GUWAHATIi Manipur’s Kuki-Zo community shot off a disclaimer Thursday to an MHA statement about tribal groups agreeing to lift their blockade of the Imphal-Dimapur national highway ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit, saying there was no question of the lifeline being “reopened” since they hadn’t closed it in the first place.Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), which represents the community, said the stretch of NH-2 passing through Kuki-inhabited areas had been open to traffic all along. Ginza Vualzong, the organisation’s secretary of information and publicity, clarified that a recent appeal to residents of Kangpokpi to cooperate with central security forces was only meant to ensure no fingers were pointed at them for anything untoward occurring on that stretch.KZC said the appeal shouldn’t be interpreted as a call for unrestricted movement across buffer zones separating Meitei and Kuki-Zo territories, the two communities involved in the ethnic conflict that flared up in April 2023.Vualzong said it was solely the Union govt’s responsibility to keep NH-2 safe for traffic by deploying “neutral” central forces.The response came soon after the MHA hailed what it termed a “significant decision” by KZC to reopen the highway. The ministry’s statement mentioned that the breakthrough was the outcome of a series of meetings in Delhi with the Kuki leadership over the past few days to get them to lift the blockade.On MHA stressing on “free movement” of civilian and goods traffic on NH-2, the Kuki leadership said it the community wasn’t accountable beyond cooperating with forces deployed for security. “It’s not duty of the local public or KZC to guarantee security. The ministry of home affairs has assured us that adequate central forces will be deployed,” the council said. Running through a swathe of Kangpokpi, NH-2 is a corridor for fuel, food and medical supplies. Any disruption, real or perceived, has a cascading effect on Meitei-majority Imphal Valley.Since the outbreak of ethnic violence, the highway has become a symbol of the fractured relationship between the Meitei and Kuki communities.KZC expressed surprise at the noise over NH-2, saying the highway hadn’t witnessed any trouble in recent months. The Centre should be focusing on strengthening security along the, it said.