Home Minister Asserts All Citizens Are Bangladeshi Defying Indigenous Identity Claims

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed stated on Tuesday that all citizens residing within Bangladesh share a single identity as “Bangladeshi,” asserting that the country does not recognize any “indigenous” groups under its current geographic and constitutional framework.

Addressing a roundtable titled “Indigenous Identity is Irrelevant for Bangladesh” in the capital’s Gulshan area, the Minister emphasized that the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity rely on this unified national identity. The event was organized by the Chittagong Hill Tracts Research Foundation (CHRF).

Minister Ahmed noted that all political stakeholders reached a consensus on this identity within the July National Charter, a document intended to serve as a foundation for political harmony. He reaffirmed that the state is constitutionally committed to protecting the social, religious, and cultural heritage of all ethnic minorities and tribal communities. To ensure equity, the state maintains special provisions and quota systems to support marginalized groups, women, and children, integrating them into the national mainstream.

Drawing comparisons to other multilingual nations, the Home Minister observed that several countries have opted not to grant specific “indigenous” status to minority groups, preferring instead to provide targeted support to integrate them into the broader society.

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Addressing international frameworks, the Minister clarified the government’s position on the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the ILO Convention 169. He stated that Bangladesh has maintained a clear stance on these instruments since their inception, opting to abstain from voting on their adoption. He added that several influential nations similarly opposed these declarations, and he reiterated that these international documents are not applicable to Bangladesh, nor is the country a signatory to them.

The roundtable was presided over by CHRF Chairman Mehedi Hasan Palash, with Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan and State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmud Khayyam attending as special guests.

Other notable speakers at the event included Member of Parliament Nilofar Chowdhury Moni, BNP Joint Secretary General Emran Saleh Prince, Political Assistant to the Prime Minister Rashed Khan, Professor Sukomal Barua, NCIP Northern Region Chief Organizer Sarjis Alam, former interim government advisor Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, Lieutenant General (retd) Abdullahil Aman Azmy, Major General (retd) Fazle Elahi Akbar, journalist Maruf Kamal Khan, and Manarat University Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohammad Abdur Rob.