Naga peace talks inconclusive but not deadlocked, says NSCN-IM
The group asserted that the backtracking of the Centre on the issue of a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas is viewed as a betrayal of trust and lack of sincerity on the part of the government of India
The Isak-Muivah-led National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM), a Naga separatist group operating mainly in the northeastern part of India, has said that issues surrounding a separate Naga flag and constitution continue to act as stumbling blocks in the ongoing peace process.
The last round of Indo-Naga formal talk that took place on 14th November in Delhi was inconclusive but not deadlocked, the group said in a statement on Friday evening.
The NSCN-IM alleged the Centre of wandering away from the Framework Agreement that was signed between them in 2015. As per the statement, the Centre’s representative had initially agreed upon the matter of a separate flag and constitution but later “backtracked on the commitment”.
It reminded that the Framework Agreement acknowledges the unique history and position of the Nagas and also delves into the concept of shared sovereignty between the Nagas and the Government of India.
“The Framework Agreement reiterates the unique history and position of the Nagas. The concepts of shared sovereignty and co-existence have also been explained therein,” the statement from NSCN-IM read.
“In the matters of her own affairs, as mutually agreed upon, Nagaland shall be sovereign. The agreement shall cover all Naga areas,” read the statement reproducing the clause in the draft prepared by the government of India.
Maintaining that it no longer viewed Indians as the enemy in the light of peaceful coexistence, the NSCN-IM, however, said it cannot sacrifice the Naga national principle for the sake of friendship. Further, the statement highlighted that the Framework Agreement addresses the sovereign rights of the Nagas and their future as well as the security and commercial interests of India.
“This historic agreement is seen and appreciated by many international peacemakers as the roadmap to a lasting peace in the Indian sub-continent,” the NSCN-IM stated.
The group further asserted that the backtracking of the Centre on the issue of a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas is viewed as a betrayal of trust and lack of sincerity on the part of the government of India.
“Friends and critics often said the government of India is playing with time to diminish the hard-earned Framework Agreement. But that will be too costly. The ball is in the court of the Government of India,” the statement further read.