A noted Assamese writer Friday said the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has promised to halt its militant campaign against the government.
The frontline separatist group told Indira Goswami, who has been acting as an interlocutor between ULFA and the government, that it would "hold its strikes" until it received a formal communication from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on peace talks.
"ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah called me up at 8.30 p.m. on Thursday and said the outfit had begun a massive offensive in Assam, angry at the negative and lukewarm response to its demand for talks with the Indian government," said Goswami.
"I virtually begged and requested Baruah to stop all violent acts immediately.
"After a long telephone conversation, he agreed to put on hold their strikes until I get a formal response from the prime minister regarding the holding of talks," Goswami told IANS over phone from New Delhi.
ULFA has owned up blowing an oil pipeline and injuring at least five soldiers in a string of explosions Thursday night.
The blasts came ahead of ULFA's annual "protest day" Sunday, which will also mark the 10th anniversary of a huge crackdown on the rebel group by the Indian Army.
Goswami, who teaches modern Indian languages at Delhi University, met the prime minister a fortnight ago and submitted an appeal on behalf of ULFA for holding peace talks.
"I was told by the prime minister's security adviser, M.K. Narayanan, that their office was drafting a response to my appeal and that I will get the formal letter soon," she said.
She said New Delhi should show some flexibility as it was after "25 long years" that ULFA had agreed to come for talks.
ULFA, fighting for an independent Assamese homeland since 1979, has demanded sovereignty as the core issue in any peace talks.
"ULFA is simply insisting that its core issue of sovereignty be discussed at the negotiating table. By agreeing to hear its viewpoints on sovereignty does not mean New Delhi has to concede to ULFA's demand," Goswami said.
Manmohan Singh had Monday ruled out discussions on independence, saying Assam is an "integral part" of India. He urged militants to give up arms if they wanted to resolve the region's problems.
The prime minister said New Delhi's door was "always open for negotiations" with any group shunning violence.
Paresh Baruah is known to be operating from outside the country, having fled India after a crackdown on ULFA in the 1990s.
Over 10,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency-related violence in Assam during the past two decades.
--Indo-Asian News Service