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ULFA may lose unconditional talks offer

Mrinal Talukdar in Mahishasan (Indo-Bangla border)

The Union government may not invite the United Liberation Front of Asom for talks if the banned outfit does not respond positively immediately.

Talking to UNI on the Indo-Bangladesh border during his two-day visit to the sensitive area, Joint Secretary (home ministry) Gopal K Pillai said the government was still offering unconditional talks to the ULFA.

''But that may not continue by next year. We know very well that they (ULFA) are fast losing the mass base they once enjoyed. The common people are least bothered about them. In that case why should you invite them for unconditional talks. We may not even invite them for any talks if they do not show some positive response now,'' Pillai, also in charge of North-East affairs, said.

''The message has already been sent to the top hierarchy of the organisation. They should realise the ground situation and I do hope that they will respond immediately and positively to our unconditional talks offer.''

Pillai admitted that although some contacts had been established with the ULFA top brass, nothing positive and tangible had been achieved. They have not responded positively so far, said Pillai, who has been overseeing the ceasefire with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isaac-Muivah in Nagaland for the past two-and-a-half years.

Asked whether there was any possibility of extending the ceasefire to Assam, he said the home ministry had no problems. ''If the ULFA and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland express their desire to come under a ceasefire we should not have any problem in extending it to Assam. In fact we are toying with an idea. The decision will be taken by the new government,'' he said.

As far as technicalities were concerned the Centre wanted to follow the ground rules of the ceasefire as followed in Nagaland, he said adding that the ministry's basic objective remained the same: to talk and sort out the problems.

The ULFA, despite the ministry's repeated utterance of unconditional talks, had not clarified its stand because of which it is fast losing base in the Brahmaputra valley, specially after concrete proof that it is working in tandem with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence has emerged.

Pillai's visit to the Karimganj sector of the Indo-Bangladesh border is significant since this sector is used by ISI agents to infiltrate into India despite the border fencing.

Today, Pillai visited the disputed Latirtilla-Dumabari area in the Patharkandi area along the Indo-Bangladesh border and monitored the progress of fencing work along the international border. He was accompanied by senior Border Security Force and Assam government officials and a delegation of the All Assam Students Union.

The visit followed the agreement at the tripartite talks between the Union government, the Assam government and the AASU. Last evening they visited Sutarkandi and Mahisasan, the last railway station on the Indian side adjacent to the international border.

In the Karimganj sector of the border, of the total 70 kilometres, 24 kilometres of border roads and 59 kilometres of fencing have been completed. Of the total 32 bridges all but one has been completed.

The remaining work has been stalled due to lack of funds, senior public works department officials have explained. They were also on the trip to the border.

UNI

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