Aizawl: A senior official from Mizoram’s home department has disclosed that the state government has responded positively to Assam’s proposal to resume talks aimed at resolving the ongoing interstate border dispute. The talks, initiated in November last year, are aimed at finding an amicable solution to the simmering border issue.
H. Lalengmawia, the state home commissioner, revealed to journalists from the Zoram Chronicle that Mizoram‘s home department communicated with their counterparts in Assam on Wednesday in response to Assam’s recent proposals. Lalengmawia explained that Mizoram’s proposal involves discussing the core issues at the official level before progressing to ministerial-level negotiations.
Regarding the formation of a regional committee with officials from both states, Mizoram’s home department has requested that Assam first provide information about similar committees established with other states like Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, which also have longstanding interstate border disputes with Assam. Mizoram remains unclear about the purpose and functioning of such regional committees.
Earlier this year, Mizoram submitted its claim to 62 villages in the disputed border areas, providing demographic and geographic evidence to support its territorial claims. The prolonged border disputes have periodically led to violent incidents along the 164-kilometer border between the two neighboring states. Despite previous incidents, no significant efforts have been made to resolve the issue.
The simmering border dispute reached a critical point on July 27, 2021, when a violent clash between police personnel from both states resulted in the deaths of five Assam Police personnel. Since then, negotiations to settle the border dispute have been actively pursued by both state governments at various levels, including official, ministerial, and even discussions between the respective chief ministers.
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Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and his Assam counterpart have held two rounds of talks in Delhi, while Mizoram’s Home Minister Lalchamliana and Assam’s Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora engaged in three rounds of negotiations (two in Aizawl and one in Guwahati) last year.
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