Faster paced negotiations; new initiatives on talks menu
Morung Express News
Dimapur, January 31
HOURS BEFORE its expiry, the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) today agreed on extending the 8-year-old ceasefire in Nagaland by another six months after four days of hectic negotiations. The ceasefire will renew itself starting February 1. A joint statement issued by NSCN General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah and Delhi’s representative K Padmanabhaiah said that during the January 28-31 “it was decided to carry the political negotiations expeditiously forward taking new initiatives.” The statement said that in view of the need to maintain a congenial atmosphere for the political negotiations to ‘fructify’, a decision to extend the ceasefire was arrived at.
It was also agreed upon to reactivate and make effective mechanisms to address all ceasefire issues including modification of Ground Rules.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, welcoming the extension, congratulated both negotiating parties “for showing their sagacity and high maturity in dealing with one of the most sensitive issues” facing them and the Nagas at large.
Taking this positive development forward, Rio hopes and prays that there will be no let ups in efforts towards an early solution to the protracted problem “so as to ultimately bring the issue to its logical conclusion without any further delay and loss of time, keeping in view the larger interest of the Nagas in particular and the country in general.”
Mention may be made that the issue of whether to extent the ceasefire extension or not remained stuck despite three days of intensive talks with the NSCN (IM) offering only a three-month extension unless New Delhi agreed to give certain assurances. As per reports, Indian negotiators were not willing to accept such a short ceasefire extension.
The NSCN (IM) was reportedly also not averse to an extension and in fact argued that it was necessary to preserve the peace process so that a negotiated settlement could take place. But they claimed that New Delhi had shown scant regard for preserving the ceasefire.
One of the sticking points in the talks was the NSCN (IM) claim of ceasefire violations by security forces outside Nagaland. NSCN (I-M) sources claimed that although their cadre and supporters had been killed in Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh in the last six months, New Delhi was willing to give assurances on adhering to ceasefire ground rules only in Nagaland.
This, they claimed, was despite the specific understanding between their leaders Muivah and Isak Swu and the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Osaka in 2001. After the violence in Manipur over ceasefire area coverage, Vajpayee had told them that informally, the ceasefire agreement would apply to wherever there was fighting between the NSCN (I-M) and the security forces.
Indian sources, however, said they could not afford to rake up the controversy about ceasefire area coverage once again by giving any written commitment. “Informally, the Vajpayee understanding continues,” said a source.
(With inputs from The Telegraph)
Some say yes, some say no
• The common person voices opinions
While some are of the dedicated view that the period of cessation of hostilities between the Union government and the NSCN (IM) is a requisite for development and peace, others are skeptical that a ceasefire devoid of a touchable solution holds no real value.
The Morung Express talks to people from various quarters of life to listen to what they have to say.
Reverend Candid Sareo, PRO of Patkai College lives up to his first name. “If there is no tangible or concrete solution to the problem it is better to discontinue the talks.” The Government of India has to make a substantial decision, according to him.
Jeeseha, an evangelist working with the Mission Possible Ministry expresses the need for peacetime to linger. “Leaders have to take into consideration the welfare of the people. If the ceasefire does not continue, the public will be harassed.”
A BSF jawan from Uttar Pradesh named Ganesh Chandra echoes along the same lines. If the violence resurges, the Naga people will have to bear the brunt of the sufferings, he says.
A shopkeeper not wishing to be identified says, “While the absence of bloodshed is welcomed, I feel that if no results are imminent the jungles have to be visited again. Our underground leaders are too accustomed to comfortable lives. It might be hard for them to end the peace talks.”
