Shillong, Aug 13: The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has threatened to withdraw from the ongoing peace talks with the Meghalaya government if attempts are made to impose terms on them. The outfit asserted that it operates independently and is not subject to governmental authority.
Saiñkupar Nongtraw, the General Secretary and publicity secretary of HNLC, took to his social media account on Facebook to make this announcement, following a dispute between the leaders of the outfit and the government over their planned visit to the house of late Cheristerfield Thangkhiew.
The HNLC leaders, presently in the state for peace talks, had planned to visit and pay homage to late Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, their former leader, at his house in Mawlai at around 2 PM on Sunday, as decided in consultation with his family. However, the state officials told them to reschedule their visit to 8 AM in the morning.
Peeved with the government’s directive, Nongtraw said the government’s decision had angered the HNLC. He also stressed that they are not under the government’s command like Meghalaya Police or state employees, and if this continued, they would consider withdrawing from the peace talks.