Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said today that he is hopeful of discussing the issue of the talks with the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) militant group with Union Home Minister Amit Shah soon.
Sangma is set to travel to New Delhi to sign an agreement on behalf of Meghalaya with Assam in the presence of Shah to resolve the two states’ border dispute on March 29.
While this will be the chief purpose of the trip, the CM also aims to raise the matter of the talks with the outlawed HNLC, which recently expressed its willingness to hold peace talks.
“Yes, given the opportunity, when we are there meeting the Union Home Minister, this issue (on HNLC) will come up for sure at an official level and we will try to move the process forwards,” Sangma told reporters today.
Retired IAS officer Peter Dkhar has been appointed as the interlocutor for peace talks with the HNLC.
However, Sangma made it plain that the peace process could take some time in bearing fruit.
“It is a process, so whenever we get a chance and opportunity we will discuss the matter. We will take the discussion forward because it is a very complex situation, just like the border issue, where there cannot be prescribed norms saying this is how we move forward,” he said. “It does not necessarily mean we will come to a decision or a conclusion in every meeting.”
Meanwhile, the HNLC recently appealed for the state police to suspend operations against its members as arrests and pursuits could lead to the militant group deciding on abandoning the peace process. This despite the HNLC declined to declare a ceasefire of its own, though it said it was open to the idea. On this, the CM said that the suspension of police operations against the banned outfit will be considered only after further discussion.
