SHILLONG, July 19: The Centre and the state government have reached an agreement with the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) for a safe passage to the leaders of the banned outfit for engaging in peace talks.
Revealing this here on Tuesday, HNLC interlocutor Sadon Blah said the group’s executive committee held three rounds of meeting over as many months with the state-appointed interlocutor, Peter S Dkhar.
“The central and state governments have agreed to provide a safe passage to our leaders for engaging in the peace process within the territory of Meghalaya,” Blah said.
With the granting of safe passage, the HNLC leaders are expected to talk truce in the next few weeks.
Blah said the government’s gesture will help speed up the peace process and facilitate negotiation. He declined to comment on the ceasefire. “The ceasefire will happen only after the HNLC leaders put forward their views to the government representatives. We will first have to discuss the legality of allowing the HNLC leaders to come to the negotiation table,” he said. Blah said the government will also have to take a decision on the rehabilitation of the HNLC cadres.
The state government had earlier this year appointed Dkhar, a retired bureaucrat, as the interlocutor for facilitating the peace talks with the HNLC.
Dkhar is being assisted by AK Mishra, the advisor to the Ministry of Home Affairs for the Northeast and a retired Indian Police Service officer.
The HNLC reciprocated by appointing Blah, the president of the Hynniewtrep National Youth Front as its interlocutor for the peace process.
The HNLC had sent the official communication expressing its readiness for unconditional peace talks on February 10. This followed an appeal from Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma while responding to the outfit’s peace offer on February 8.
Asked if the peace process would end insurgency in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills, Blah said there is no guarantee as the youths do not seem to be happy with the present system. But the HNLC is serious about pursuing peace, he added.
He also said the HNLC wants the state government to make the Justice T Vaiphei report on the killing of Cheristerfield Thangkhiew public.
