Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 2
The ceasefire between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M) completes ten years on July 31. The question remains: How many more years of political negotiations will it take before a resolution can be agreed upon?
In today’s Ceasefire Monitoring Group meeting the “Ministry of Home Affairs for the first time said things have to be brought into track,” Brigadier Phungthing Shimrang of the NSCN (I-M), the Convenor of the Ceasefire Monitoring Cell, said. “We have made ourselves clear.”
He conveyed his message that the ground rules should create the right atmosphere to “enhance” the talks. “The problem is with the Government of India.” He left it to the Centre to “deal with other elements.”
Mentioning that during the last 9 years scores of their men were killed, injured or arrested and that they had lost properties, Shimrang said that the NSCN (I-M) hade been made victims of a ‘stronger’ Government of India. “That does not deter us. This relates to the political issue. We are still continuing with the dialogue.”
On the current violence between factions, and the constant call to an end of hostilities, he said: “The question is who and what is creating this situation. The fact is that let us look into it with an analytical mind.”
Nagaland Director General of Police, J Changkija, who also attended the meeting, said both the NSCN (K) and the NSCN (I-M) have not completely moved into their designated camps as earlier instructed by the Ministry of Home Affairs and disclosed by General (Retd) RV Kulkarni, Chairman of the Ceasefire Monitoring Group (CFMG). He revealed that only percentages of cadres had returned to their designated camps. “Ministry of Home Affairs will have to take the next step.” He added that efforts were being made for the same. “The deadline (of June 30) could not be fulfilled.”
The current ceasefire between the Government of India and the NSCN (I-M) expires at the end of this month on July 31, and considering the lack of any substantive progress towards a political solution, one expects some hectic diplomatic parleys between the two sides, before any formal decision to extend the ceasefire is declared.
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