Meghalaya government today said it was awaiting a nod from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on proposed peace talks with the banned Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA).
"The government is now awaiting the response from the central government," an official release by the political department said.
It came a day after the GNLA threatened to disrupt the campaigning by ruling Congress in the Garo hills unless the state government clarified its position on the proposed peace talks within three days.
"The Chief Minister had written a letter to the Union Home Minister on March 8 in which he had underlined the necessity for exploring other options for finding a more enduring solution to the problem of insurgency," it said.
The state also suggested that the Centre designate an interlocutor to begin peace dialogue with the GNLA.
Three persons of eminence in the state were named for interaction between GNLA and the Centre's interlocutor, it said.
As a follow-up on this initiative, Chief Secretary Barkos Warjri wrote to the Centre on March 25 impressing on the need for holding talks with GNLA and other militant groups to rid the state of insurgency and ensure that development projects were not stalled, it added.
