SHILLONG, Oct 12: Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Wednesday said he will not like to go into the nitty-gritty of the tripartite peace talks among Government of India, Meghalaya government and Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC).
“Our main concern was to ensure that the peace talks go as per the plan. I would not like unnecessary comments on this,” the Home minister said.
Stating that it is important to give the peace talks a chance, he said the cadres will need to hold a meeting among themselves before the commencement of formal talks.
The Home Minister refused to comment on whether the HNLC has placed any agenda or demands before the state government and the Centre for the talks to move forward.
“I will not want to put anything on the table until a decision or a resolution has been arrived at,” the Home minister said.
Five representatives of the insurgent group had reportedly arrived in the state on August 5 and returned to Bangladesh on September 16 after taking part in two rounds of peace talks.
HNLC representative Sadon K Blah had said they went back for further consultations before the next round of talks.
The five are the group’s purported vice chairman Manbhalang Jyrwa, political secretary Aristerwell Thongni, foreign secretary Phrangkupar Diengdoh and their bodyguards Aiborlem Marbaniang and Storgy Lyngdoh. They were given safe passage.
Blah had said the two rounds of talks were held in Shillong in the presence of officials from the Union Home Ministry and government-appointed interlocutor Peter Dkhar.
According to him, the talks were positive. He had also stated that the HNLC members would hold organisational meetings and take a decision on the future talks.
Stating that there are political issues pending for more than three decades which the HNLC wanted to raise, Blah had said it was not appropriate to reveal more as the talks had just started.
