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Assam militants pull out of talks with Delhi

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Guwahati, India, Sept 27, IRNA
India-ULFA-Talks Collapse
Representatives of a dominant separatist guerrilla group in India's restive northeastern state of Assam, currently holding peace talks with New Delhi aimed at ending three-decades of insurgency, Wednesday pulled out of the peace process.

"We are withdrawing from the peace process and shall not continue any further parleys with the Indian government that is keen on trying to solve the conflict in Assam militarily rather than through negotiations," Arup Barbora, spokesman of the Peoples Consultative Group (PCG) told journalists here.

The 11-member PCG was nominated by the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to begin exploratory talks with the Indian government in September last year.

The PCG had held three rounds of peace talks with New Delhi the first round chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in October.

New Delhi's frequent somersaults and their lack of sincerity was exposed when they went back on their commitment to release five jailed ULFA leaders to facilitate direct talks with the rebel leadership, another PCG member Dilip Patgiri said.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil after the last rounds of talks with the PCG in New Delhi in June said the government would consider releasing five jailed ULFA leaders a demand by the outfit before beginning direct peace talks.

The peace process was deadlocked with New Delhi in the past one month insisting the ULFA commit in writing to come for direct peace talks.

But the militants, who have been fighting for an independent Assamese homeland in the resource-rich state since 1979, have said they cannot give such a pledge until the jailed rebel leaders are freed.

New Delhi's announcement of a unilateral ceasefire against the ULFA for an initial period of 10 days beginning August 13 had renewed hopes for peace in the region.

A week later, the ULFA reciprocated the governments goodwill gesture by announcing cessation of hostilities for an indefinite period.

The government further extended the ceasefire until September 20.

But last weekend, New Delhi called off the ceasefire and resumed military operations blaming the ULFA for stepped up attacks and extortions.

The ULFA over the weekend killed a policeman and a plantation manager in eastern Assam.

The ULFA representatives refused to react to the rebels stepped up attack that prompted the government to call off the truce.

The government of India should have trusted the PCGs assurance that the ULFA leadership would come for direct talks if the jailed leaders were released. But still they insisted on a letter from the ULFA and that really deadlocked the peace process, Patgiri said.

Analysts said the resumption of military operations by the government and the ULFA representatives backing out of the peace process could lead to surge in violence.

The peace process has now collapsed and the state will be in turmoil once again, Atanu Bhuyan, editor of the Dainik Batori, a mass circulation Assamese daily newspaper, said.

More than 10,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in Assam during the past two decades.

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