Hill landscapes in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, where land rights and security remain key issues under the CHT Accord. Illustration: The Times of Jumland
Bangladesh, Rangamati | January 19, 2026: According to official sources, the 11th meeting of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Accord Implementation and Monitoring Committee was held on Sunday, January 18, 2026. The meeting discussed several issues related to the implementation of the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord.
Sources said the meeting was chaired by Md. Touhid Hossain, Adviser for Foreign Affairs and Convener of the committee. Officials from the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, the Task Force on the Rehabilitation of Jumma Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, and leaders of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) were present.
According to meeting sources, the committee approved the minutes of its 10th meeting held on July 19, 2025. Decisions from the previous meeting included changes to the Task Force structure, steps to prepare rules for the Land Commission, plans to transfer certain responsibilities to the three Hill District Councils in line with the Accord, and the proposal to establish a permanent office for the CHT Accord Implementation Committee.
Sources said the Foreign Affairs Adviser proposed conducting a cadastral land survey in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. In response, Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, President of the PCJSS and a member of the committee, reportedly said that such a survey cannot be carried out under the Accord until land disputes are resolved and repatriated Jumma refugees and internally displaced persons are properly rehabilitated.
According to sources familiar with the discussion, the Adviser also proposed deploying Armed Police Battalion (APBn) personnel in 40 army camps that were previously withdrawn from the region. Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma reportedly opposed the proposal and called for it to be withdrawn.
Sources further said that Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma raised concerns about providing support to jhum cultivators affected by rodent damage and again demanded that Hill District Councils be given the authority to recruit primary school teachers, a long-standing issue under the Accord.
According to officials, the meeting agreed that appropriate steps would be taken to address these matters. However, no specific timeline was announced for resolving the issues discussed.
Nearly three decades after the signing of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord, key issues related to land, administration, and security remain unresolved, according to observers.
