Aizawl, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Friday said he resigned as an IPS officer to broker peace between the Center and the then underground Mizo National Front (MNF).
Addressing the celebration of 'Remna Ni', a Mizo language for the anniversary of the signing of the historic peace agreement, Lalduhoma said he resigned as an IPS officer in 1984 at the behest of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and former President of the MNF, Laldenga.
He said he went to London to meet Laldenga after leaving his job and spent five days there to discuss the MNF's demands.
"I resigned from the Indian Police Service at the request of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Laldenga to bring peace to Mizoram. After leaving my job, I also met Laldenga in London and discussed various demands of the MNF by India (central) government," the prime minister said.
The 'Remna Ni' celebrations were organized by the state's apex student body, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), on Friday, June 30, when the pact was signed in 1986, and this year it falls on a Sunday.
Lalduhoma expressed his gratitude to the MZP for his contributions to the peace pact.
He also thanked all party leaders, churches and the then chief secretary Lalkhama, who was the signatory of the peace agreement, for his invaluable efforts.
He called on all zo living around the world to remain united.
He said the crises faced by the Zo people in Manipur, Myanmar and Bangladesh are a blessing in disguise to unite the community.
Since 2018, the MZP has been organizing 'Remna Ni' celebrations across the state to honor people and organizations that played a crucial role in signing the peace agreement. This time he congratulated four former legislators who resigned in 1981 to advance peace talks.
The Mizoram peace agreement was signed between the Center and the then underground MNF on June 30, 1986, ending two decades of insurgency.
The MNF was founded by Laldenga, who later also became the chief minister of Mizoram, to protest against the Centre's inaction over the famine in the Mizo areas of the state of Assam in the late 1950s.
After a major uprising through peaceful means, the group took up arms and became involved in clandestine activities between 1966 and 1986. The MNF was outlawed by the government in 1967.
In May 1971, a delegation from the Mizo district council met the then Prime Minister Gandhi and demanded that a state be created in Assam for the Mizo people. Responding to the demand, the Center converted Mizo Hills into a Union Territory in January 1972.
Mizoram became the 23rd state of India on February 20, 1987.
After the signing of the pact, the MNF became a political party and has governed the state for several terms. It is now the main opposition party in the state.
Addressing the celebration of 'Remna Ni', a Mizo language for the anniversary of the signing of the historic peace agreement, Lalduhoma said he resigned as an IPS officer in 1984 at the behest of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and former President of the MNF, Laldenga.
He said he went to London to meet Laldenga after leaving his job and spent five days there to discuss the MNF's demands.
"I resigned from the Indian Police Service at the request of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Laldenga to bring peace to Mizoram. After leaving my job, I also met Laldenga in London and discussed various demands of the MNF by India (central) government," the prime minister said.
The 'Remna Ni' celebrations were organized by the state's apex student body, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), on Friday, June 30, when the pact was signed in 1986, and this year it falls on a Sunday.
Lalduhoma expressed his gratitude to the MZP for his contributions to the peace pact.
He also thanked all party leaders, churches and the then chief secretary Lalkhama, who was the signatory of the peace agreement, for his invaluable efforts.
He called on all zo living around the world to remain united.
He said the crises faced by the Zo people in Manipur, Myanmar and Bangladesh are a blessing in disguise to unite the community.
Since 2018, the MZP has been organizing 'Remna Ni' celebrations across the state to honor people and organizations that played a crucial role in signing the peace agreement. This time he congratulated four former legislators who resigned in 1981 to advance peace talks.
The Mizoram peace agreement was signed between the Center and the then underground MNF on June 30, 1986, ending two decades of insurgency.
The MNF was founded by Laldenga, who later also became the chief minister of Mizoram, to protest against the Centre's inaction over the famine in the Mizo areas of the state of Assam in the late 1950s.
After a major uprising through peaceful means, the group took up arms and became involved in clandestine activities between 1966 and 1986. The MNF was outlawed by the government in 1967.
In May 1971, a delegation from the Mizo district council met the then Prime Minister Gandhi and demanded that a state be created in Assam for the Mizo people. Responding to the demand, the Center converted Mizo Hills into a Union Territory in January 1972.
Mizoram became the 23rd state of India on February 20, 1987.
After the signing of the pact, the MNF became a political party and has governed the state for several terms. It is now the main opposition party in the state.
