By H H Mohrmen
The hill states which were carved out of the then composite state of Assam have one common issue with the parent state – the interstate border dispute. Ever since the states were carved out of Assam, borders have been a bone of contention between Assam and each of the newly created states. The states that shares borders with Assam be it Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram had had many unpleasant histories of border clashes with Assam.
In Meghalaya, the Assam-Meghalaya border dispute is as old as the state of Meghalaya. The disputed areas are called the Block I and Block II. Now the moot question is will the interstate border dispute ever be resolved? Let us call a spade a spade. From what we have seen in the recent past, it is obvious that neither of the governments on both sides of the border will ever be able to come even close to solving the border dispute. There is too much at stake for any government in power in any state because emotions run high on both sides of the border. So the interstate border issue is like the sleeping dog that one must allow to lie undisturbed as long as possible.
If we cannot expect governments to come up with lasting solutions to the chronic problem, what are other options available for the people in the disputed areas? My father lived in a village which is now in the Karbi Anglong District Council called Umwasoo and he speaks chaste Karbi. As a kid I have been a regular visitor to Psiar, Moolaber, Khatkasla which are Pnar settlements and Koma Anglong, Langduk Anglong, Myngkoilum bad Zirikyndeng which are part of Karbi Anglong. But in a little more than three decades of my visit to the area I have noticed the growing animosity that had created a chasm between the Pnars and the Karbi of the area. When and how did the ill feelings start, I don’t know but I remember the days when the two communities co-existed in peace and harmony.
Elder Karbis in the disputed area still speak Pnar but the younger generation has no penchant to learn Pnar. Similarly the younger generations of Pnar people don’t want to learn Karbi despite being neighbours since time immemorial. In the past the Pnars were scared of the Karbi Shaman known to the Pnar as Ki stad Bhoi. They believed that the Karbi Shaman possessed great magical powers that can cause ill health on anyone they cast their magic spell. But if the Pnars have any problems, they always consult the Karbi Shaman to cure themselves and to drive away evil spirits.
Trade between the Karbis and the Pnars also flourished since time immemorial. We were told stories of the barter system still practiced by the two communities not too long ago. There are also many similarities in the culture and traditions of the two communities and in some cases there were stories of kinship ties between the clans of the two tribes. The Pnar even have phrases like ‘chi panang weit’ the origin of which is credited to the Karbis and the way they describe the distance of the destination from the place they were during the trek in the forest. It is no surprise that they influence each other in many ways than we care to learn, but the interstate border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya has not only created a wedge between the two tribes, but very unfortunately it has created fear and distrust between the Pnar and the Karbis. How can we expect the two communities to coexist when there is so much distrust between them?
The situation of the Pnars and the Karbi on the Assam Meghalaya border is no different from the ordeal of the people who live in the other interstate borders. They too have not benefitted from the prevailing situation. People who live on both sides of the border be it in Assam-Nagaland, Assam-Arunachal or Assam-Mizoram always have to bear the brunt of underdevelopment with very little or no education and health care facilities available in the areas. We complain about load shedding but in many places on the interstate border, villages do not even have electricity connection. The locals in the disputed areas have not benefited whatsoever from the prevailing state of affairs and there is no reason why this should be prolonged any further.
The only people who benefitted from keeping the border issue alive are those who rake the issue up before and during the elections on either side of the border. And the other groups that cause mayhem in border are the NGOs along with the media who like comets occasionally visit the place and disturb the peace. Like any intruder, they hit the wasps nests then disappear and leave the locals exposed to the insect’s attack. God only knows how many politicians have used the border dispute as springboards to take a leap of faith on their political fortunes, but everybody knows that politicians come and politicians go but sadly like ‘the Brook” the interstate border dispute will go on forever.
If one cares to visit both sides of the disputed areas one will see zero development. There is no electricity, no paved roads; health care is absent and higher education is still a far cry. In the case of the Block I issue, the bridge over the river Myntang which has taken the Meghalaya government ages to complete could have been the bridge that not only connects Assam with Meghalaya but most importantly serve as an emotional link that reconnects the bonds between the two tribes. Alas, this was not to happen.
Both the Karbi and Pnar people could benefit from each other only if there is no hostility between the tribes, and the one area that the communities could look at is that which has benefited the two since time immemorial and that is trade. There are so many areas that the two tribes can work together like culture and religion especially since the Pnar and the Karbi share the same religion. The need of the hours is to look at areas that unite us, something that we share in common rather than that which divides us. This is more important than the demarcation line which only causes a rift among the two communities.
Do we really need clear demarcation of state borders when we are part of one country? What difference will it make if we have clearly demarcated interstate borders? Governments should instead come up with practical and acceptable solutions to the interstate border problem at the earliest. All states with disputed borders should first work at maintaining law and order and ensure that peace prevails in the area. Truly neither the governments nor the people who live on the borders would want to see more bloodshed on this issue. So the need of the hour is to find a lasting solution to the long pending interstate border disputes in Northeast India.
The first solution to the interstate border dispute is if the states could treat disputed areas as neutral zones; states could organize village development councils in all the disputed areas and members of the councils should comprises of representative from both the communities. Both the states should share the financial and logistical requirements for all development activities in the areas. No state should claim its right to the areas and development should be the joint effort of the respective departments of both governments. The objective of this approach is that the interests of the people in the borders should be the topmost priority and therefore maintaining peace and harmony is very important. To restore peace in the area, it is necessary to create the atmosphere for peace and help people regain confidence. Hence confidence building is also another important objective if we are to bring peace in the conflict areas. There will be no peace in the Northeast region if there is no solution to the interstate border disputes and the solution to the problem is not by dividing people, but by promoting peace, unity and harmony because we are all part of one country. Let us stop behaving like nations fighting for a piece of land when we are but one country.