SHILLONG:
Too commence the proposed peace talks with the proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), the government is awaiting inputs from the interlocutor, deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said, recently.
Recently, said that first the interlocutor has to sit down with the HNLC and only based on his inputs, the government will decide how to go about with the talk. “Therefore, we have left it to the wisdom of the interlocutor and he is on the job,” said Tynsong.
Tynsong, however, was tight-lipped when asked whether any tripartite ceasefire agreement has been signed between the banned outfit, state government and the Centre ahead of the talks. “We cannot say anything on the matter right now until and unless four to five meetings are held,” said the deputy chief minister.
Earlier on April 23, a senior official in the Ministry of Home Affairs had told The Meghalayan that the Ministry will go ahead with the peace process once it gets the initial report from the State government. “The Meghalaya government has appointed an interlocutor. Once we get the preliminary report from it, we will set the next stage of the process,” the official had said. Previously, the Centre had nominated former director of the intelligence bureau (IB) AK Mishra as the representative from the central government side.
Earlier, a month after the banned outfit expressed its desire to sit on the negotiation table for peace talks on February 8, the government, on March 10, had appointed retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Peter S Dkhar as the interlocutor for facilitating the talks.
Dkhar, who was a former deputy commissioner of East Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills, is being assisted by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Adviser, North East and retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Mishra.
Meanwhile, the HNLC had also appointed Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) president Sadon K Blah as its representative to hold talks with the government.