DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 19 (MExN): The Senior Citizens Association of Nagaland (SCAN) today said it is opposed to the proposed to the Pan Naga Hoho (PNH) “as is being envisioned by the NSCN (IM).”
A press release from SCAN president, Khekiye K Sema IAS (Retd) and general secretary, Medoselhou Keretsu informed that the association met with the Nagaland Governor, RN Ravi, who is also the Government of India’s Interlocutor for the Indo-Naga peace talks at Raj Bhavan, Kohima on February 13.
The SCAN stated that as per the Governor, “the present slowdown of the talks is on account of the issue of PNH.”
It informed that the NSCN (IM)'s original proposition was for the creation of PNH through an Act of Parliament as a statutory body purely for the purpose of cultural and emotional integration with advisory role in matters of education and development “to which GoI had offered less resistance.”
However, the SCAN stated that “since then, NSCN (IM) has upped the ante once more by wanting PNH to be a more authoritative body to additionally be able to dictate political terms over another Statutory Authority called the State Government of Nagaland.” It further informed that while the Government of India is “not averse” to allow setting up of a Bicameral Legislature, in Nagaland “NSCN (IM) is now demanding that PNH should be fully empowered as a 'Nominating Authority' to 'select' certain undisclosed percentage of Members to the Upper House...and have a direct role to dictate terms in matters of 'Education, Development' and perhaps even governance within the state of Nagaland rather than an 'advisory role' earlier envisaged.”
The SCAN reported the Governor as confirming that “NSCN (IM) wants a very specific status of empowerment of PNH to enable it to directly or indirectly intervene in the affairs of the State of Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.”
According to the SCAN, it was also confirmed that the NSCN (IM) wants to establish the PNH HQs within the State of Nagaland “though not mentioning the location specifics.”
In this regard, the SCAN said such a move “becomes a perpetual festering thorn in the backside of the people of Nagaland.”
If at all, the association recommended that PNH should be headquartered “anywhere else outside the State of Nagaland, sans meddling empowerment in the affairs of other States...most of all Nagaland.”
“This is a pre-requisite if the Nagas of Nagaland really want to sleep peacefully at night post solution,” it added.
It further called upon the Government of India to put the ‘competency clauses’ in public as “stakeholders have contributed their share of excruciating sacrifices” demanding to know their immediate destiny and the destiny of their children before the final deal is inked.
