Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Tuesday said the process to initiate the peace talks with the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) militant outfit is “moving in the right direction.”
Five militant leaders of the HNLC led by their Vice Chairman, Manbhalang Jyrwa had arrived in the State on August 5 to start the tripartite peace talks with the Centre and the State government.
Jyrwa will be assisted by the outfit’s Political Secretary Aristerwell Thongni, and Foreign secretary Phrangkupar Diengdoh including two of their PSO in the peace talks
“The process to begin the peace talks is going ahead and are on the right track,” Sangma told reporters
He added : “We are trying to speed up the process, but it’s a complicated process. We are trying to take into confidence all the stakeholders and we are confident of taking the peace talks to its logical conclusion.”
The centre and state government have granted a safe passage to the HNLC militant leaders, who are hiding in Bangladesh. It was granted after the state government’s interlocutor Peter S. Dkhar held three rounds of meetings during the last three months with the executive members of the militant outfit, who are holed up in Bangladesh.
HNLC’s interlocutor Sadon Blah had earlier revealed that the HNLC delegation had informally met with the government interlocutor, Dkhar after the arrival in the state.
“Their arrival of the HNLC leaders is one step of the process to start the peace talks between the outfit and the government,” Blah said.
Earlier, HNLC General Secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw in an e-mailed had said, “HNLC is committed to the peace talks and expects 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 Peace and tranquillity in the State,” Nongtraw had said, adding that “the HNLC is positive about the initiative taken by the MDA (Meghalaya Democratic Alliance) government as well the approval made by the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government at the centre.”
