New Delhi: The Centre has extended the suspension of operations agreement with Bodo militant outfit National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) for six months from Friday onwards.
The agreement suspending operations was to lapse on December 31, 2006.
The decision to extend the ceasefire was taken after a tripartite meeting between representatives of the Government of India, Government of Assam and the NDFB earlier this week.
The peace process with the Bodo militant outfit has not made much progress ever since the Government of India signed a suspension of operation agreement with the outfit on May 24, 2005.
The pact was signed after the outfit had sent a truce letter to the Assam Government declaring a unilateral ceasefire for six months with effect from October 15, 2004. The outfit called 'the process of discussion a part of the struggle' and entered into the agreement with the Centre.
The Government has since extended ceasefire agreement up to December 1, 2006 and now again by another six months.
The Centre says it is not in a position to start a dialogue without the NDFB's charter of demands and it has already made it clear to the outfit that this should be submitted at the earliest. In the last round of talks, the Union Home Ministry, in fact, set a March 1, 2007 deadline for the group to submit its charter of demands so that peace talks with the group can begin at the earliest.
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