Stressing the importance of maintaining the sanctity of the buffer zone until a political settlement is reached, the Kuki Zo Council (KZC) divulged that the meeting with Chief Minister Y. Khemchand concluded without any decisions or agreements.
A press release of KZC, issued on Sunday, said, “Yesterday, for the first time, the Government of Manipur, led by Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, held a meeting with leaders of the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) in Guwahati, Assam. The meeting commenced at 7 pm and lasted approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.
“As the first engagement after nearly three years of conflict between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities, the interaction was largely an ice-breaking session,” it said.
“The KZC delegation raised several key issues, all of which were attentively heard by the chief minister. Prominent among these were the urgent need to de-escalate the ongoing tensions between the Kuki and Tangkhul communities and the imperative of ensuring justice for the victims of the conflict as a fundamental prerequisite for any meaningful peace and reconciliation process,” it said.
“KZC also emphasized the importance of maintaining the sanctity of the buffer zone until a political settlement is reached and stressed the need to expedite a resolution to the ongoing Suspension of Operations (SoO) talks to ensure durable and lasting peace in the region,” it said.
“The Chief Minister, in turn, shared his concerns, commitments, and the steps undertaken by his government to restore peace and normalcy in Manipur. The CM expressed high appreciation for the KZC’s initiative and its bold step in engaging with him during this challenging period,” it said.
The meeting, however, concluded without any decisions or agreements, the KZC said.
