HNLC sticks to its demand for general amnesty, flags ‘trust deficit’ with Govt

Justifying its decision to pull out from the peace talks with the Centre and the Meghalaya government, the proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) of Meghalaya today said that there is a ‘trust deficit’ with the government and they will not return to the table unless and until cases against HNLC cadres and leaders are dropped and general amnesty granted.

Sadon Blah, the HNLC representative stated that in actual terms trust deficit was created between the HNLC and the government since its leaders and cadres were summoned by security agencies at a time when deliberations were on and progressing. This prompted the group to withdraw from the peace process, Blah said.

According to him the peace process is over if the government still does not drop cases and grants general amnesty to the HNLC cadres and leaders.

He said, “While we are making a point to the government to withdraw the cases and we see that a series of summons have been served to the HNLC leaders. Be it the NIA or a magisterial court in Meghalaya. That is the thing that created trust deficit. On the one hand we are saying that we are having a peace talk, on the other hand summon notices are served to the HNLC leaders and cadres. That is how the trust deficit was created.”

“If the cases are not dropped and the general amnesty is not granted, its over I think, this peace process,” Blah added.

Blah squarely blamed the government for not allegedly trying to understand the HNLC’s for the need to withdraw the cases.

Responding to the requests made by different stakeholders to the HNLC for reconsidering its decision, Blah maintained that this cannot happen until its demand for withdrawal of cases and general amnesty is granted to the HNLC leaders and cadres.

Backing the HNLC’s decision, Sadon Blah said, “We are withdrawing from the peace talks because the status is the government in the past 2 years when we had a series of discussions with it, the government is not trying to understand.

It is not understanding the need to withdraw the cases and grant general amnesty to the HNLC cadres and their leaders. So mainly appealing the HNLC to reconsider the withdrawal from the peace process without the actual consideration of the demand of the HNLC also is not possible.”

The HNLC representative also denied that communication gaps had led to the deadlock that ultimately prompted the group to withdraw from the peace process.

He said, “The failure of peace talks is because of communication gaps, I feel that is also wrong. Because every communication that we had in the meetings, resolutions were taken and decisions taken, with the state government or the Home Ministry was forwarded to the HNLC. Even the HNLC sent letters of acknowledgements also to the government saying that we were happy with so and so decisions and resolutions taken. Communication gap is not the issue. One may say that we withdrew from the peace talks because of communication gap. No that is not true. Communication is ok. I was there all the time to communicate, Bah Peter was there all time to communicate and the HNLC are also there who are fully apprised about carrying the peace process. How can there be communication gap, there is no such thing.”

Blah said that there were numerous meetings between the HNLC and the government wherein both the stakeholders were on the same issue.

“We have had around 4-5 discussions with the officials from the NIA, from the Home Ministry, officials of IB, state government, we had lots of discussions. It has been almost 2 years, in each and every meeting and communication I used to converse with the authorities concerned, we are stuck on the same issue. That is amnesty and withdrawal of the cases,” the HNLC representative stated.

On December 31, last year the HNLC chose to withdraw from the ongoing tri-partite peace parleys between it and the Central and State governments with immediate effect.