DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 22 (MExN): The NSCN (IM) has reiterated its stance that any political solution to the Naga issue is unacceptable without the recognition of the Naga flag and constitution. It made clear that the path forward cannot exclude the Naga flag or constitution.
“A solution without the Naga flag and constitution would be a repetition of past mistakes,” stated Rh Raising in a press statement headlined ‘Unity and Solution?’ on Friday while advocating the stand of its chief negotiator and General Secretary, Th. Muivah that solution without flag and constitution would be “unacceptable to the Naga people.”
“This battle will decide our future. We cannot afford to lose it. If we lose this battle - our land, our identity, our culture, our literature, our history, our politics, our religion, our future and everything of us will fall from us. That will be irreparable loss for the Nagas. For the Nagas, it is a do-or-die battle. Our survival strategy lies in resistance to the aggressors or we perish,” it stated.
Highlighting that the Framework Agreement (FA), signed between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) on August 3, 2015 was a significant step forward in the Naga political struggle, the NSCN (IM) said the FA recognizes the unique history of Naga independence, affirming the sovereignty, identity, and territorial integrity of the Naga people.
“The FA recognizes the unique history of Naga independence; the sovereignty of the Nagas, the identity of the Nagas, the territory of the Nagas, and the integration of all Nagas areas. It also says peaceful coexistence of the two entities sharing sovereign power,” it maintained.
The NSCN (IM) also claimed that under the FA, the Nagas and India will coexist as two entities, but the Nagas will not merge with India. There will be a joint defence in the event of invasion on Nagalim by any external forces. The Nagas will be using Indian passport with Naga nationality/ Indian for a certain period of time. There will be a joint venture in the case of drilling oil in Nagalim. But Nagas will exercise their sovereign power in the matter of their own affairs.
The NSCN (IM) noted that in the past, Indians and the Nagas took diametrically opposite stands that the parallel lines saw no meeting point. It considered the FA as “one of the options where India and Nagas can meet,” which will “guarantee the future of the Nagas and strengthen the security of India.” FA is the kind of solution the two parties have been looking for, “It is one of the options for solution, but never a roadblock,” it asserted.
The NSCN (IM) also warned against any attempt to interpret the Framework Agreement from a constitutional perspective within the Indian framework. “This problem is political which calls for political solution. It is never a constitutional problem of India,” it stated while adding that the FA is not a roadblock but an opportunity for both India and the Nagas to find a lasting solution that guarantees peace and security for all.
The NSCN (IM) said since the Government of India has recognized the sovereignty of the Nagas, no one can twist its interpretation. Flag and constitution are the composite materials of sovereignty. Sovereignty without flag and constitution is a form without contain, it added.
