'Need of the hour is to address differences among Naga political groups'

DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 12 (MExN): With the deadline of the Government of India’s announcement to conclude the Indo-Naga peace talks within three months at end stage, The Naga Rising on Saturday stressed on the need to bring all Naga National Groups as part of the peace process and address key differences existing among them. 


“The Government of India’s (GoI) announcement of a ‘3-month deadline’ to conclude the Indo-Naga peace talks, if true, is now at its end stage with only a few weeks remaining. There is however a wide disconnect between what has been talked about—honorable and acceptable solution—and the ground reality, especially the way the proposed peace accord will be signed and implemented by the Government of India and the Naga Political Groups, a press statement received from The Naga Rising on Saturday stated. 


It maintained that the time is now for Naga elders, intellectuals, tribe hohos and civil society take the onus on themselves and provide innovative ideas as to how to address the differences between the two Naga sides—the NSCN (IM) on the one hand and the Working Committee of the 7 NNPGs on the other. 


The key question is the need for bringing all Naga National Groups as part of the peace process and address differences that exists among them, it added. 


The Naga Rising also urged the GoI to come out with an open and clear-cut direction on how it intends to sign and conclude the present negotiations against the backdrop of what it has already stated that “there is only one peace process...and eventually there will be only one agreement as we cannot fragment the Naga issue.”


It hoped that a clear roadmap is presented to conclude the talks along with some form of “power and responsibility sharing arrangement” among the Naga Political Groups which will ensure a smooth and peaceful transfer of power and competencies based on the political arrangement being worked out.