ULFA “Peace Pact”

ULFA “Peace Pact”

GS-3: Internal Security

(UPSC/State PSC)

Jan. 05, 2024

Why in News:

Recently, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Assam government and the pro-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) signed a memorandum of settlement.

Peace Accord:

Key Points:

  • For a peaceful democratic process established by law abandoning violence, disarmament, disbanding armed organizations, vacating illegally occupied camps.
  • Marking a shift towards non-violence, ensuring the integrity of the country.
  • The Home Ministry will formulate a time-bound program to meet the demands of the organization and a committee will be formed to monitor it.
  • The agreement outlines a comprehensive package of investments worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore for the all-round development of Assam.
  • The most important part of this agreement is the commitment to address the political demands of ULFA.
  • These include maintaining the territorial integrity of Assam through amicable resolution of border disputes with neighboring states and continuing the North-East's adherence to the "guidelines and methodology" adopted for the delimitation exercise to be held in 2023 in future delimitation processes.
  • The agreement envisages ensuring maximum representation for indigenous communities in the 126-member Assam Assembly by excluding non-indigenous people, mainly migrant Muslims.
  • Apart from legislative protections, the agreement seeks to exempt Assam from Section 3 of the Citizenship Act 1955, which deals with people who have renounced Indian citizenship or whose citizenship has been revoked.

44-year-old ULFA Insurgency

About:

  • Origin: The ULFA insurgency emerged from the anti-foreigners Assam Agitation of the All Assam Students Union which began in 1979 demanding a sovereign state for the Assamese people.
  • A group of radical thinkers led by Bhimakant Buragohain, Arabinda Rajkhowa, Anup Chetia, Pradeep Gogoi, Bhadreshwar Gohain and Paresh Barua were prominent leaders.
  • Objectives of the ULFA rebellion: This rebellion began on April 7, 1979 with the aim of establishing a sovereign Assamese nation through armed struggle against the Indian state.
  • Recruitment and training of members: The ULFA group has been recruiting and training its members in Myanmar, China and Pakistan for almost a decade to carry out abductions and executions.
  • Perspective: During the early years, ULFA presented itself as a group helping the needy. Later, it started an armed struggle against the Indian government. They followed a violent approach such as kidnapping and extortion, executions and bomb blasts.
  • When the insurgent group was at its peak in the 1990s, ULFA considered itself an extension of the government.
  • Rebellion: Rebellion refers to a violent effort by the citizens of a country to protest against the government of that country.
  • Government’s Reaction: In 1990, the Center launched Operation Bajrang to deal with the increasing violence, resulting in the arrest of over 1,200 ULFA rebels.
  • Assam was declared a 'disturbed area', President's rule was imposed and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was invoked.

History of Peace Talks

  • Surrender by ULFA: ULFA cadres have agreed to surrender arms and ammunition, vacate their camps, join the mainstream society and engage in the peaceful democratic process established by law.
  • Monitoring Fulfillment of Demands: A time-bound programme would be made by the MHA to fulfill the demands of the ULFA and a committee would also be formed for its monitoring.
  • Fruitful Negotiations: Over the years, several rounds of negotiations were held with the ULFA which had culminated in the peace agreement.
  • This Insurgency ended with the signing of the Assam Accord in August 1985.

Significance of Accord

  • Ensuring Peace Assam: The Home Ministry has taken a significant initiative to engage in negotiations with the ULFA, aiming to achieve resolution and closure. This agreement holds the promise of fulfilling the long-standing aspirations of the people.
  • Since the inception of the Assam agitation in 1979, around 10,000 lives have been lost, and all those who perished were citizens of the country.
  • Violent Groups Surrendered: As more than 9000 cadres have surrendered on record, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has been lifted from 85% of Assam.
  • Triumph of Democratic Process: ULFA has also agreed to engage in the peaceful democratic process established by law and maintain the integrity of the country.
  • For instance, the key points of the peace accord were that 97 out of 126 Assembly seats in Assam would be reserved for indigenous people and the future delimitation exercise would follow this principle.
  • Progress and Development: Government of India has agreed to provide a huge package and several big projects for all round development of Assam.
  • For instance, ₹1.5 lakh crore investment had been pledged in the peace accord.
  • Political Will and Implementation: This agreement marks a significant milestone in the vision of an insurgency-free Northeast.
  • Further, a time-bound program will be made by the MHA to fulfill the demands of ULFA.

Challenges Still Remain

  • An Incomplete Peace: The other faction known as ULFA-I led by Paresh Baruah, has not joined the peace process. ULFA-I has support of 100 cadres.
  • For instance, ULFA-I triggered a blast near an arm installation in Assam’s Tinsukia district in November 2023, where the AFSPA is still in force.
  • Cross- Border Existence: ULFA has survived in some part due to help from outside India. It still has camps in Myanmar, and previously had camps in both Bangladesh and Bhutan.
  • These camps act as launchpads for cross border operations as well as shelter. Insurgents also use them as training bases for new recruits.
  • Supporting Links: ULFA has links to other insurgent outfits in the Northeast and Myanmar, as well as Islamic terror outfits like Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami, and Al-Qaeda.
  • It also has links to Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) which has reportedly trained ULFA insurgents in the past.

Way Forward:

  • The government should actively work towards fulfilling all the promises related to the peace agreement.
  • The Government must go beyond this agreement and foster an environment of trust and reconciliation to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive peace process.
  • The issue of incomplete peace process involving ULFA(I) should be addressed by the government.
  • Rehabilitation programmes, vocational training and socio-economic integration programs should be conducted to integrate former ULFA members into the mainstream of development.
  • A strong mechanism should be established to continuously monitor the implementation of the peace agreement to ensure that all parties are adhering to their commitments.
  • ULFA-1 led by Prakash Barua should be neutralized with the cooperation of the Myanmar government. Diplomatic channels should be leveraged to counter any support provided by China to ULFA-1.

Conclusion:

  • The recent ULFA peace accord is a positive development for North-East peace. Sustained commitment and diplomatic efforts are required to resolve non-participating ULFA-I and cross-border issues and ensure lasting stability in the region.

Source: The Hindu

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Mains Question:

What should be the way forward to resolve the challenges faced by the ULFA peace accord?