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Rezaul H Laskar
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Wednesday at a high level meeting reviewed the government's controversial decision to expand its truce with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (I-M), official sources said.
"Prime Minister Vajpayee reviewed all aspects of the ceasefire with the Isaac-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, including the expansion of the truce without territorial limits," additional home secretary PD Shenoy said.
The meeting, held at Vajpayee's residence, was attended by Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra, Home Secretary Kamal Pande, army chief General S Padmanabhan and former home secretary K Padmanabhaiah, the government's emissary for talks with the NSCN-IM.
A decision made by the government on June 14 to expand its nearly four-year-old ceasefire with the NSCN-IM to all parts of the country sparked violent protests in Manipur. The truce was earlier limited to the state of Nagaland.
The people of Manipur feared the move would strengthen the NSCN's demand for the creation of a 'greater Nagaland' comprising all Naga-inhabited areas of the northeast, including large parts of Manipur.
Four districts of Manipur have a sizeable Naga population.
After a meeting with the legislators and Members of Parliament from Manipur on July 8, Vajpayee said he would review all aspects of the truce, including the area covered by it.
The prime minister, however, said the government would have to consult the NSCN-IM in the matter as the ceasefire was a bilateral agreement.
The government also said it would introduce a resolution in Parliament during the monsoon session, scheduled to begin July 23, to protect the territorial integrity of Manipur.
These assurances, however, have not satisfied legislators and MPs from Manipur, who have threatened to resign if the truce is not withdrawn from their state by July 31.
"The importance and urgency attached to the matter by the government is clear from the fact that the prime minister held the review meeting soon after his Agra summit with Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf," said Shenoy.
Despite growing protests in Manipur, the review of the ceasefire had been pushed to the background by the government's preparations for the Agra summit.
Shenoy said the government had not yet decided on dates for a meeting between Padmanabhaiah and NSCN-IM leaders to consult the rebel group on the ceasefire review.
Arun Sarma, the secretary of the northeast MPs Forum, an all-party grouping that lobbies for the region in the Parliament, said lawmakers would meet during the monsoon session to review the situation in the state.
"The chairman of our forum recently visited Manipur and we will discuss the matter before deciding our next step," he said.
Indo-Asian News Service
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