Conspiracy Underway to Destabilise Hill Tracts: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh has said that a deep conspiracy is underway to destroy the peaceful environment in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and create unrest in the region. Expressing concern over recent tensions, clashes and instability, the organisation’s leaders called for peace and stability to be maintained at all costs.

The call was made in a statement issued on Friday (October 23) by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh President Shaykhul Hadith Maulana Ubaidullah Faruq and Secretary General Maulana Manzurul Islam Afendi.

In the statement, they said the Chittagong Hill Tracts are an integral part of Bangladesh. Ensuring the safety, security and civil rights of the people in the region is an important responsibility of the state. They said attempts to undermine the region’s peaceful environment to serve the interests of any individual or group could not be accepted.

The leaders stressed the need to maintain mutual trust, harmony and peaceful coexistence among all communities living in the hill region. They urged everyone to remain vigilant so that isolated incidents or provocations do not lead to communal divisions and clashes. They also called for effective measures to stop rumours, provocative statements and misleading campaigns on social media.

The statement said the legitimate rights and problems of the people in the hill region must be addressed peacefully, constitutionally and through dialogue. No problem can be permanently resolved through taking the law into one’s own hands, terrorism, extortion, land grabbing or violence.

The Jamiat leaders urged the government to strengthen overall security in the region, conduct impartial investigations into recent incidents and bring those responsible to justice. They also called for ensuring that no innocent individual or community is subjected to harassment or injustice.

Urging the people of the country to maintain peace, harmony and restraint, the leaders said everyone must remain united in the interests of the country’s territorial integrity, peace and stability, without falling into the trap of any conspiracy or provocation.