the CHT Regional Council.
The speakers unanimously agreed that there is no alternative to establishing lasting peace in the CHT if the country is to achieve equality, justice, and sustainable national unity.