Dimapur, February 27 (MExN): The United Naga Tribes Association on Border Areas (UNTABA) has stated to RN Ravi, the Government of India (GoI) interlocutor to the Indo-Naga peace talks that “if the commitments and promises made to the Naga people by the GoI is sidelined, then the Naga people will not accept any political settlement that you may be working on.”
The UNTABA stated this in a representation given to the interlocutor today. It was signed by UNTABA Chairperson, Hukavi T Yeputhomi and General Secretary, Imsumongba Pongen.
It pointed out the 9 point agreement of 1947 that promised to “bring back all the Reserved Forests and contiguous Naga areas to Naga people, the areas of which were transferred to Assam administration by the then Imperial Government of British India so that the tribal Naga people can join the new Union of Independent India.”
“But unfortunately this first Political Agreement between the GoI and Naga people was unilaterally dishonored by the GoI thereby compelling the Naga people to fight the mighty India,” the UNTABA reminded.
Further, the 16 point agreement of 1960 reiterated these promises to “bring back all the transferred Reserved Forests to Naga people and to amalgamate all the contiguous Naga tribes and areas into the newly created State of Nagaland.”
Even these promises are yet to be fulfilled.
Thus, the UNTABA demanded that the GoI “fulfill the commitments and promises made earlier be honored in letter and spirit by bringing back to Naga people of all the transferred Reserve Forests and amalgamate all the contiguous Naga areas in Assam to Nagaland in the impending political settlement.”
Otherwise, they feared, “the Indo-Naga political issue will turn back to square one.”
