HC lifts stay on CHT army pullout
Thursday, 20 August 2009
The High Court (HC) Wednesday lifted its two-day suspension on the government's partial army pullout from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), report bdnews24.com and UNB.
The bench of justices Syed Refaat Ahmed and Moinul Islam Chowdhury on August 16 had stayed the withdrawal of army camps for two days until a hearing on two petitions challenging the government's withdrawal of troops in line with the 1997 CHT Peace Accord.
After a hearing on the petitions, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters that the court, however, hoped that the government would not give any executive order on the pullout of troops until the issue of dismantling of army camps was settled.
Barrister Abdur Razzaq, a lawyer for the petitioners against the army pullout, echoed Alam.
The next hearing on the petitions will take place today (Thursday).
The government announced a partial withdrawal of troops from the three hilly districts last month as part of its move to implement the 1997 CHT Peace Accord.
The government has since wrapped up several temporary army camps from the region amid some protests from Bengali settlers in the indigenous region.
The bench of justices Syed Refaat Ahmed and Moinul Islam Chowdhury on August 16 had stayed the withdrawal of army camps for two days until a hearing on two petitions challenging the government's withdrawal of troops in line with the 1997 CHT Peace Accord.
After a hearing on the petitions, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters that the court, however, hoped that the government would not give any executive order on the pullout of troops until the issue of dismantling of army camps was settled.
Barrister Abdur Razzaq, a lawyer for the petitioners against the army pullout, echoed Alam.
The next hearing on the petitions will take place today (Thursday).
The government announced a partial withdrawal of troops from the three hilly districts last month as part of its move to implement the 1997 CHT Peace Accord.
The government has since wrapped up several temporary army camps from the region amid some protests from Bengali settlers in the indigenous region.