In a big boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s “historic” Naga peace pact, another banned terrorist group in North-Eastern state — the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) — is likely to put their guns down to join mainstream.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Saturday said that after the NSCN (IM), one more banned terrorist group in the North-East — the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) – may give up arms and sign a peace pact with the government.
“Officials of Union Home Ministry, central intelligence bodies and Tripura government have already held two rounds of talks during the past six months with the NLFT in Delhi and Shillong,” Sarkar told reporters in Agartala.
“We are ready to continue the peace talks with the NLFT. However, their concrete and specific conditions, demands and issues are yet to be submitted to the government,” Sarkar said adding that under the Indian Constitution, “We are ready to hold talks on any issues of the NLFT.” According to the Chief Minister, there are at least 16 NLFT camps in neighbouring Bangladesh and the outfit has around 80 cadres with roughly 100 sophisticated arms.
“The NLFT also has accounts in Bangladeshi banks,” Sarkar said. He added that the Bangladesh government and its security forces had helped a lot in cracking down against various extremists outfits of North-East India. The NLFT reportedly had approached the Union Home Ministry to involve former Tripura National Volunteers (TNV) supremo Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl and former Mizoram
Chief Minister Zoramthanga in the ongoing peace process and dialogue with the government.
To a question about the involvement of Hrangkhawl and Zoramthanga, the Chief Minister said: “We have been saying that Hrangkhawl has a link with the militant outfits, now it was proved with the NLFT’s proposal to the MHA (home ministry).”