SHILLONG, June 30 � The Union Government today extended the ceasefire agreement with the proscribed Achik National Volunteers� Council (ANVC) by another three months.
The tripartite ceasefire agreement between the militant outfit, the Centre and Meghalaya Government expired today. However, the Centre decided to extend it by another three months, Chief Secretary WMS Pariat said here.
�The Centre has extended the ceasefire agreement by another three months,� Pariat said. He, however, added that the ANVC�s demand to extend the ceasefire agreement indefinitely rests with the Centre.
There was confusion amongst the ANVC after the Centre did not extend the ceasefire agreement till yesterday. The ANVC said it has shifted 175 of its cadres to an undisclosed location from its designated camps as the Centre remained non-committal to extend the ceasefire agreement 24 hours prior to its expiry.
Cadres from the ANVC met State Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh and inquired about the fate of the ceasefire agreement, yesterday. They further demanded that the agreement should be extended indefinitely.
Lyngdoh told the ANVC that the State Government was in favour of extending the agreement, but a final decision must be taken by the Central Government. Similarly, any decision to extend the agreement indefinitely must also be taken up by New Delhi.
The ANVC today expressed satisfaction at the Centre�s decision and said they would now decide on the cadres who have left their designated camps and are hiding in an undisclosed location.
Pariat said that with the extension of the ceasefire agreement the political dialogue with the outfit and the Central and State Governments would continue.
The ANVC has been demanding a separate Garoland Territorial Council on the lines of Bodoland Territorial Council in Assam. �The political dialogue would go ahead as it has always been done for an amicable settlement,� the Chief Secretary added.
The political talks are being headed by the Central Government�s interlocutor, PC Haldar.
Earlier yesterday, the State unit of the Nationalist Congress Party had expressed concern that the Centre and the State Government had failed to extend the ceasefire agreement.
�The situation in Garo Hills is alarming with reports of ANVC cadres shifting to an undisclosed place away from its designated camps,� NCP spokesperson said.
�NCP feels that the Meghalaya Government is not taking this issue seriously. It is very obvious that this situation has the potential of worsening the already poor law and order situation in the Garo Hills,� Sangma stated.
