Naga Senior Citizens ask GoI to move peace process forward

Dimapur, April 26 (MExN): Concerned Naga Senior Citizens (CNSC) have written to the Prime Minister of India enquiring about the progress of the Indo-Naga peace process two years after the signing of a ‘Framework Agreement’ between the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) and the Government of India (GoI). They also clarified that GoI “backtracking” on its past commitments could lead to “undesirable events,” which makes it all the more urgent to move the peace process forward and draw up a “final settlement.”  

In the memorandum, the CNSC reminded the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, that after his party’s landslide victory in the last general election, the Government of India had claimed to “resolve the protracted Naga political issue within one to one and half years time.”  

“Nagas heaved a sigh of relief on hearing the news after a prolonged distrust and frustration under the Congress regime which has miserably failed to achieve any tangible progress due to lack of political will,” they stated in the memorandum, also forwarded to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Finance and Defense Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, BJP President Amit Shah and interlocutor to Indo-Naga peace talks, RN Ravi.  

The CNSC applauded the Framework Agreement that was a result of negotiations for nearly two decades between the “NSCN representing the Nagas” and the GoI. “This shows the commitments of both the entities for a permanent solution,” noted the senior citizens represented by TA Ngullie, former finance minister of Nagaland, DK Zeliang IFS (Retd.), rural economist and environmentalist, I Bendangangshi, ex MLA, L Suohie Mhasi, ex MLA and NA Kasar, senior administrative officer (Retd.).  

Noting that it is going to now be nearly two years since the Framework Agreement was signed, the CNSC stated that no “tangible progress seems to have been achieved so far thereby apparently defeating past commitments.”  

“lf such opportunities are allowed to go away then the Nagas doubt the sincerity of the GoI for a peaceful political settlement,” they maintained. Moreover, if the GoI “starts listening to everyone by undermining the party who are genuinely trying to bring an honorable solution with the Gol, it will be committing Himalayan blunder and in such situation Nagas may be forced to seek different options,” the senior citizens maintained.  

They found it pertinent to also mention that in the event that the GoI backtracks from its past commitments, it may “directly tantamount” to the Nagas “being driven away from the negotiating table and the consequences thereof will be irreparable whereby the loss may be more for India than the Nagas.” Thus, “in order to avert such undesirable events in the near future it will be in the best interest of both the parties to move forward the peace process expeditiously and come to a final settlement of the world’s longest insurgency movement once and for all.”