Centre may declare Kashmir type truce with NE militants

GUWAHATI, February 4: The Centre may declare a Kashmir-type unilateral truce with the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) in a bid to force the two separatist rebel outfits to enter into talks with the government for a negotiated settlement of the insurgency problem in Assam. Home Minister L.K. Advani, who arrives here on Sunday on a two-day visit to the state, is expected to make an announcement aimed at preparing the ground for a possible militant-government dialogue to restore peace in Assam. The ULFA and the NDFB, meanwhile, have called a dawn-to-dusk statewide general strike on Sunday in protest against Advani's visit. The home minister is arriving to assess the disturbed security situation in the state, following stepped up offensive by militants that has claimed up to 200 lives in the past four-months. "We appeal to the people of Assam to boycott all public functions and meetings of the home minister," D. R. Nabla, chairman of the NDFB, said in a joint statement issued late Friday night. We appeal to the people of Assam to boycott all public functions. There is currently a general mood for peace among the people in Assam. The ULFA, too, had to go with the general sentiments and declared in recent weeks its decision to withdraw two of the three pre-conditions for possible talks with the government of India. The two pre-conditions which the ULFA withdrew are: talks outside India and under the supervision of the United Nations. The only condition which it is sticking to is that the talks should centre around its main demand of sovereignty for Assam. The ULFA was stung last month when a senior official in the ministry of home affairs declared in Guwahati that the Centre was ready for unconditional talks and even ready to discuss the sovereignty issue. That pushed the ULFA to the wall because refusal by the outfit to enter into a dialogue with New Delhi even after this would give out signals that the rebel group is actually not interested in the restoration of peace in Assam. Therefore, observers feel that the rebels could be cornered further politically and socially if New Delhi actually declares a unilateral ceasefire with the rebels in the coming days. Advani's visit assumes significance as opposition political parties, including the Congress and the BJP have accused the ruling Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) government of failing to provide security and effectively tackling the insurgents. More than 200 people, half of them Hindi-speaking traders and wage earners, were killed in a string of well-planned attacks across Assam, beginning October last year. The police blame the ULFA for the mass killings. The ULFA, however, denies any involvement in the attacks. Political parties here are gearing up to confront Advani and trade charges of security failure leading to the collapse of the law and order machinery in the state. "There is virtually no law and order in Assam and the state government has miserably failed to ensure security of the common people," said Tarun Gogoi, Assam Congress president. The regional coalition government, headed by Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta of the AGP, would come under close scrutiny with the home minister meeting political party delegations, relatives of those killed in the series of massacres, besides leading citizens and intellectuals. Assam is currently under a Unified Command with the army, police, and paramilitary soldiers, operating in tandem to combat separatist guerrillas, who have stepped up their offensive in recent months. BJP president Bangaru Laxman during a visit to Guwahati recently accused the AGP-led government in Assam of being "hand in glove with the militants" as they have miserably failed to check the killings. The home minister during his two-day visit would address at least three public meetings in eastern and central Assam to kick off the BJP's election campaign in the state. The polls to the state's 126-member Assembly are slated for mid-April.