Untold History of Chittagong Hill Tracts and Indigenous People and CHT Peace Accord

The indigenous peoples of Chittagong Hill Tracts has longest history. According to documents and evidence they were first settlers of CHT . CHT fought for long time to protect and preserve their unique identities . For example the Chakmas of Chittagong Hill Tracts retaliated against the aggression of Mughal and the East India Company with guerrilla warfare . ( Video Links :- https://youtu.be/B5CZjDWhnzc )

Chittagong Hill Tracts has longest history but I would like to start from British ruler .The process of the extension of British administration to Chittagong Hill Tracts began in 1860 and was completed in 1900.

 In 1892 the British issued 'Rules for the Administration of Chittagong Hill Tracts' . According to this law, the Chittagong HilI Tracts was divided into four parts- reserved forest area, Bomang Circle, Chakma Circle and Mong Circle.The region was divided into taluk blocks for smooth administration. These came to be known maujas'.

In 1900 British passed a law called the Chittagong Hill Tracts Manual to protect the Haritage , Culture, acchilly eptance and land of Jumma Community intact but nothing was more helpful to them . In 1935 the Chittagong Manual were fully accepted and CHT were given special status .As intimated above, the regulation barred sale and transfer of land to non-indigenous people. 

During the partition of India in 1947, the population of the Chittagong hill tracts was 98.5 % of  non-Muslim, only 1.5 % were muslims  . The partition was based on population and the Chakmas and Indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts sought to be a part of India and hoisted the Indian National Flag on their Kingdom but the Bengal Boundary Commission headed by Redcliff awarded the CHTS to Pakistan .Since then Chakma were branded Pro-Indian and hence began endless tortures in Bangladesh .

( Partition and Chittagong Hill Tracts 

Video Links :- https://youtu.be/hOIylGRdCeU )

After the partition of British India in 1947, such special status and immigration restrictions were eliminated under an amendment to the Pakistani Constitution . In resulting in the 'systemic abuse and misappropriation of the land and resources' attended by large-scale state-sponsored migration of Bangali settlers into the CHT.

Furthermore ,In 1957 Pakistani government started to construct Kaptai Dam without consent of CHT Indigenous peoples ,  the initial phase of the construction was completed in 1962 . Because of this Dam, 40 % of cultivable land had been inundated under water and displaced 100,000 tribal people, of which 70% were Chakma. About 40,000 of them were compelled to migrate to India. 

(Construction of Kaptai Dam and its effect on Indigenous People of Bangladesh Video links :- https://youtu.be/zLO9edC6hZ4 )

From 1964 onwards, Pakistani government started to rehabilitating Bengalis in Chittagong Hill Tracts .The Jumma cultivators' livelihoods have thus deteriorated and the outcome has proved to 'cruelly crush on  the identity, culture, religion and aspirations of the hill people' .The scarcity and paucity of cultivable land and the pressure of population increase induced large numbers of non-tribal people to migrate to the CHT .

In 1971, Bangladesh became independent country with the help of India. Again few jumma leaders sought to be part of India but their demand were not fulfilled and again they didn't get whatever they expected .Therefore the condition of jumma people remained unchanged and vulnerable .

The emergence of Bangladesh in 1971 witnessed the burgeoning of a homogenous Bangali nationalism, citizens of Bangladesh were defined as Bengali . The Constitution of Bangladesh, which made official the primacy of Bengali culture and did not recognise the non-Bengali ethnic groups and tribal communities living in Bangladesh. 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who reportedly said that the tribal peoples should adopt Bengali culture and identity and threatened to forcibly settle Bengalis in the Hill Tracts and convert the local people into a minority in their own province . This engendered ethnic conflict in the CHT. 

All persons of Chittagong Hill Tracts have been affected by the Kaptai Hydro- electric Dam about to get 10 acres of cultivable land but  after the independence of Bangladesh, only 5 acres of land was to be given but all of them had not received their compensation on time .

In other hand bengali settlers har been given 5 acres of land along with money and others facilities. If they were received their compensation on time and justice were given then they would never resist against government .

This led to the formation of the PCJSS and Shanti bahini under the leadership of MN Larma and the Jumma people with an aim to protect their national identity and cultural heritage . 

PCJSS was established in 1972 and In 1973, The armed wing of the PCJSS, the Shanti Bahini, was organised with the intention of defending against terrorist attack, rape, torture and looting by Bangali settlers and armed forces .

MN Larma went meet with all indigenous peoples of CHT and make them aware of their rights and threat of bengali settlers. He gave the concept of Jummo to bring all Indigenous together and resist against Injustice ( Biography of MN Larma https://youtu.be/FEoZf1-Egyw ) . The Shanti Bahini  trained and equipped themselves. In 1977, they launched their first attack on a Bangladesh Army . Shanti Bahini killed many government officials such as Army, Police and Bangali Settlers .

