HILLONG: The outlawed HNLC on Wednesday confirmed that former KSU vice president Frederick Kharmawphlang and 13 others had joined the outfit, with its publicity secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw claiming that they had joined the outfit since they were hunted by the police for demanding implementation of ILP.
In a statement issued to the media on Wednesday, Nongtraw said the HNLC welcomes the stand taken by Kharmawphlang and 13 others to join the Council and also appealed to the youth to join hands with the Council.
“They were victims of the Hindu political system; they were hunted by the police department for many months as if they were terrorists just because they supported the implementation of ILP. Many others from several NGOs have joined the Council to support its stand for an armed political struggle to retain the Hynniewtrep sovereign state,” the statement read.
According to the HNLC, the youths who joined the outfit have sacrificed a lot and their family members should feel proud of them. “They have chosen the path of warriors and together we will fight the enemy,” Nongtraw said.
The militant outfit also appealed to all the pressure groups to expand the ILP struggle into a human rights issue as ‘it is our legitimate right to protect the interests of our nation’.
The HNLC leader said that in the case of Meghalaya, Assam and Manipur, the Government has turned a blind eye to the demand for introduction of ILP, and added that this was a clear cut indication of discrimination.
Referring to The Dalai Lama’s recent visit to the State, Nongtraw said that The Dalai had appealed to the Indian government to intervene into the matter of Tibet’s freedom. “The Indian Government had also shown keen interest in the Tibet, but forgot that the Northeast states had so many pending issues,” he said.
“India should first try to solve its own problems rather than meddling into the affairs of other countries. 67 years have passed and the seven sisters of Northeast have always been the victim of Indianism,” the statement added.
The HNLC also reiterated that it ‘does not require integration with Hindustan but will continue its struggle for separation’.
He also said that the UN Charter has recognized the right to self determination of indigenous people and ‘all the concerned NGOs of the Hynniewtrep should present the case of ILP in front of the UN so that the matter would not fall under the ‘Indian Supreme Court’ or the ‘Indian Government’.