After talks over 12 years, ULFA inks peace pact with govt; Amit Shah terms it historic

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 29

The pro-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) on Friday signed a peace accord with the Centre and Assam Government in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, signalling its return to the mainstream by shunning violence.

One faction out of it

• ULFA, formed in 1979 to press for a ‘sovereign Assam’, was banned by the Centre in 1990 following violent activities
• Arabinda Rajkhowa faction had joined peace talks with the government on Sept 3, 2011
• The hardline faction, headed by Paresh Baruah, is still not part of the peace accord

Shah said all conditions of the pact would be fulfilled in a time-bound manner and for it, a committee would be formed by the Centre with the help of Assam Government.

The Centre had been holding negotiations with Arabinda Rajkhowa-led faction for over 12 years. Formed in 1979 to press for a “sovereign Assam”, the ULFA was banned in 1990 for participating in violent activities. The hardline faction, headed by Paresh Baruah, is still not part of the peace accord.

Baruah reportedly lives along the China-Myanmar border. The Rajkhowa faction had joined the peace talks with the government on September 3, 2011, after an agreement for suspension of operations was signed between it and central and state governments.

“Assam had been witnessing violence for years but since the Modi government came to power in 2014, efforts were made to talk to all stakeholders. As a result, a terror-free Northeast is now a reality. In the last five years, nine peace and border accords were signed,” said Shah. He said over 9,000 militants had surrendered across Assam and AFSPA provisions had been removed from 85 per cent of the state. Calling the pact “historic”, Shah said a “very big” financial package as well as development projects had been approved.

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