----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2005 7:55
AM
Subject: [Assam] Sunil Nath in
Tehelka
I am in agreement with Sunil Nath's general thrust here--that the Center
ought not to miss this opportunity to end the thirty years long rebellion with
a fair and honourable political solution. I admire Prof. Indira Goswami's
courage and have faith in her intents, which are in Assam's best interests,
and thus India's as well; Sunil Nath's mild but unmistakable shot at painting
her as ULFA's PR manager not withstanding. Here Tehelka is remiss in not
introducing Sunil Nath, who is a reformed ULFA ( a SULFA in local parlance--a
surrendered ULFA), who once set Assam on fire with his rhetoric as the PR
Director of ULFA in its hey-day.
Chandan Mahanta
St. Louis, USA
The above was my feedback to Tehelka
____________________________________________________________________________
A New Road Towards Peace in Assam
With Delhi willing to
listen, ULFA should make use of the golden opportunity
By Sunil
Nath
Sunil Nath
Hook, line and sinker are different; but the
bait is the same - peaceful resolution of conflict through negotiations. The
eager mediator, or facilitator, as preferred, is a high profile novelist,
retired Delhi University professor, Indira Goswami, popularly known in Assam
as Mamoni Roysom Goswami, her nom de plume. The Indian State is playing the
role of the benevolent Big Brother, willing to listen to all grievances, even
claims to the sovereignty of Assam, if not put bluntly enough to cause
constitutional problems for the Centre. The people of Assam are unanimous and
unequivocal in their longing for peace and want the rebels to give up violence
and the demand for sovereignty, and instead focus on the more mundane
problems, which afflicts the state and its people. The rebels till now were
adamant in their stand that any talks between them and the Central government
will have to centre around their demand for a sovereign Assam. It seemed,
however, that the professor has been able to use her charm on the rebels and
persuade them to sit and talk with the Centre.
The United Liberation
Front of Asom aka ULFA started its secessionist campaign for an independent,
sovereign Assam in 1979. Since 1990, the state has been a declared disturbed
area with the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act in force. Being caught
between the rebels and the security forces, the common people of Assam
desperately seek peace and normalcy. The earlier regimes in Delhi were stuck
in their stand that any solution to the insurgency problem of Assam has to be
found within the parameters of the Constitution and secessionist claims shall
not even be entertained. The present National Security Adviser, MK Narayanan,
who is liaising with Goswami in the matter, was the Intelligence Bureau
director in 1992, when the first attempt of resolving the rebellion through
talks failed. Though a sizeable section of the rebels surrendered following
the aborted peace attempt, the top leadership, a few of them on parole to
facilitate talks, disappeared.
After what seemed to be a very
positive breakthrough following a direct letter sent by Narayanan to the ULFA
chairman indicating willingness to take cognisance of the demand for
sovereignty, the people of the state are hopeful that a peaceful change might
come to the trouble-torn state. ULFA's Chief of Staff Paresh Barua, the de
facto supremo of the organisation, however, has come up with a fresh
pre-condition demanding the release of rebel leaders captured by the state
police earlier. Paresh Barua is now saying that without consultation with the
central council, a few members of whom are behind bars facing innumerable
cases against them, no response can be expressed to the invitation for
talks.
Happy Tune: PM with wife Gursharan Kaur and singer Parveen
Sultana in Guwahati
The people of Assam long for peace and want the rebels
to give up violence and the demand for sovereignty
The Chief Minister
of Assam, Tarun Gogoi, has, however, said that if the release of the
incarcerated leaders paves the way for conflict resolution, he is ready to do
so. Of course, security forces dealing with the rebels, including the state
police, are not quite comfortable with the plan of releasing these rebels
netted after much effort.
Apparently the stage is set for meaningful talks between ULFA
and the Government of India. In a telephonic conversation with this writer,
Paresh Barua praised both the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the National
Security Adviser for their integrity and sincere desire for an honourable
solution of the problem. When asked about their response to the Centre's
invitation, he said that only the collective leadership of the organisation
can finalise a response and it will take some time to get the leaders
together. He did, however, agree to declare that the Centre's initiative is a
positive development.
Though the earlier effort for a negotiated
settlement in 1992 failed, it has to be kept in mind that Paresh Barua,
commander-in-chief of the armed wing then, had not been involved in the
process from the beginning and had specifically opposed it after some time. In
fact, it was his opposition, which finally scared the other top leaders away
from the table. This time he has been constantly in touch with Goswami, who
has, for all practical purposes, become their interlocutor and public
relations manager. The other crucial factor weighing in favour of talks and
negotiated settlement is the US's identification of ULFA as a terrorist group.
This would make it difficult for any foreign friends, specially States posing
as US-friendly, to continue their tactical support to the secessionist
organisation.
The logical conclusion that can be drawn from a
perusal of the circumstances is that this time peace has a chance, though
fragile. There would be many friends of the rebels, both at home and abroad,
who would not be quite happy to see a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Then there is always the risk that the rebels are using the peace process as a
ruse to get their captured comrades back but it is a risk worth taking. Though
the incarcerated leaders are senior rebels, most of them are well past their
prime and few of them could prove to be a serious threat to the Indian State,
even if they decide to bolt and resume rebellion. The process is getting total
public support in Assam and the side that reneges would definitely lose
popular goodwill. It would be in the interest of the Centre to sincerely go
about it
The writer is Features Editor, Dainik Janasadharan, an
Assamese daily
June 25 ,2005
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