Appeal from the Prime Minister to the people of Manipur

Following is the text of the appeal made by the Prime Minister on July 8, 2001 to the people of Manipur to maintain peace in the State. The appeal was issued in view of the large-scale violence in the State following the Union Government’s June 13, 2001 decision to extend the cease-fire with the NSCN-IM without territorial limits.

I express the grief of the people of the country and my personal grief at the loss of precious innocent lives in Manipur. As someone who is fully conscious of their sentiments, emotions problems and grievances, I appeal to the people of Manipur to maintain peace and calm. It shall be the endeavour of my government to ascertain and understand the viewpoint of the people and redress them to the best of our ability through a process of democratic dialogue. I have already publicly assured the people of Manipur, and I once again reiterate that the territorial integrity of Manipur shall be maintained.

At this critical hour, I would have liked to be with you in Imphal and I would take the first opportunity to do so. Minister of State, Shri Swami, has already interacted with you and brought your problems and grievances to my notice. I also invite various leaders of Manipur to come to Delhi and meet me personally so that your problems could be discussed in a free and frank manner.

In the meantime, we shall review the ceasefire agreement including the words "without territorial limits", presently incorporated in the agreement so as to ensure that all doubts about preserving the integrity of Manipur and other States of North-East are removed.

I once again appeal to you to remain calm and help the administration restore normalcy in the State to create a congenial environment for progress and development in Manipur.

Source: Ministry of Home Affairs