GUWAHATI The ethnic conflict in Manipur has impacted a peace process with an extremist outfit in Meghalaya.
The tripartite peace talks among the Centre, the Meghalaya government, and the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) were to have formally begun in the first week of June.
“Some complications have cropped up because of the Manipur situation. The Ministry of Home Affairs is quite busy with the developments in Manipur,” Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma said.
Also read: A critical juncture in Manipur
“The Centre is serious about initiating the peace process, which should start once the situation in Manipur improves,” he said.
The HNLC had in February 2022 announced that it was ready for unconditional peace talks. It later appointed social worker Sadon K. Blah as its interlocutor for the peace process while the government appointed retired IAS officer Peter S. Dkhar and retired IPS officer A.K. Mishra as interlocutors for the purpose.
“The peace talks cannot be rushed since it has been a struggle (for HNLC) for almost 40 years. Some technicalities are delaying the peace talks,” Mr. Blah said.
The HNLC has been fighting for a sovereign homeland for the Khasi community of Meghalaya. The outfit had its origin in the Hynniewtrep A’chik Liberation Council, the first pan-Meghalaya outfit formed in the mid-1980s.
Inter-tribe differences triggered a split in the group in 1993, with the A’chik or Garo members forming the A’chik Matgrik Liberation Army and the Khasi-Jaintia members forming the HNLC.
