Kuki-Zo tribal body holds ‘constructive’ meeting with MHA on Manipur issue

Delhi/Imphal: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) convened a crucial meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday to examine the situation in Manipur, according to a Kuki-Zo leader in Imphal.

KZC spokesman Ginza Vualzong described Wednesday's meeting as positive and constructive, stating that the two-hour conversation concentrated on crucial topics impacting the ongoing movement and aspirations of the Kuki-Zo people of Manipur.

He said that during the deliberations, KZC strongly emphasised the need for greater public consultation before any definitive decisions are made.

“The MHA officials took note of the concerns and reaffirmed their willingness to engage further with the KZC leadership. Both sides agreed to continue the dialogue in the near future,” Vualzong said.

The eight-member KZC delegation was led by its Chairman Henlianthang Thanglet.

Prominent leaders representing various tribes within the Kuki-Zo community also participated in the meeting.

In a bid to resolve the over two-year-long ethnic hostilities between the Kuki-Zo tribals and the Meitei community, the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the representatives of the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities held several rounds of separate meetings in New Delhi earlier this year.

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), the Meitei community apex All Manipur United Clubs Organisation (AMUCO) and the Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS) took part in the tripartite meeting from the Meitei community.

Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) Chairman Henlianthang Thanglet led its delegation on behalf of the Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities in the earlier meetings, where MHA advisor for the northeast region, A.K. Mishra, and Joint Director, MHA, Rajesh Kamble, and top officials from the Manipur government were present in these meetings.

Several Kuki-Zo organisations, along with ten tribal organisations, have been demanding a separate administration equivalent to a Union Territory with a legislative assembly for the Kuki-Zo tribals.

This separate administration demand was rejected on a number of occasions by the Manipur and Union governments, as well as all Meitei organisations.

With inputs from IANS