Ever since the signing of a peace treaty with the tribals in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region t in 1997, the Bengali people there have lived a life of insecurity. Under the terms of the treaty, the presence of law enforcement bodies — specially the presence of the army– was progressively winded down in that area.
There have been many protests from the Bengali people of the CHT that the withdrawls would only cause direct threat to their lives and property .This apprehension proved to be true as the tribals attacked Bengali settlements over the years. They had earlier warned the Bengalis there of such consequences if they did not leave their houses and land to the tribals. So, they seemed to be only following up on their threat.
But the question is : where from the tribals draw their inspiration or feeling of impunity to engage so freely in such savage activities ? It should be obvious that they tribalsdraw a sense of lording over the Bengalis from the treaty they signed with the government in 1997.
The treaty appears tailor-made to ensure the paramount position of the tribal people in the CHT. It can be cited as the classic example of an accord that leaves the seeds of discord and dissension dangerously alive. Ironically, it is called a peace treaty when the attempts for its enforcement would create anything but peace in the region for its unfair treatment of one of the two sides in it— the Bengali people who form nearly half of the population of the area but who would be relegated to the position of worse than even third class citizens in their own country politically, economically and administratively from its implementation .
Under the terms of the CHT treaty, Bengalis who are over 90 per cent of the population of Bangladesh would lose rights to buying and selling lands in the CHT, not allowed to settle in the CHT or migrate to it, largely taken out of the governmental administration of the region and even disenfranchised in the sense that only a few of them would be allowed to contest for elective offices while the same would be monopolized by the tribal population. The full implementation of the CHT treaty would virtually create another self governed country like entity for the tribals within Bangladesh.
The above curbs on the political, economic and administrative rights on the preponderant Bengali population, on implementation, would be tantamount to flagrant violation of their basic rights. They would be discriminated against, officially, in their own land of birth and upbringing by a tiny minority. Under the treaty, the tribal population would be made far superior to the Bengalis under governmental protection and promotion. Bengalis would be made subservient to the tribal population . But the tribal people would make double gains. They would be supreme and lord over the Bengalis in the CHT while in the rest of Bangladesh they would be at par with Bengalis in enjoying various rights, opportunities and freedoms.
There is probably no other parallel in the world today where the dominant group in the population of a country lost their inalienable basic rights from their government contracting a very unequal treaty with a numerically far smaller group in the population . The government of Bangladesh in 1997 concluded this treaty out of a hope that it would end the armed insurgency in that area. There was, thus, some merits in concluding it. But the point is whether in seeking that gain in ending an insurgency, it has laid the seeds of worse troubles among sections of the ethnically different population of that area.
If the treaty had aimed to protect and promote or preserve the rightful interest of both the tribal population and the Bengalis under one agreement, then it would stand a better chance of being accepted . In its present form, it represents an abject surrender to the tribal population. Whether even the main aim of the treaty, the conclusive end of the Shanti Bahini insurgency has been achieved, is very doubtful. According to credible assessments, the Shantibahini only feigned laying down of their arms. They made only token surrenders while retaining the greater part of their arsenal underground.
They are also regularly extorting tolls from the Bengali people in the area like always. In all appearances, the Shantibhani would only want to utilize the opportunity of the period after full implementation of the treaty to establish their complete control over the region. After having done that, they would likely seek an opportune time to declare formally their separateness from Bangladesh leaving Bangladesh authorities to challenge them or start a fresh fight with them.
The Bengalis in the CHT are restive and showing all the signs of an all-out struggle to draw attention to their plight. Thus, anything but peace is being established in that region. Therefore, the government should take a fresh look at the treaty and go for a dialogue with the tribal representatives with a view to amending and improving it. Such treaties are nothing so inviolable that the same cannot be considered for amendments and improvements to meet the ends of justice and fairplay and in the highest interest of the country.
The CHT comprise about one tenth of total land area of Bangladesh which is too overpopulated and suffers from land scarcity. The CHT also is potentially very rich from the standpoint of natural resources including vital mineral resources. Bangladesh cannot admit any process that would gradually smoothen the way of its separation and eventual breakaway .
Government’s moves to force the Bengalis to abide by a unfair treaty, will create a backlash in the CHT and create opposition to the same throughout the country, as well, sooner rather than later. So, it is high time to rethink this treaty and take timely steps and government must not feel apologetic or ambivalent in declaring its revised goals decisively in that direction.
Particularly, government is expected to show its mettle against foreign pressure which played a big role in clinching the treaty in the first place in its present very unjust form. An international commission was formed to force Bangladesh into signing such a treaty. The commission is keeping up its pressure for the full implementation of it. But this commission should be told that Bangladesh reserves the rights under international laws to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty over every inch of its territory that includes the CHT.