New Delhi: In a historic peace deal, the Indian government, Assam government and United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) signed a Memorandum of Settlement here on Friday.
The tripartite pact brought the curtains down on one of the largest insurgent groups in India’s north-east region.
The Paresh Baruah-led ULFA (Independent) faction stayed away as they remain opposed to talks.
The peace deal aims to address issues like illegal immigration, land rights for indigenous communities and a financial package for Assam’s development.
Home Minister Amit Shah said that ULFA will be disbanded as an organisation, and the Central government will ensure all its reasonable demands are met in a time-bound manner.
“We want to assure the ULFA leadership that their trust in the Centre to ensure the success of the peace process will be honoured,” Shah said.
The Home minister remarked that the removal of Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act (AFSPA) from many areas of Assam and other north-east states is proof that insurgency is almost extinct in the region.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the peace deal with ULFA will solve the problem of insurgency in the region to a large extent.
ULFA was founded on April 7, 1979 in Assam’s Sivasagar. Its objective was to establish an independent sovereign state for indigenous Assamese people.
ULFA’s armed operations started in late 1980s, led by the likes of Paresh, Arabinda Rajkhowa and Anup Chetia. Not long after, ULFA’s tactics escalated to an armed struggle against Indian government.
