The Government of Bangladesh on Monday strongly rejected recent reports portraying the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) as an “occupied” or “militarised” region, stressing that such descriptions are misleading and factually incorrect.

In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said the CHT has been an integral part of Bangladesh’s sovereign territory since independence in 1971 and is administered under civil authority, not military rule. Security forces are deployed in the region—as in other parts of the country—to maintain peace, ensure citizen safety, and support development.

The government also dismissed any comparisons of the CHT with the West Bank or other occupied territories, calling such analogies “baseless” and a gross distortion of reality.

Bangladesh reiterated its commitment to human rights, inclusivity, and the welfare and development of all communities in the CHT. While welcoming credible, evidence-based reporting on any alleged human rights concerns, the statement said no verified complaints of systematic abuse by security forces in the region have been received to date.

The ministry urged media and creative platforms to exercise responsibility, professionalism, and factual accuracy when reporting on complex historical and social contexts.

The statement was issued following a recent article and associated photo project by Netra News, which had referred to the CHT as being under “military rule.”