Ignoring the challenging positions and demands of the Nagaland National Socialist Council (Isak-Muivah), the Government of India has decided to go ahead with its plan to soon sign a peace agreement with all other armed rebel groups and organizations of the Nagaland civil society. .
Security sources admitted that a section of the NSCN (IM) led by its secretary general Th. Muivah has not given final consent to sign the peace agreement, but claimed that the ball is now in the court of the NSCN (IM) to make the decision to sign the peace agreement, as all other stakeholders have approved the “final draft of the agreement”. aimed at ending the decades-long insurgency in Nagaland.
By revealing that the negotiation between the Naga rebel groups on all issues has been concluded, Interior Ministry sources told this newspaper that a consensus has been created for the signing of the peace agreement and a draft agreement has been finalized.
The prime minister’s envoy for the Naga talks and Nagaland Governor RN Ravi is in New Delhi to finalize the draft of the deal, security sources said the talks between NSCN (IM) leaders led by his Secretary General Th Muivah and officials from the Intelligence Office (IB) concluded about 10 days ago.
Noting that no meeting between NSCN (IM) and IB officials was held for the past 10 days, security sources said that a section of Naga rebel leaders has been trying to create confusion that talks are still continuing.
Stating that the demand for a separate flag and constitution for Nagaland has been rejected once again in denial with IB officials, security sources admitted that NSCN (IM) has been trying to buy time by raising some rhetorical issues, But the Government of India has made it clear that they cannot prolong the peace talks any longer, as a consensus has already been created on all Naga political issues.
Security sources said this would be the first time that civil society groups would also be signatories to a peace agreement signed with armed rebel groups.
The NNPG, a group of seven Naga insurgents, 14 Naga tribal Hohos and the Nagaland Gaon Burah Federation (GB) would also be signatories to the peace agreement.
Security sources said that a section of NSCN (IM) leaders may be cut off in Nagaland if they continue to defy the mood of civil society groups that is increasing pressure for an early solution to Naga political problems.
In addition to the rehabilitation of the armed cadres after the handover of arms, the final draft of the agreement also proposes two autonomous councils, one in Manipur and the other in Arunachal Pradesh, in addition to the mechanism for the transfer of power through the holding of general elections in the state. The number of seats for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha would also be increased to facilitate greater representation of the Nagas in the Center.
In 1975, the Center signed the Shillong Accord with a moderate faction of the political organization, the Naga National Council (NNC), which had been formed in 1946. After a brief period of peace for two years, the dissident group led by Th Muivah, Isak Chisi Swu and Shangnyu Shangwang Khaplang rejected the pact outright and went into hiding again, spending much of their time in Myanmar. They formed the NSCN in January 1980, and eight years later, in April 1988, it split into NSCN (IM) and NSCN (K) due to differences in the beginning of a dialogue process with the Indian government.
The NSCN (IM) has been in unofficial talks with the government since 1994, while formal talks with the Center began only in 1997 when a ceasefire agreement was signed. In August 2015, the government signed a Framework Agreement to seek a final solution with the NSCN (IM). The NSCN (K) violated the ceasefire in 2015, but three separatist factions formed a new group and re-entered the dialogue. The scope of the Naga peace talk was broadened with the NNPG, a group of seven insurgents who signed a “Deed of Commitment” with the Center.
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