SHILLONG, July 9: The Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) on Thursday sought an early resolu-tion of the Meghalaya-Assam border dispute in the remaining six areas, saying that the five agreed prin-ciples could help find a way forward even in complicated sectors such as Langpih.
HSPDP president KP Pangniang said the regional committees should initiate steps to accelerate discus-sions with their Assam counterparts and carry forward the process of resolving the dispute in the re-maining areas.
The HSPDP, a constituent of the MDA government, reiterated that settlement of the boundary dispute remains one of its major issues. The party expressed hope that the second phase of negotiations would address the pending areas of difference.
Pangniang welcomed the terms of reference agreed upon by both states for examining the disputed are-as. The five principles are historical perspective, ethnicity, geographical contiguity, people’s perception and administrative convenience.
He said it would be appropriate for the two states to continue applying these principles while dealing with the six areas being taken up in the second phase of negotiations.
Pangniang, who is a member of the West Khasi Hills Regional Committee, said the committee was ex-pected to take steps to expedite talks with its Assam counterpart.
According to him, Langpih is one of the most complicated areas in the boundary dispute. However, he was hopeful that the application of the agreed terms of reference could help find a solution.He stressed that people’s cooperation would be important and that any settlement should be in accord-ance with their aspirations.
The HSPDP acknowledged the steps taken so far towards resolving the dispute and maintained that the next phase should focus on reaching a settlement in the remaining six areas.
