Fifth round peace talks scheduled in July

Aizawl:  The fifth round of peace talks between the Mizoram government and the Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic) militants is scheduled to be held in July, state additional secretary for Home, Lalbiakzama said on Thursday.

Lalbiakzama said that the coming round of talks might be the last official level talks as the parleys may be elevated to political level soon. “Official level talks to deliberate on the terms of the framework agreement would continue till the final phase and the parleys would be elevated to political level,” he said.

Sources in the HPC (D) delegation said that the talks now revolved around autonomy of the Sinlung Hills Development Council (SHDC), formed in the wake of the accord signed between the state government and the erstwhile underground HPC on July 27, 1994. The name of the council was proposed to be changed to Sinlung Hills Council by omitting the word ‘Development’, sources said.

The HPC (D) was formed by Lalhmingthanga Sanate, who was unhappy with the 1994 accord. The new outfit continued to demand an autonomous district council under the sixth schedule. During the talks held in December 2016, the HPC (D) delegates had returned the arms that militants had taken from the state police in an ambush on March 28, 2015. The state government in return had released the outfit’s army chief Lalropuia Famhoite on bail. (PTI)