DHAKA (Bangladesh): Former judicial officer and lawyer Dipen Dewan has been appointed the Minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs in the newly installed government in Bangladesh led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Mir Mohammad Helal has been appointed the Minister of State. The new government led by Rahman took oath late last month after the parliamentary elections in Bangladesh.
Dewan represents the Rangamati constituency. Before entering politics, he served for 19 years in the judiciary. He resigned from service in 2005 to enter active politics.
However, the appointment of Helal as his deputy has drawn criticism because he is non-indigenous. The Parbatya Chattogram Peace Accord Implementation Movement has urged the government to remove him and to reassign the portfolio in line with the 1997 CHT Peace Accord. Although an indigenous leader has been appointed as full minister of the CHT Affairs Ministry, appointing a non-indigenous person as the minister of state is “not consistent with the spirit of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord signed on December 2, 1997,” the organization said in a statement.
The International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC) and the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), both based in Copenhagen (Denmark), have expressed concern over Helal’s appointment. A joint statement issued by CHTC and IWGIA said that (Helal’s) appointment was inconsistent with the CHT Accord that explicitly stipulated that a Minister from among the tribals (indigenous) would be appointed to lead the ministry. “This undermines the spirit and intent of the CHT Accord to ensure meaningful representation of the Indigenous Peoples in the governance system and decision-making processes of the CHT. At a time when the full and effective implementation of the CHT Accord is overdue, respecting its provisions is vital to rebuild trust among the Indigenous Peoples and to uphold the commitments made under the Accord,” the statement said.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord was an agreement between the government of Bangladesh and insurgent groups to formally end over two decades of conflict in the CHT region. The accord aimed to grant limited regional autonomy through the establishment of a regional council, address land disputes, rehabilitate displaced people, and demilitarize the area. The conflict was a period of insurgency in the Chittagong Hill Tracts over land rights, autonomy, cultural recognition and settlement policies.
The Ministry of CHT Affairs is responsible for the administration, development and policy implementation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. It was established in 1998 after the CHT Peace Accord. Its main role is to implement the provisions of the peace accord and promoting socio-economic development and stability in the region.
The CHT is a hilly area that is home to a variety of tribal groups in Bangladesh. It covers an area of 13,295 square kilometers (5,133 square miles), which is about 10% of the country’s total geographical area. It is spread across the three districts of Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban. The population includes indigenous communities like Chakma, Khyang, Mro and Khumi.
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