TDS Desk

TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman on Sunday demanded abolishing the Chittagong Hill Tracts ministry and replacing it with a diversity commission as the ministry has failed in its duty towards the indigenous people.

“Chittagong Hill Tracts ministry, established in accordance to the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, has completely failed in protecting the rights of indigenous people. It should be abolished… It has become development-centric, and as a result, the indigenous people are subjected to majority rule,” he said.

He was addressing a discussion on the condition of indigenous people in Bangladesh and what needed to be done where Iftekharuzzaman indicated that the CHT ministry was merely pursuing infrastructure projects that eroded the hereditary indigenous culture of the local populace instead of prioritising the rights of the indigenous.

The discussion was organised by the Kapaeeng Foundation at The Daily Star Centre in Dhaka.

Iftekharuzzaman, also the chief of the anti-corruption reform commission, also emphasised the importance of constitutional recognition for indigenous people, saying that was undeniable right due to their heritage and culture.

“Some say that constitutional recognition alone won’t solve all the problems, but they are not saying where the problem lies if they were given this recognition,” urging the constitutional commission to facilitate recognition for indigenous people.

The rights of the indigenous will never be established unless every citizen views the struggle as their own, he added.