Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission expressed reservations on Tuesday about some stipulations in the 15th Amendment to the constitution, particularly its use of the terms 'tribes', 'minor races' and 'ethnic sects and communities' to identify 'indigenous peoples.'
In a letter to the prime minister, the commission also said, 'The constitution should not have Bangali nationalism as its foundation as there is documentary evidence of the contributions by many non-Bangalees to the liberation war.
It called for immediate corrective steps to address the concerns of the ethnic minorities of CHT.
It called for a fresh amendment to the constitution to accord due recognition to Bangladesh's all the 50 or 60 'indigenous peoples' in line with the UN Charter.
It said that the amendment was brought ignoring opposition from several lawmakers and civil society groups.
It also expressed reservations about the retention of the provision of state religion and Bismillah-Ar-Rahman-Ar-Rahim in the constitution.
Source : New Age
