Rengkai (Manipur)/mizonews.net: Representatives who attended the consultative meeting on the political issues of the Hmar tribe covering three north-eastern states – Assam, Manipur and Mizoram –  have endorsed the Hmar Peoples’ Conference(D) rebels’ demand for creation of autonomous district councils for the community.

The meeting convened by  the HPC(D) leadership  at the VET campus here  yesterday was attended by civil society organisations, village authorities and village chiefs of Hmar settlements.

HPC-D ‘chairman-in-charge’ LT Hmar informed that the  Hmar rebel outfit and Mizoram representatives met in December last  to prepare grounds for formal talks after the Lal Thanhawla government invited sent feelers for peace talks. Two top leaders of the HPC(D) including its ‘chairman’, Zosangbera, and ‘deputy-army chief’ Biaknunga, are still in custody after they were arrested by the Mizoram Police last year.

“There will be another meeting in January for political talks with the Mizoram government,” he said.

SIPHRO chairman David Buhril, one of the representatives nominated by the HPC(D) to negotiate with the Assam government on their demand for an autonomous district council, said: “Since the HPC-D (Assam Region) signed the Suspension of Operation (SoO) with Dispur last year, four to five meetings have been held with the Assam government”.

The meeting also passed a three-point declaration to send a clear message that political solution is needed to address the Hmar tribe’s demands. Members were of the view that there should political talks between the HPC(D) and the Mizoram government to solve the long pending Hmar political issues in that state. They also endorsement the HPC-D’s demand for a Hmar Autonomous District Council in Assam besides lending moral support to the ongoing tripartite talks the United Peoples Forum (UPF) initiated with the Manipur government and the Centre.

UPF convener Sanga Hmar said preliminary talks with the Central government and Manipur government were held recently during which the Union Home Ministry accepted the proposal to initiate a political talks on the lines of UPF demands. “However, as the proposed interlocutor has not been named by the Prime Minister, no formal political talks could be started.”