For two decades, the lush, green hills of Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) were torn by a bitter conflict between Bangladesh’s military and Indigenous or Pahari groups, most notably the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS). The military wing of the PCJSS fought from 1977 to 1997 against the army for Pahari rights to self-determination. Tens of thousands of Pahari people fled to India during this time, and Amnesty International reported in 2013 that an estimated 90,000 Pahari families remained internally displaced. In 1997, the Awami League government took a significant step toward resolving this conflict by signing a peace accord.
The 1997 Peace Accord was meant to end the violence, offering a promise of stability and reconciliation. But a generation later, the region lives in a state often described as a “violent peace.” While the large-scale armed conflict has ceased and guns have largely fallen silent, social and communal conflict continues to simmer just beneath the surface. Sporadic violence continues to erupt, causing harm to innocent people and perpetuating a cycle of fear and mistrust.
The heart of this ongoing tension lies in a dramatically changed demographic landscape. Since the 1970s, government-sponsored settlement programs brought hundreds of thousands of Bengali families from the plains of Bangladesh into the CHT, a region traditionally home to a dozen indigenous Pahari groups. What was once a predominantly Pahari area is now an almost equal mix of Bengalis and Paharis. This significant shift has created intense competition for the region’s most precious resource: land. Due to commercialization, the expansion of the tourism business, and the increasing population, land has become an extremely valuable and contested asset. Different groups—Pahari communities, Bengali settlers, corporations, and government entities—are now locked in a struggle for its possession and control.
The accord promised to stop the fighting and establish a sustainable peace. “The accord was a beacon of hope,” says a community leader from Rangamati, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It promised to address land rights, reduce the military presence, and recognize our cultural identity. But for many here, those promises feel empty.” Despite the signing of the agreement, a truly stable and harmonious peace has yet to be established in the CHT, and clashes between groups continue to claim lives and victimize innocent people. For example, in September 2024, Bengalis in the CHT blamed Paharis for the death of a Bengali man, leading to widespread violence against Paharis.
The Accord’s primary success is undeniable: it ended a decades-long armed insurgency. Major combat operations ceased, creating a space for dialogue and development that was previously impossible. This cessation of open warfare is a crucial achievement that should not be overlooked.
However, research and local accounts indicate that the core provisions of the accord have been poorly implemented. The military remains deeply entrenched in the region, and land disputes are a daily source of friction. A recent survey of 400 Bengali and Pahari residents found that land grabbing by powerful elites is seen as a major cause of ongoing conflict, with 99% of Pahari respondents identifying it as a critical issue. The Land Commission, which was supposed to be formed immediately to resolve land conflicts, is still in its formative phase and remains inactive for unidentified reasons. This institutional paralysis is a primary source of frustration among the Pahari people, who had held lofty hopes and high spirits following the signing of the accord.
This intense competition over resources has bred deep social divisions. The same survey revealed a stark lack of trust between the communities. An overwhelming majority of both Bengalis and Paharis said they prefer to have neighbors from their own ethnic group and are more inclined to trust them. This indicates a sharp polarization between the Bengali and Pahari people. It is also important to note that intra-group polarization exists within the Pahari community itself, a dynamic that also contributes to paralyzing the peace process in the region.
This social polarization manifests in everyday life. Pahari respondents reported experiencing violence—including physical attacks, property destruction, and extortion—at much higher rates than their Bengali neighbors. Many live with a constant sense of vulnerability, worried for their family’s safety and their children’s future.
“We may live side-by-side, but we live in separate worlds,” explains a Bengali shopkeeper in Khagrachari. “There is little interaction, and that lack of connection makes it easy for misunderstandings to turn into conflicts.” Such testimonies present a clear picture of the persistent division and mistrust that characterizes relations between the groups in the CHT.
The situation in the CHT powerfully illustrates that signing a peace accord is only the first step. Building a lasting and meaningful peace requires actively rebuilding relationships and addressing the root causes of the conflict.
Local peacebuilders emphasize that the solution lies in the genuine implementation of the accord’s terms. This includes establishing a fair and effective land dispute resolution system, fostering inter-community dialogue through shared projects and spaces, and creating economic opportunities that benefit all residents, not just a select few.
The educated Pahari population, both those living within the CHT and abroad, also has a responsibility to support their community, helping it to survive and thrive in the land they have inhabited for generations. Furthermore, marginalized groups must be given opportunities for empowerment so they can effectively realize their rights and participate fully in society.
For the younger generation growing up in this “violent peace,” the future remains uncertain. Their hopes for education, stable jobs, and a secure life are caught in the crossfire of unresolved grievances and ongoing low-level conflict. The fundamental challenge for Bangladesh is to move from a peace that simply avoids all-out war to one that actively builds trust, ensures justice, and fosters a shared future for everyone in the hills.
Keywords: Bangladesh, Pahari, Bengali, Chittagong Hill Tracts, CHT, Chittagong, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, Bangladeshi
Rafiqul Islam
Professor Dr. Rafiqul Islam is a distinguished expert in the fields of migration and conflict studies. He is a faculty member in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. His academic background includes training in political science, peace and conflict studies, and environmental security. His research interests are deeply focused on critical issues in South Asia, including statelessness in the Bengali borderlands and the sustainable management of the Rohingya refugee crisis. Professor Islam is also a skilled researcher who employs quantitative and field-based methods, as demonstrated by his co-authored work on community relations and violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. His work bridges academic inquiry and pressing real-world problems, aiming to inform policy and build sustainable peace. Email:islampacs@du.ac.bd.
