Shillong, Feb 13: The People’s Democratic Front (PDF) on Saturday welcomed the proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC)’s offer for unconditional peace talks with the Centre and state governments.

“We welcome the decision of the HNLC to come for peace talks as this will go a long way ensuring peace and tranquillity in the state,” PDF president and cabinet minister Banteidor Lyngdoh told reporters after a meeting here.

“We expect this time the proposed peace talks will be successful and will not end only in newspapers,” he said.

The state government has already shortlisted the names for appointment of an interlocutor after receiving an official communication from the HNLC on February 9.

On the recent joining of five Congress MLAs to the MDA government, the PDF president said that the party does not have any problem as such a move will only further strengthen the MDA government.

Moreover, he said that the chief minister Conrad K Sangma had also made it clear that there will be reshuffling in the cabinet following the joining of the five MLAs.

On BJP expressing disappointment on the development, Lyngdoh said that is for the BJP and the CM to resolve.

“We do not want to interfere in the affairs of the other political parties, we leave it to the wisdom of the chief minister,” he added.

On the other hand, Lyngdoh said that his party had maintained a firm stand against illegal mining and transportation of coal.

“We are not part of that but from time to time, we have requested the chief minister to resolve this issue once and for all as we don’t want to see it coming again and again and we have maintained that we are against such illegalities,” he stated.