Talukder Vows Full Implementation of Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord

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The Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS) is demanding the full implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord without any further delay, warning that procrastination will have consequences. The call was made by JSS Vice President Uşaton Talukdar at a rally marking the 37th anniversary of the Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP) in Rangamati.

Talukdar, who was the chief guest at the event held at the Kumar Sumit Roy Gymnasium premises, expressed disappointment with the current government, stating that three months have passed since the BNP assumed power without concrete steps toward implementing the accord. “We voted for the BNP. What you will do for us in return is your business,” he stated, emphasizing that time is running out for the treaty’s realization.

Rumen Chakma, president of the PCP, who presided over the rally, declared that the Chittagong Hill Tracts have been “unannouncedly turned into a prison.” He warned that if the situation does not change, they will be compelled to revert to the conditions that existed before the peace accord.

During the event, educationist Shishir Kanti Chakma highlighted that the PCP has been fighting for self-determination for 37 years, garnering public support. He acknowledged that difficult times lie ahead and that struggle is unavoidable, but asserted that lasting peace is achievable through the accord. Chakma noted that the pact, signed 28 years ago, remains largely unimplemented, and that fundamental issues, including the effective functioning of the Land Commission, have not seen progress, contributing to regional unrest.

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Mahir Shahriar Reza, central president of the Students’ Union, echoed these sentiments, pointing out that despite the 1997 agreement, which promised the return of land rights through the Land Commission, this has not materialized. He criticized the previous government, which was in power for 16 years, for failing to implement the core provisions of the treaty.

Other speakers at the rally included Nazmul Hoque Prodhan, general secretary of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD); Mukta Baroi, president of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front; Ulising Marma, organizational secretary of Hill Women Federation; and Zico Chakma, vice president of the PCP.