The responsibility of securing the highway lies with the Government of India and its security forces, the KNO and UPF said in a joint statement
Two extremist umbrella organisations of Manipur have clarified that the does not mean unrestricted movement between areas dominated by the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities, respectively.
One of the two lifelines of Manipur, the NH2 from Assam via Nagaland, runs through the Kuki-inhabited Kangpokpi district before touching the Imphal Valley, where Meiteis are in the majority.
On September 4, the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that the Kuki Zo Council (KZC), an apex body of the tribes under the Kuki-Zo ethnic group, agreed to reopen the NH2. The announcement coincided with the extension of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement between the Centre and the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF).
The KNO and the UPF are conglomerates of more than 20 armed groups of the Kuki-Zo communities.
The agreement was signed on renegotiated terms and conditions under which the KNO and the UPF agreed to maintain the territorial integrity of Manipur, relocate their designated camps away from vulnerable areas, and work for a solution to bring lasting peace and stability in the State.
The two organisations reaffirmed their commitment to a structured and time-bound tripartite dialogue, but clarified that their position regarding NH2 was contrary to the “misinformed narratives”. They insisted that the Kuki-Zo people never closed or blocked the highway, which was evident from the movement of vehicles carrying essential commodities.
“…this gesture (the KZC’s appeal to ensure safe passage of essential goods in the Kangpokpi stretch of the highway) must not be misinterpreted as an endorsement of unrestricted movement across buffer zones between Meitei and Kuki-Zo areas. The sanctity of these zones remains paramount, and the responsibility for securing the highway lies with the Government of India and its deployed forces,” the KNO-UPF statement read.
The two organisations also pledged to “uphold the people’s aspiration in the future course of political dialogue for creation of a Union Territory with legislature for the Kuki-Zo people within the Constitution of India”.
On Saturday (September 6, 2025), the Meitei Heritage Welfare Foundation slammed the Centre for its “misleading and contradictory” statement on NH2.
“It appears the misleading ‘highway opening’ narrative was inserted to distract attention from the signing of the SoO agreement, as it bypassed the earlier elected Manipur government’s decision and ignored evidence submitted by several organisations across community lines establishing the involvement of SoO militants in the ongoing Manipur crisis and their repeated violations of ground rules,” the foundation said.