The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Monday expressed concern over the ongoing tension in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, alleging that the unrest was part of a broader conspiracy to destabilise the country.
BNP standing committee member Hafiz Uddin Ahmed and senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi separately expressed concern while addressing separate programmes in the capital.
Hafiz Uddin said that old games had resumed in the hill tracts, while Ruhul Kabir Rizvi warned that the incidents were not isolated but a part of a larger master plan threatening national sovereignty.
Speaking at a discussion at the National Press Club in Dhaka, Hafiz Uddin claimed that the Indian flag would have been raised in the Chittagong Hill Tracts years ago if late president Ziaur Rahman had not decided to resettle Bengalis in the region, a move that he said established a demographic balance and prevented separatist ambitions.
Hafiz said that Zia鈥檚 policy preserved the country鈥檚 territorial integrity and ensured the hill tracts remained part of Bangladesh.
The discussion was organised by the Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal and the Muktijoddha Projonmo.
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, speaking at a press briefing at the party鈥檚 central office in the capital鈥檚 Naya Paltan area, linked the disturbances in both the hill tracts and the garment sector to wider conspiracies.
Rizvi said that the sudden emergence of tension in the hills and disturbance in the garments sector were causing widespread anxiety.
鈥楾hese are not separate events. There is always a group behind such incidents,鈥� he remarked.
Referring to a recent statement by a Jamaat leader that hinted at the possibility of conflict with a neighbouring country, Rizvi said that such remarks were alarming and dangerous for national sovereignty and appeared to be part of a larger game plan.
He said that unresolved issues with the neighbouring countries, such as water sharing and trade disputes, should be resolved through diplomacy.
On the occasion of Durga Puja鈥檚 Saptami, Rizvi extended greetings to the Hindu community, urging that the festival be celebrated peacefully and calling for vigilance against any attempts to disrupt it.
At least three people from a national minority community were killed and dozens, including security personnel, were injured as violence erupted in Khagrachari district on Sunday during a road blockade protesting at the rape of a 12-year-old Marma girl.
Since Saturday, a road blockade programme has been underway in the hill district under the banner of 鈥楯umma-Chhatra Janata鈥�.
As the situation deteriorated, the administration imposed Section 144 in Khagrachhari municipality and Sadar upazila Saturday afternoon.
