The Mizoram government and the Hmar rebels will sign a memorandum of settlement in April, Home minister R Lalzirliana said at the ongoing Mizoram state legislative assembly.
The agreement will bring an end to 28 years of the Hmar People’s Convention Democrats (HPCD) armed conflict.
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Several rounds of talks have been had between the Mizoram government and the Hmar outfit over the years.
The Hmar ethnic group has been fighting for autonomy since 1994, a political agreement was made in the recently concluded talks in Aizawl on March 8, 2018.
“There are no reports of any presence of underground elements in Mizoram, what has been bothering us is the Hmar imbroglio, the state government has made every steps necessary to ensure the stalemate is resolved. The Mizoram government will sign a memorandum of settlement with the HPCD next month,” Mizoram home minister R Lalzirliana said.
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The home minister also told the house that there were no anti-government underground elements within the boundary of Mizoram and that if it arises the government would leave no stone unturned in the propagation of peace in Mizoram.
The HPCD is an armed Hmar ethnic based outfit who took to arms in 1994, they were a breakaway faction of the HPC who signed peace agreement with Mizoram government in 1994.
A two-day long political talk between the rebel leaders and the Mizoram government was had last month, where both the parties arrived at a consensus.
Lalrinmawia Ralte, a political adviser to the chief minister, who headed the 10 member government delegation said both sides have unanimously agreed to sign Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) based on the framework of agreement made earlier.
An offshoot of the erstwhile Hmar People’s Convention (HPC) (now a political party), which took up arms for autonomy in 1989, the HPC(D) came as a fallout of dissatisfaction over the peace accord signed between the Congress led Mizoram government and HPC on July 27,1994.
Initially, the outfit had demanded the creation of Autonomous District Council (ADC) under sixth scheduled to the constitution of India by carving out area in Hmar dominated north Mizoram adjoining Manipur.
The peace parley which began on August 10, 2016 has culminated in an agreement, which in turn is likely to be end up with according more autonomy to the existing Sinlung Hills Development Council (SHDC), which came into existence as a result of the 1994 accord, against the larger aspiration of the Hmar people.