PEACE TALKS BETWEEN MIZORAM AND HPC-D LIKELY IN FEBRUARY

The peace talks between the Mizoram government and a faction of Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic) led by H. Zosangbera is likely to be resumed this month. Mizoram Home Minister R. Lalzirliana said officials of the Home department and other concerned departments including ministers will meet today over the ongoing peace parleys to decide and fix the date for next round of talks. The next round of peace talks would be a political level talk. Earlier, the Home Minister had said that the state government had planned to commence the tentative political level talks before Christmas last year. He had also said that the onus for continuation of parleys with the group lay with Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla.

To find amicable solution to the vexed Hmar political imbroglio, both the Mizoram government and HPC(D) led by Zosangbera have been holding peace talks starting from August 2016. The last official level talk was held in September last year in Aizawl, which ended on a positive note. The peace talks revolved around autonomy to the existing Sinlung Hills Development Council (SHDC) which would be re-christened as Sinlung Hills Council (SHC). During the last talk, both sides also agreed in principle the draft of Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) and Sinlung Hills Council Bill.

Meanwhile, sources said that some of the Hmar leaders had recently met Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, Home Minister R. Lalzirliana and Health Minister Lal Thanzara over the next tentative political level talks.

Dissatisfied with the peace accord signed between Mizoram government and the erstwhile underground HPC in 1994 that resulted in the creation of SHDC, HPC(D) went underground again and had been demanding a separate autonomous district council in Mizoram by carving out the areas in the north eastern part of the state adjoining Manipur. However, the demand for creation of an autonomous district was dropped by the group.

Peace talks between the Mizoram government and HPC(D) was revived in 2016, three years after it had ended in a deadlock over extension of period of Suspension of Operation (SoO) in 2013. So far, both sides have held talks on five occasions.