Prasit Bikash Khisa | |
|---|---|
প্রসিত বিকাশ খীসা | |
| President of the United People's Democratic Front | |
| Assumed office 1988 | |
| Constituency | Chittagong Hill Tracts |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Khagrachhari,Chittagong Hill Tracts,Bangladesh |
| Known for |
|
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict |
Prasit Bikash Khisa is a political leader in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. He is one of the founders and currently the president of United People's Democratic Front (UPDF),established in 1998. It is alleged that he opposed the 1997 peace agreement between the government and the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS),arguing that the deal failed to adequately safeguard the rights and autonomy of the indigenous people in the region. [1] [2] [3]
Under Khisa's leadership,the United People's Democratic Front has worked to support indigenous people's rights of Bangladesh. However,there have been many conflicts and divisions among different groups in the region. The United People's Democratic Front itself had an split in 2017 by which a new group called UPDF Democratic was formed. [4] [5]
Under the recent years,UPDF,led by Khisa,has been involved in violent incidents and conflicts with other groups. In February 2022,two members of the group were killed in an attack by gunmen in the Sajek area of Rangamati district. UPDF further accused the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samiti,led by Santu Larma,of carrying out the attack. [6]
In June 2022,Khisa proposed a new peace accord for the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and reached out to the government through former Bangladeshi Army Major Emdadul Islam,who had previously played a significant role in the 1997 agreement. [7]