DIMAPUR, JUNE 6 (MExN): The Naga National Council has stated that the Naga people are democratically represented by the NNC, ‘the embodiment of Naga body politic, besides, immutably entrusted with the national mandate’ in May 1951, and the elected FGN, to uphold the Yehzabo and serve Naga nation. “In the interest of national harmony, on no account underestimate the moral certainty of the Naga stand. From the outset NNC pursued a non-violence policy and it will continue to seek a diplomatic outcome to the long standing conflict with India”, stated a press communiqué issued by W. Shapwon, Joint Secretary and Sessional Chairman NNC and L. Kaiso Secretary In-charge, NNC.
It was informed that the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Naga National Council (NNC) held its national executive meeting on 15 May 2007 in Kohima to review the prevailing situation in Nagaland and resolved to reaffirm ‘the Naga stand.’ Accordingly, a twenty point resolution was passed foremost of which was that the Naga people never conceded sovereignty to a foreign power ‘from ancient times.’ Further it was resolved that the basis and foundation of modern Nagaland is sound and can stand up to any critical scrutiny. The NNC resolution also included the stand taken in the aftermath of the World War ll, wherein Naga representatives declared to the world that the “excluded” Naga territory adjoining the then British India empire to stay independent on 14 August 1947. “And in accordance with Naga democratic tradition, the Naga people universally opted for a single national identity on 16 May 1951 and unequivocally affirmed the independence of Nagaland declared earlier in 1947”, one of the resolution stated.
Furthermore, the 1951 national mandate immutably entrusted with the NNC was broadened following the consent given by the Regional leaders of the then free Nagas for a federation duly enshrined in the Naga Federal Yehzabo (Constitution) in 1956. Thereafter, in compliance to the Yehzabo, the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) was established vested with ‘full legal authority’ on March 22 1956, hereinafter the national government of the people of Nagaland and any act or omission, in breach of the Yehzabo has no legitimacy, the NNC resolution stated.
The NNC also made clear that in best Naga tradition of honouring one’s pledge, Naga patriots unflinchingly defended Naga independence regardless of the disparity of the forces and thwarted the Indian aggressors from annexing Nagaland and that everyone has the right to a nationality. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality or denied the right to change his nationality, the NNC quoted from the declaration of Human Rights.
Point eleven of the resolution stated that “the unrelenting Government of India (GoI) imposed on Nagaland a puppet ‘state government’ in December 1963.
But instead of a wistful respite, the war escalated and the GoI was forced to enter into an international Cease-fire Agreement with the FGN in September 1964”.
It was pointed out that a series of top level bilateral talks failed to address the nub of the conflict between the two nations and the GoI arbitrarily abrogated the Cease-fire Agreement in August 1972.
The NNC also recounted that at the height of Mrs Indira Gandhi’s 1975 ‘Emergency rule’ in India, Naga representatives held talk in Shillong with L P Singh, the Governor of Assam, representing the martial law administration, specifically to end the Indian army genocidal attack against the Naga civilians. “As the GoI ‘proscribed’ the NNC and FGN ‘illegal organisations’ in 1972, the Naga representatives agreed to meet on unofficial capacity, even then they were coerced to sign the so-called Shillong accord on 11 November 1975 that ended the siege of Naga villages”.
In order that Naga sovereignty was not impugned in any way, the NNC resolution stated that Zashei Huire, Kedahge (President) of the FGN, convened an emergency Tatar Hoho (Parliament) session in December 1975 specifically to review the “Shillong accord” referred to the FGN and decided that under the Yehzabo it was not competent to approve the said accord and instead referred the matter to the President of NNC in London. “Kedahge Zashei Huire sent a formal letter delivered by hand to the Indian representative L P Singh of the Tatar Hoho decision. A Naga delegation was also sent to London to take the matter up with the NNC President, A Z Phizo. He refused to be drawn into what he firmly considered it to be a fraud document. With the passage of time neither nations ratified the said accord”. The NNC also claimed that “on the dubious basis of All India Radio, state controlled GoI propaganda, Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah, both bureaucrats in national service then, on the Naga delegation return home from China mission in 1976 shockingly questioned the FGN stand on the said accord and in blatant insubordination of the leadership of the late Kedahge Zashei Huire, the treacherous duo callously ordered their renegade gang the bloody massacre of unswerving Naga patriots while based in Eastern Nagaland in late 1979”.
The NNC resolution further stated that “the premeditated attempt to usurp power by means of dastardly vile act hardly damage the standing of the NNC and FGN, but instead, the renegade gang degenerated into terrorism, heretofore the Naga army had an impeccable record in treating civilians, acknowledged even by the enemy, but after 1980, calculated gross misuse of Naga appellation entered the anti-Nagaland propaganda war to undermine the standing of the NNC and FGN”.
Further it was pointed out that “to sell their delusions of grandeur, the duo manufactured a socialist style manifesto on a mixture of lies, blame, and hatred to misrepresent Nagaland. On the evidence of well documented records, since 1980, the renegade gang in collusion with the GoI ushered in ugly sectarian agenda to take centre stage and perpetrated untold heinous war crimes against the Naga people on the absurd pretext of salvaging Naga sovereignty, thereby in recent time, deflected the core issue of the conflict with India”.
The NNC pointed out that the protracted conflict with India inevitably hindered progress on most essential nation building and that were it not for the resilient and resourceful Naga people, it would have been much worse. “On the other hand, the inconvenient truth is that the Naga people share of income and wealth has become increasingly disproportionate to actual national economy. Notwithstanding the individual right of the people of Nagaland to private ownership of land and property under the Yehzabo, whoever attempt to alter in any shape or form the fundamental character to Regional autonomous tradition, for instance, to declare it a ‘union territory’, shall be deemed illegal”.
The NNC made it clear that “nothing said or done by a Naga individual or group or faction, including apologists for anti-Nagaland, will have any bearing whatsoever on the sovereign status of the Federal Republic of Nagaland”.
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