Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs

The ministry is currently facing a leadership vacuum and political uncertainty following the resignation of Minister Dipen Dewan, impacting debates on the 1997 CHT Peace Accord.

TITLE CORRECTION: The user brief specified 'State Minister: Dipen Dewan (BNP, Rangamati)'. All verified primary sources (BSS, TBSNews, Wikipedia, Dhaka Tribune) consistently record Dipen Dewan as the full Cabinet Minister for CHT Affairs, not State Minister. Mir Mohammed Helal Uddin (BNP, Chittagong-5) is the State Minister for CHT Affairs (and simultaneously State Minister for Land since March 12, 2026). This record reflects the verified designation. Budget figure of Tk 1,400 crore (BDT 14,000,000,000) is from Wikipedia citing official FY 2024-25 data; the FY 2025-26 figure is not yet confirmed in accessible public documents as of verification date. Staff count: MOCHTA has a Secretary (AKM Shamimul Haque Siddiqui as of early 2026) and oversees six sub-entities (3 Hill District Councils, CHT Development Board, CHT Regional Council secretariat, Refugee Rehabilitation Task Force) but total sanctioned headcount is not publicly available. Accord implementation: Bangladesh told the UN 65 of 72 clauses are fully implemented (April 2026); PCJSS/JSS contests this, citing only 25 fully implemented and 29 yet unimplemented including land commission operationalisation and demilitarisation. The CHT Land Commission has received ~27,000 complaints and resolved none. Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) context: KNF emerged 2021 from Kuki-Chin groups including Bawm, Pangkhua, Lusai, Khumi, Mro, Khiang; army counter-insurgency operations have displaced 4,000+ Bawm civilians since October 2022. Eco-tourism note: No-hill-cutting-for-resorts policy was also affirmed by Dipen Dewan.