Ahead of Modi’s Manipur visit, Kuki-Zo council agrees to open NH-02, ink agreements

The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has decided to open the National Highway-02 for the free movement of commuters and essential goods in Manipur, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Thursday.

The decision came after a series of meetings between MHA officials and a delegation of the Kuki-Zo Council in New Delhi over the last few days.

Advertisement

The development comes amid reports of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely visit to violence-hit Manipur on September 13.

According to the MHA, the KZC has given commitment to cooperate with Security Forces deployed by Government of India (GoI) to maintain peace along NH-02, the MHA said.

The northeastern state of Manipur has been marred by ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities for more than two years.

The violence prompted the Centre to put the state assembly in a suspended animation and impose President’s rule.

Meanwhile, a tripartite meeting among representatives of MHA, the Manipur Government, and Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF) was also held in New Delhi.

During the meeting, a tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement on re-negotiated terms and conditions (ground rules) was also signed. The SoO agreement will be effective from the day of signing for a period of one year.

The MHA said that the pact will ensure the territorial integrity of Manipur. It also called for a negotiated solution to bring lasting peace and stability to the State of Manipur.

A Joint Monitoring Group will closely monitor enforcement of ground rules, and violations will be dealt with firmly in future, including review of the SoO Agreement.