National Citizen Party (NCP) convener and opposition chief whip Md Nahid Islam called for voices from the hill region in implementing the July Charter. He made the remarks on Sunday at a discussion titled “July in the Hills: Equal Dignity, Coexistence and Harmony” at Chattogram Press Club. He said the government, despite holding a two-thirds majority, has no representative from the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the ministry for the region and that Dipen Dewan had been removed.

Nahid said the NCP supports equal civil rights for all while remaining uncompromising on sovereignty. He called for an end to deprivation in the hills and accountability from the hills to the plains. He said reports are heard of different forms of extortion and terrorism in the hills, requiring solutions.

Describing hill politics, society and economy as complex, he said there is no one-dimensional solution. He said indigenous communities and Bengalis both face deprivation, while divisions can be exploited by foreign forces. Nahid urged political parties to pursue dialogue and a political solution, and said the NCP would seek representation everywhere in the next local government elections, with special importance given to the hills.