Pambei-led UNLF seeks suggestions-3
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 25 2024:

Contd from previous issue

Although plebiscite is the most democratic means of resolving the Manipur-India conflict, the Government of India rejected the proposal from the very beginning, said the Central Committee of Pambei-led UNLF.

It said that the Manipur-India conflict can never be resolved without participation of the people of Manipur.

Even though the liberation movement has been progressing rapidly, there are certain chronic weaknesses.

The Central Committee elaborated that there is weakness in the ideological foundation of revolutionary groups and they are unable to overcome this weakness.

Revolutionary groups are still unable to unify or form a united front.

Erosion of people's faith in the revolutionary groups due to the Government of India's divide and rule policy and their own misdeeds.

Extortion in the name of the liberation movement, putting undue burden on the people by way of excessive taxation and pursuit of personal interest and wellbeing by some wayward or corrupted revolutionary cadres are some other chronic weaknesses.

Abuse of power and use of terror tactics upon the people by revolutionary groups and the failure of the 60 years old revolutionary movement to draw international attention are also chronic weaknesses of the revolutionary organisations, it said.

"Although the revolutionary movement has been facing huge challenges, our spirit of nationalism is still very strong.

The only problem is our inability to give a proper political direction to the spirit of nationalism", the Central Committee said.

It announced that the outfit has taken a decision to hold a comprehensive political dialogue with the Government of India on the issue of Manipur's sovereignty.

The ceasefire agreement signed between the Government of India and the outfit was an outcome of the unfolding geo-political dynamics in South Asia and South East Asia.

India has intensified its efforts to build strong security partnership with Myanmar and other South East Asian countries.

India's diplomacy in Myanmar covers supplying arms and other logistics to the military junta to crackdown on rebel groups.

At the same time, India has tactfully taken ethnic tribal groups (Chin-Kuki-Zo conglomerate) who settle on either side of the border and the Government of India has been using these ethnic groups to suppress the revolutionary groups of Manipur, it said.

If one takes into account the fact that the Government of India sent invitation in the last week of September 2024 to several resistance groups of Myanmar to come to New Delhi, it cannot be said that the India-Myanmar (military junta) relationship is very cordial although there are new development in the defence and trade ties between the two, it remarked.

Given the changing security and strategic configuration in South East Asia, particularly WESEA, the liberation movement of Manipur needs to change its strategies and tactics without giving up the ultimate goal of Manipur's sovereignty, the Central Committee asserted.

Military offensive against Indian armed forces alone cannot bring a tangible solution to the Manipur-India political conflict within a short time.

It is essential to explore other means apart from the armed struggle.

Holding political dialogue with the question of restoring Manipur's sovereignty as a pre-condition is a non-violent means of achieving the intended goal, the Pambei-led UNLF's Central Committee asserted.

It went on to claim that the Government of India has expressed its willingness to accept the insurgency movement of Manipur is a political conflict, not a law and order problem.

At the same time, it must be understood that there is no military solution to the Manipur-India conflict.

It was the Government of India which came up with a proposal for political dialogue to resolve the conflict and the outfit took this opportunity to raise National issues, it said.

Recalling that the outfit and the Government of India signed a peace agreement on November 29, 2003.The peace agreement was only a preparatory step for a comprehensive political dialogue and it was not a final agreement, the Central Committee clarified.

There is no question of the outfit giving up its arms or surrendering to the Government of India just because the two sides have signed a peace agreement, it said.

The Central Committee asserted that the outfit will never agree to any solution except on restoring Manipur's sovereignty and the same position was placed before the Government of India ahead of signing the peace agreement.

The outfit decided to sign the peace agreement in order to create a peaceful environment for a comprehensive political dialogue, it said.

The comprehensive political dialogue is a process of dialogue based on mutual respect in which all outstanding issues are accommodated.

The dialogue will be held at the political, bureaucratic and military levels as demanded by the unfolding circumstances and necessity.

The comprehensive political dialogue will focus on three areas; exploring a peaceful political solution to the Manipur-India armed conflict, determining the future Manipur-India relation after correcting the historical wrongs done in the past, and bringing a mutually beneficial solution which would lay foundation for peace and progress, the Central Committee elaborated.

It said that the outfit would certainly seek people's approval in every phase of the political dialogue.

The Central Committee maintained that the ongoing conflict is between the people of Manipur and the united front of Kuki-Zo communities, not between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.

It was a handful of Kuki-Zo leaders who aggravated the conflict after misleading the common people and bringing in armed mercenaries from Myanmar and their principal goal is creation of an independent Zionist or theocratic Christian State in the Indo-Myanmar region.

They are financing their movement by planting poppies and manufacturing opium, it said.

After cleansing Churachandpur and Moreh of Meiteis, armed Kukis are now working hard to take control of Jiribam by driving out Meiteis from the western border region.

The armed Kukis are dreaming of taking complete control of the State's economy by capturing Jiribam, it continued.

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