In need of re-imagination

Aheli Moitra

This week ushered in longer days and excellent news. 

As the earth turned phase on its rotational axis with the sun set to warm it with longer days, communities inhabiting the tropics across the Indian subcontinent, as also the Naga people in Myanmar, ushered in the New Year with numerous festivals. The Chokri people of Phek celebrated their most important festival, Sükrünye, with ritual purification, blessing, games and sports to see them through the agricultural year ahead. 

In news, the Government of India expressed its support for an inclusive peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. 

During the India-Central Asia Dialogue, on January 13, Indian Union External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, reiterated India’s support and commitment to peace, security and stability in Afghanistan to promote an inclusive Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace and reconciliation process. 

The participating countries at the Dialogue held in Uzbekistan, represented by policymakers, welcomed the participation of Afghanistan as an important land link in regional cooperation. They also pledged to assist in economic reconstruction of Afghanistan through the implementation of joint infrastructure, transit and transport, energy projects including regional cooperation and investment projects.

The beginning of a year is a great time to re-asses deadlocks and re-imagine peace processes. It is embedded in the traditions of the tropics. With India showing forward thinking in the Afghan peace and reconciliation process, it would be great if the country's leaders shared notes with those leading the Indo-Naga peace process which is in need of similar interventions that India is attempting to make in its North West neighbourhood. 

If Naga-Land (encompassing all Naga areas) were to be thought of as a similar sovereign entity in need of support from its neighbours—India, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, China—imagine the possibilities of development of the Naga lands and regional cooperation through them. When the Nagas begin to control their own political destiny, how foresighted it would be for its neighbouring countries to assist, for instance, in the economic re-construction of Naga-Land through the “implementation of joint infrastructure, transit and transport, energy projects including regional cooperation and investment projects.” 

Much like Afghanistan that is being touted as the crucial land-link between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe, the Naga lands could become the pertinent land-link that facilitates exchange of people, goods, knowledge and culture in the land locked regions of West South East-South East-East-Central Asia.

However we want to re-imagine it, the Indo-Naga peace process certainly is in need of re-imagination, as the Forum for Naga Reconciliation has pointed out this week. Both the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress governments have tried to bring the process to fruition; both have failed. With war no more an option, it would be wise to completely re-design the way in which the peace process is approached to make it ‘Naga people-led, Naga people-owned, Naga people-controlled.’ 

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