Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Kongkal Sangma met Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday and discussed with him various issues concerning the state.
“I had updated the Home Minister on the ongoing peace talks with the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) and the second phase of border talks between Meghalaya and Assam,” Sangma told UNI over phone.
Five HNLC militant leaders led by their self-styled vice chairman, Manbhalang Jyrwa are already camping in the state to start the tripartite peace talks with the Centre and the State government.
Jyrwa is assisted by the outfit’s ‘political secretary’ Aristerwell Thongni and ‘foreign secretary’ Phrangkupar Diengdoh including two of their ‘personal security officers’ in the peace talks.
The members of the outfit had already held their first round of talks with the government officials last month.
“The process to begin the peace talks is going ahead and is on the right track. We are trying to speed up the process, but it’s complicated. We are trying to take into confidence all the stakeholders and we are confident of taking the peace talks to its logical conclusion,” the chief minister had said.
In the recent past, HNLC general secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw had said, “HNLC is committed to the peace talks and expect the same kind of commitment from the government. We believe that the peace process would be expedited at the earliest and a step toward a political solution would be arrived at so as to enable tranquility in the State”.
He added, “The HNLC is positive about the initiative taken by the MDA (Meghalaya Democratic Alliance) government as well as the approval made by the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government at the centre”.
In the second phase of boundary talks with Assam, the chief minister said that the two neighbouring states would soon form three regional committees to resolve issues regarding the remaining disputed areas.
Earlier in March, the chief ministers of the two states had signed a pact in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah, resolving differences in a 36.79 sq km area comprising Tarabari, Gizang, Hahim, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pilangkata and Ratacherra out of 12 sites.
