Aizawl,28 Aug.2011: The Hmar People’s Convention (HPC), the main political party among the Hmars in northeastern Mizoram, has disowned those claiming to be ‘HPC’ leaders and demanded resumption of peace talks between the banned Hmar People’s Convention-Democratic (HPC-D) and the Mizoram government.
“Certain persons, who addressed the processions in three major villages in SHDC area do not have any connections with the HPC and they are imposters, ” the HPC said in a release on Saturday.
Moreover, the ”self-proclaimed HPC” leaders were ”outsiders” as described by Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla in the state Assembly recently, the release said and warned them to never repeat acting as HPC leaders in the future.
Distancing itself from the ”all-party” demand for resumption of the peace negotiations, the HPC also made it clear that the Mizoram was no more in a position to enter into dialogue with any insurgent group after the directives of the Home Ministry.
In a notification on March 10, 2011, the Home Ministry directed all the Northeastern states of India, except for Sikkim, not to hold talks with any splinter groups or any other new outfits or accept their laying down of arms.
The Home Ministry issued this notification following ”increasing trend of emergence of splinter groups or factions” in the Northeast India.”
It has been observed that a number of new criminal groups has come up in the Northeastern states and been indulging mainly in extortion activities and kidnapping for ransom, ” the notification said.
” These groups, according to the Home Ministry, do not pursue any ideology but are simply a gang of criminals. After some time, they will come up with unviable demands before the government and would try to pretend to be champions of public cause, ” it said.
So far as the Home Ministry’s notification was concerned, such groups were not ”insurgent groups” but a ”gang of criminals or extortionists” and their laying down of arms in a public function should not be accepted.
A detailed list of the militant outfits furnished by Minister of State for Home Affairs M Ramachandran in the Lok Sabha recently revealed that there were 79 insurgent groups, including splinter factions, which were active across six Northeastern states.
Manipur has the dubious distinction of having the highest number of 50 active militant outfits in the region including 22 valley-based and 27 hill-based outfits. One militant outfit, Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) has 12 factions, while Kuki National Front has four factions.
According to this list, there are three insurgent groups in Mizoram, viz, Hmar Peoples Convention-Democratic (HPC- D), Hmar National Liberation Front (HNLF) and Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO). This information, however, had been rubbished by Mizoram Home Minister R Lalzirliana, who had maintained that there was ”no insurgent group” in Mizoram.
” The HPC-D is like a child rebelling against his father demanding something. It is not an outlaw, and we find it more appropriate to call spoilt brat instead of insurgents, ” Mr Lalzirliana said here on Friday.
The HPC-D, an offshoot of the Hmar People’s Convention, following dissatisfaction with the 1994 peace agreement continued to fight self-government for the Hmars in Northeastern part of Mizoram. (UNI)
