Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman today said no political force, bureaucracy or government could restore peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), adding that only the Bangladesh Army had the capacity to do so.
“The question is whether it has the willingness,” he told a discussion titled “Five Months of the BNP-led Government: Assessment of Progress in Implementing the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord”, organised by the CHT Accord Implementation Movement at the Jatiya Press Club.
Iftekharuzzaman said the army had earned international recognition through peacekeeping missions in at least 65 countries, training foreign personnel and setting positive examples abroad.
“In a region where it held complete authority, formally or informally, the army should explain why it could not establish peace,” he said.
He added that if its presence was aimed at securing peace, the army should lead confidence-building measures, social rehabilitation programmes, prepare a clear roadmap and involve all stakeholders.
“Such an initiative would require political commitment and support from the highest level, but the authority, responsibility and capacity to implement it lie with the army,” he said.
Sustainable peace, he argued, was possible only if there was genuine willingness to move away from the prevailing “divide-and-rule” approach and adopt an inclusive process.
He urged the CHT Accord Implementation Movement to regularly review the BNP-led government’s election pledges on the region and press for their implementation.
He also called for a review of the 1997 CHT Accord, a time-bound implementation roadmap and army leadership in carrying the process forward.
Other speakers were of the view that the BNP-led government had taken no visible steps to implement the accord despite being in office for five months. Saiful Huq, general secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, called for a national commission involving all stakeholders. ALRD Executive Director Shamsul Huda noted that the accord was not the achievement of any single party, as talks had taken place under the Ershad, BNP and Awami League governments.
In a written statement, movement joint coordinator Zakir Hossain said the government had announced a 180-day programme after taking office but had not prioritised the accord. The movement’s six demands include appointing a hill person as full minister for CHT affairs, adopting a time-bound plan, activating the land commission and holding policy-level dialogue with the CHT Regional Council.
