End violence before any political talks: MHA tells KZC

NEW DELHI, Jan 18
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has told the members of the Kuki-Zo Council that a cessation of violence is a pre-requisite to initiate any political dialogue in strife-torn Manipur. The tribal leaders insisted that this cannot be a one-sided demand.
Four members of the newly formed council, the apex body of Kuki-Zo tribes in Manipur, met AK Mishra, the MHA’s Security Adviser for northeastern India, on Friday (January 17, 2025).
Manipur has been affected by ethnic violence between the tribal Kuki-Zo and the Meitei people since May 3, 2023, which has claimed the lives of more than 250 people so far.
‘Peace from both sides’
“The MHA officials said that for the political talks to happen, there should be peace first. No violence and no firing. We told them there are circumstances when we are attacked and have no option but to retaliate. You cannot only ask us for peace, it has to be from both sides. From our side, we are ready to maintain peace,” said Ginza Vualzong, spokesperson of the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC).
He said that the KZC also pressed their demand for a separate administration or a Union Territory with a legislature for the Kuki-Zo people who live in the hill districts.
Mr Vualzong said that in the past, various organisations such as the Committee On Tribal Unity (COTU) in Kangpokpi and the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) in Churachandpur were in talks with the Union Government at different levels. From now on, however, the KZC will be the unified body representing the community in talks with the MHA. It will be the main platform to discuss the issues of the community, he said, adding that when it comes to local issues, the groups active in specific areas will take responsibility.
On September 17, 2024, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that resolving the situation in Manipur requires dialogue between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities, adding that a roadmap for Manipur in the coming days had already been prepared.
A month later, on October 15, the MHA invited a group of legislators from Manipur, “representing the Kuki-Zo-Hmar, Meitei, and Naga communities”, for a meeting in Delhi. Though the MHA said that the members “unanimously resol- ved” to appeal to the people of all communities in the State to “shun the path of violence,” the Kuki-Zo MLAs issued a statement clarifying that they had met only with Central Government officials and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in a separate room, and did not attend any meeting where Meitei MLAs were present along with their Naga counterparts. The Hindu