The peace agreement signed today with the UNLF by the Government of India and the Government of Manipur marks the end of a six-decade-long armed movement. ....It is a landmark achievement in realising PM @narendramodi Ji's vision of all-inclusive development and providing a better future to the youths in Northeast India. - Amit Shah
After United National Liberation Front (UNLF) signed a peace agreement with the Government of India, Manipur CM N Biren Singh says, "Opposition can say anything, they are in the Opposition for the same. We work and we are working. What magic did PM Modi weave after 70 years, I want to appreciate."
(The agreement was signed in New Delhi by senior officials of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Government of Manipur and representatives of United National Liberation Front.)
In a historic development, the Government of India and Government of Manipur signed a Peace Agreement with United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the oldest valley-based armed group of Manipur in New Delhi on Nov 29, 2023.
The UNLF was formed in 1964 and has been operating both within and outside Indian Territory.
"The agreement is poised to give a fillip to usher in a new era of peace in the North East in general and Manipur in particular", the central government said.
While political settlements have been finalised with several ethnic armed groups of the North East as part of conflict resolution initiatives of Government of India, it is for the first time a valley-based Manipuri armed group has agreed to return to mainstream by abjuring violence and agreeing to honour the Constitution of India and laws of the land.
"The agreement will not only bring an end to hostilities between UNLF and security forces which have claimed precious lives on both sides over the last more than half a century but also provide an opportunity to address the longstanding concerns of the community," the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.
It is hoped that the return of UNLF to the mainstream will also encourage other valley-based armed groups to participate in the peace process in due course.
A Peace Monitoring Committee (PMC) will be constituted to oversee enforcement of the agreed ground rules. The development is likely to be a significant step in restoring peace and normalcy in the state of Manipur, the MHA has announced.
Informal/back channel talks had started in 2022; long before the ethnic strife in the state that broke out on May 3.
The breakthrough is significant because until now, no valley-based Meitei insurgent group had ever come to an agreement with the Centre or even participated in peace talks.
At a Constitution Day event in Imphal on Nov 26, Chief Minister N Biren Singh had said peace talks were at an advanced stage.
"A historic milestone achieved!!! .....
"UNLF, the oldest valley-based armed group of Manipur has agreed to renounce violence and join the mainstream. I welcome them to the democratic processes and wish them all the best in their journey on the path of peace and progress." - Shah
UNLF was founded on 24th November, 1964, by Arambam Samendra.
Rajkumar Meghen alias Sana Yaima has been a key leader and chairman of United National Liberation Front. He became chairman of UNLF in 1998.
In 2010, he was arrested at Bangladesh and soon, handed over to India.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) charged him along with 18 other leaders for waging a war on India and raising funds by extorting the state government and private bodies.
In June 2016, the NIA Court pronounced a guilty verdict on 11 sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act; Meghen was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He reportedly declined to appeal for leniency.
In November 2019, his sentence was commuted by about 10 months owing to his contributions to the jail like setting up a library , a music school for jail inmates and construction of a garden inside the Guwahati Central Jail.
He was released from jail — in what was widely perceived to be a governmental strategy during the Naga Peace talks.
However, he was disallowed by the National Investigation Agency to immediately return to Manipur and instead transported to a safe house in Guwahati followed by Delhi.
UNLF is part of a collective of rebel groups called the Coordination Committee, or CorCom, that took shape in 2012, along with the Revolutionary People’s Front and its military arm, the People’s Liberation Army; Kangleipak Communist Party; Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup; People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK); and a faction, PREPAK-Progressive.
Sources in Delhi say, the CorCom has participated in several attacks against Indian army and paramilitary forces.
Besides fighting Indian agencies, CorCom has also fought Naga rebel group NSCN-IM.
Indeed, in September 2017, it was stated that NSCN-IM killed five members of two groups allied to CorCom.
It was also reported that Sana Yaima drew inspiration from the "charged political atmosphere" during the "Naxalbari uprising" and had dropped out of the higher studies at the Jadavpur University in Kolkata. Subsequently, he picked up guns...
As per the vision of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and under the guidance of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, the Government of India has signed agreements with several armed groups of the North East region since 2014 to end militancy and promote development
First time a valley-based Manipuri armed group has agreed to return to mainstream by abjuring violence and agreeing to honour the Constitution of India and laws of the land.
The agreement will not only bring an end to hostilities between UNLF and security forces which have claimed precious lives on both sides over the last more than half a century but also provide an opportunity to address the longstanding concerns of the community.
No comments:
Post a Comment