Nagaland Gaonbura Federation members with the Prime Minister Nerendra Modi at Delhi in 2017. (File Photo)
DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 28 (MExN): The Nagaland Gaon Bura (Village Chiefs) Federation (NGBF) has urged Naga negotiating teams to unite on a common platform and bring the Naga peace talks to a conclusion, following the Naga Hoho’s recent statement that it is “time to wrap up” the process.
In a statement, the NGBF said the development comes as “a relief to those who favour early Solution and lasting peace.” The federation noted that while negotiations officially concluded on October 31, 2019, the final agreement has yet to be signed.
“The future of the Naga society cannot be subjected to the nefarious whims of those seeking to divide and fragment us but should focus on confidence-building measures to enhance brotherhood and camaraderie,” the NGBF said.
The federation called on the negotiating parties to “bring whatever has been agreed upon and mutually accepted in one table.” It also urged the Naga people to “carry out the deep-dive study, compare and contrast to deliberate both the mutually agreed agreement that is FA&AP ones which will best serve the interest of the Naga people.”
Expressing concern over growing divisions in Naga society, the NGBF said it was “deeply saddened to see the ever-widening divide” and that such disunity is unaffordable at this “critical juncture” of the Naga political movement. It emphasized that ideological differences among negotiating groups have caused “more harm than good despite all that they have achieved in different negotiating tables.”
The federation stressed the importance of maintaining the “unique political history of the Nagas” while pursuing a solution, stating that “unless both the agreement is compile and bring out the common draft is initiated and carried out in the true spirit of Naga unity and Naga public aspiration for permanent peace in all Naga inhabited areas, the solution to the Naga issue will elude the Nagas.”
The NGBF also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to demonstrate the political will necessary to conclude the peace process.
Additionally, the federation welcomed the Naga Hoho’s advocacy for inclusivity, stating that the recognition of Nagas outside Nagaland “manifest the true leadership classification.” It also endorsed the organization for providing “such reassurance and timely mitigation over the decades of chaos and fallacy within the Naga populous.”
