Assam Chief Minister in his latest speech given at the 10th council meeting at the NITI Aayog on ‘Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat @ 2047’ stated how the state of Assam reclaimed its position as the Gateway to the South East Asia. As per Sarma, Assam was let down by our past political leaders particularly during the time of partition which severely affected the development story of the state. This actually is tied to the history of Chittagong hill tracts.
He said, “The state’s premium tea exports had already gained global recognition. Assam enjoyed robust connectivity with the global economy—railway lines connected Dibrugarh to Chittagong by 1904, and the Brahmaputra served as a vital waterway linking Assam to ports like Chittagong. The state was firmly positioned as a hub of international trade,” adding “The Chittagong Hill Tracts, despite having a population that was over 97% non-Muslim, were awarded to East Pakistan. Again, in 1971, during the creation of Bangladesh, Indira Gandhi had a historic opportunity to negotiate a broader and more secure geographical corridor to the northeast. Despite her decisive leadership in securing Bangladesh’s liberation, this moment too passed without seizing that strategic opportunity. These were pivotal junctures where bold leadership could have altered the trajectory of Assam and the northeast. Instead, the region was let down by the political leadership of the time.”
In this article, we are going to discuss about the Chittagong Hill Tract emphasized by the Assam Chief Minister in his statement and how the demography of the Chittagong Hill Tract in Bangladesh was strategically changed by forced migration.
As per reports, the British government in 1881 split the Chittagong Hill Tracts into three circles – Chakma Circle, Bohomong Circle and Mong Circle. Chakma Circle was given to the Chakma KIng. Chittagong Hill Tracts regulation of 1900 and the Government of India Act 1935 which made the hill tracts an “Excluded Area” that prohibited then East Pakistani people from settling in the tribal land.
As the Indian Nationalist Movement gained momentum in the 1930s, the Chakma people began demanding for a separate state. The British accepted the demand for an independent Chakma State in the event of partition in order to gain the support of the Chakmas on the face of a Japanese Attack. However, the British betrayed the Chakmas and the Chittagong Hill Tracts was given to Pakistan in spite of the fact 97% of non-Muslim population were living there.
Things went South for the Tribal population when the Pakistani military abolished the democratic government in 1958 and renamed the Hill Tracts as “Tribal Area”. Later in 1962, the Constitution removed all designations and protection for the tribals and opened up the Chattogram Hill Tracts for the non-tribal population.
40 % of Chakma land flooded and 1 lakh people who were mostly Chakmas displaced in 1960s because of the construction of Kaptai Dam and creation of Kaptai Lake. Mass exodus of the Chakmas followed which led to their settlement elsewhere in the district.
Again during 1971 Bangladesh War, Chakma Raja Tridiv Roy supported Pakistan as General Yahya Khan promised him autonomy in the Chittagong Hill Tracts Region. But after 1971 Bangladesh Independence , Raja Tridiv Roy moved to Pakistan and gave up his throne to his son Debashish Roy.
Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) was formed on 15th February 1972 by Chakma politician Manabendra Narayan Larma which started representing tribal populations in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. PCJSS fought for the autonomy of Chittagong Hill Tracts, Retention of Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation of 1900, protection of the offices of Tribal Chiefs and a ban against non-tribal influx from the remaining part of Bangladesh into the area.
However, the scene for the Tribals drastically changed after Bangladesh was formed. As per a report published by the PCJSS, the Bangladeshi government systematically facilitated the settlement of more than 4,50,000 Muslims in the Chittagong Hill tracts in the 1980s.
As per reports, this strategic settlement of around 4,00,000 Bangladeshi peasants during the period from 1980 to 1985 irreversibly altered the demographic scene of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Reportedly during a war with an indigenous resistance group called Santi Bahini in 1976, severe atrocities were committed by the Bangladeshi armed forces on the indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tract. Because the indigenous tribal population had been living in the Hill Tracts for generations, they claimed land rights which was approximately 10% of the Bangladeshi territory. Thus they posed a direct threat to the Bangladeshi government. The war with tribal groups of the Chittagong Hill Tract came to an end on 1997 through a signing of an accord between the Bangladeshi government and the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS). However, the success of the accord is debated as the plight of the indigineous population of the Chittagong Hill Tract still continues.
