Govt, NSCN-K ceasefire extended by one year

The ceasefire between the Centre and Khaplang group of the NSCN was extended by a year.

The ceasefire between the Centre and Khaplang group of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) was n Thursday extended by a year.

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This was decided at a meeting between Home Ministry officials led by Special Secretary (Internal Security) Anil Chowdhry, officials of the Nagaland Government and representatives of NSCN-K, official sources said.

A statement issued after the meeting said "a review of the ceasefire between the Centre and NSCN-K in Nagaland was jointly undertaken by the representatives of the Government, state Government and NSCN-K on Thursday.

"The discussion was held in a cordial atmoshphere. Both sides agreed to extend the ceasefire by a period of one year with effect from April 28, 2005," the brief statement said.

The sources said that extension of ceasefire was seen by both sides as the only way in moving ahead towards a permanent solution to the Naga issue.

The Khaplang faction had conducted prolonged parleys with representatives of the Centre before arriving at an agreement on April 11, 2001, to hold talks and cease violence.

A ceasefire monitoring board, comprising five persons each of the Centre and the NSCN (K), was set up at these talks and the ground rules for the ceasefire finalised. The Khaplang faction suffered a setback in 2003 when the Myanmar army ran over its camps, including its headquarters.