Govt grants safe passage to bring HNLC to negotiating table

Informing this at a news conference on Tuesday, Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) president and representative of the HNLC, Sadon K Blah said at least three rounds of meetings have been held with the executive members of the HNLC at the level of the foreign secretary and political secretary in the presence of the state government appointed interlocutor Peter S Dkhar, who is a retired IAS officer.

“(Subsequent to this), the central and state governments have agreed to grant a safe passage to the leaders of the HNLC, who are to be engaged in the talks for the peace process, where they can come and go and may be stationed themselves within the territory of India,” he said.

He added, “The safe passage will enable the HNLC leaders to come and have a direct discussion with the authorities, be it of the state or central government. This will speed up the peace process if the leaders of the HNLC are able to join the discussion and negotiate across the table,” he added.

According to him, discussion across the table between the centre and state government and HNLC is likely to take place in the next few days or weeks.

When asked if a ceasefire will be signed with the HNLC, Blah however said the question of ceasefire may not be the appropriate topic to discuss now as we are still in the first chapter where we have to talk about the legality of allowing the HNLC to come to the negotiating table.

“If the ceasefire has to happen, it will happen only after the HNLC has put forward their point of view in front of the central and state governments,” he said.

The HNLC representative said that the political issues or the agendas of the outfit are yet to be discussed and put in public domain.

“It is only after the safe passage having been agreed then only things will move forward and the public will be in the know what is the second chapter or political agendas or issues that the HNLC would like to put forward to the state and central governments,” he said.

If the government has identified a designated camp for the outfit, Blah said as per protocol the government in the coming days has to take appropriate decisions regarding the rehabilitation of the cadres of the HNLC.

He informed that the HNLC is serious about the peace process and hence they have refrained from any “aggressive activities”.

Blah however denied having any information about the present strength of the banned organization and said, “let the leaders of the HNLC come and have a discussion with the authorities concerned all those things will be known (in the process).”

To another query, the HNYF president however said nothing has been discussed with regards to the security of the HNLC leaders and its cadres during the peace process.

“I think it depends on the wisdom of the state and central governments how to provide security to them – that part has not been discussed but I think it is part of the protocol as it happened in other parts of the North East India that the authorities concerned will have to take appropriate steps regarding the security aspect of things,” he asserted.

Whether the HNLC’s decision to join mainstream will mark the end of militancy in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region of the state, Blah however said there is no guarantee to that because one will not know if the present generation are happy or not happy with the system.

“In most cases you will find militancy in the North East is because of the feeling of animosity against the system that disgruntled elements are there and people who are not happy with the system. I cannot say that once the HNLC joins the mainstream it will be an end (to militancy), it might be an end to the existing level of militancy but I don’t think it will be an end to militancy itself,” he said.

To another query, Blah said, “We have cases to cite as examples. If you look at the demands of the pressure groups for the implementation of ILP in Meghalaya, the state government and central government have not taken any positive steps in that direction but the granting of ILP to Manipur, we all must understand that in Manipur, there are 20 militant organizations and may be as a kind of appeasement policy, central government has granted it.”

“If you look at the wellbeing of the Bodo since the granting of the Bodo Territorial Council through militancy through peace dialogue with militant groups, that is also an advantage to the Bodo community,” he added.

Meanwhile, Blah said that the ongoing peace process with the HNLC is totally different from the peace settlement with the disbanded ANVC and ANVC.B. “The difference will not be on the parameters, the difference will not be on the protocols but the difference will be on the agendas and the issues that the HNLC have which are totally different from what the ANVC had put forth before the Government of India,” he stated.

By Our Reporter