As soon as the struggle intensified, the government began relocating Bengalis in the CHT in order to increase the number of non-tribals and to weaken the supremacy of the hill people in CHT' .

In 1979 General Ziaur Rahman's  started sending Bengali Muslims to Chittagong Hill Tracts. He freed prisoners convicted of murder, robbery, piracy, in different parts of the country and assembled them in Chittagong Hill Tracts. 

These people indulged in looting and rioting with the patronage of the Government and openly supported by government . Those poor people gave up their land and houses in fear and started living in jungles . 

In the 1980s, the government began settling Bengalis  in the region, causing the eviction of many natives and every Bengali settler had been given huge money along with five acres land   Government headed by Zia, a significant alteration of demographics.  One report suggests that about '400,000 Bangalis were resettled in the CHT in exchange for land, cash and other incentives .

In 1981 , The number of Bengalis in Chittagong Hill Tracts had gone up from 2.5 to 27.5 percent . In 1951 the number of mosques in Chittagong Hill Tracts was only ten and there was no madrasa. In 1981 the number of mosques went up to 592 and the number of madrasas went up to 35. 

Continuously torture from armies and there were no notable protests against the Injustice and exploitation of the Indigenous people by the Government . Indigenous peoples land and homes were grabbed by Muslims who were outsiders. 

 The Shanti Bahini divided its area of operations into zones, and raised forces from the native people, who were formally trained. The Shanti Bahini attacked Bengali police and soldiers, government offices and personnel, and the Bengali settlers in the region to protect their national identity and cultural heritage .

When the indigenous people intensified their armed resistance, the government chose a military solution and reassigned nearly a third of the Bangladesh army to the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Bangladesh government attempted several times to dominate Shanti Bahini and fired and bombed on them . But the government of Bangladesh failed to dominate the Shanti Bahini due to forests and mountains areas .

Bangladesh government knew that they'll never won in military way and there were lots of international pressure on government to resolve the issue of Indigenous people of Bangladesh . Therefore numerous efforts have been initiated by successiveBangladeshi governments to try to resolve armed clashes in the CHT .

A committee under the auspices of the Tribal Convention was formed in 1977 inorder to intercede between the government and the PCJSS. This effort washowever disrupted due to death of President Ziaur Rehman in 1981. 

In between more than 300 indigenous people have been killed in  by army opened fire in Buddhisttemple . Lots of indigenous reported to be tortured and raped by armies .

From1985 to 1988 a series of dialogues took place between the PCJSS and the government to resolve the CHT crisis. 

In 1989, the government of then-president Hossain Mohammad Ershad passed the District Council Act created three ties of local government councils to devolve powers and responsibilities to the representatives of the native peoples, but the councils were rejected and opposed by the PCJSS because there was no fulfillment of indigenous peoples demands and rights .

Peace negotiations were initiated after the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh in 1991, but little progress was made with the government of prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, the widow of Ziaur Rahman and her Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Fresh rounds of talks began in 1996 with the newly elected prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed of the Awami League, the daughter of Sheikh Mujib. The peace accord was finalised and formally signed on 2 December 1997.

The Shanti Bahini insurgents formally laid down their arms and received monetary compensation . More than 50,000 displaced tribals were able to returned to Bangladesh from India .  In 1999 Sheikh Hasina got UNESCO nobel peace prize after Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Agreement . 

The agreement recognised full autonomy and the distinct ethnicity and special status of the tribes of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and established a Regional Council consisting of the local government councils of the three districts of the Hill Tracts. The council was to be composed by men and women from the Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Murang and Tanchangya tribes; the delegates would be elected by the district councils of the Hill Tracts.

 Elected for a five-year term, the council would have authority and responsibility to maintain law and order, social justice and tribal laws, oversee general administration, co-ordinate disaster relief and management, issue licenses for heavy industries and oversee other development projects.The central government would be required to consult the regional councils over all issues concerning the Hill Tracts.

The agreement also provided for the setting up of a central Ministry of Tribal Affairs to be headed by a person of tribal ethnicity to administer the affairs concerning the Hill Tracts. The agreement also laid out plans for the return of land to displaced natives and an elaborate land survey to be held in the Hill Tracts and withdrawn all Bangali settlers from Chittagong Hill Tracts . 

Shaikh Hasina said that the peace treaty is implemented from the day we signed it. However , its been 23 years but the CHT Accord is not been implemented by the Government of Bangladesh. .

Note :- This article based on research work "Kalpana Chakma written by Salman Azad" , " The Partition and Chakmas by Sneha Kumar Chakma" , "Chakma Refugee by Aditya Prakash", and documentry " Life is not Our " and others sources like Wikipedia etc.