GUWAHATI: A conference, organised by the Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) in Delhi on Saturday and attended by parliamentarians, social activists, intellectuals, etc, sought the appointment of a new interlocutor in the Naga peace talks.
Nagaland Governor RN Ravi is the current interlocutor but the participants expressed dismay over the sudden derailment of the peace process due to trust deficit between Ravi and insurgent group National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM).
Stating that the interlocutor is a mandatory link between both sides, they resolved that in the interest of peace, it was necessary to appoint an interlocutor who would re-establish the trust of the negotiating parties.
Speaking at the conference, Rajya Sabha member Vaiko called for the revival of the peace process.
“(Prime Minister) Narendra Modiji deserves all credit for the signing of this historic Framework Agreement on the 3rd of August, 2015. Now, it is five (5) years since then, yet the highly acclaimed Framework Agreement has been put in cold storage,” the NPMHR quoted him as saying in a statement.
Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK) chief Seeman was not present at the conference but his statement was read out by NTK youth wing secretary Dhuruvan Selvamani.
“I strongly believe that only by engaging in frequent, result-oriented dialogues, we will get our rights and sovereignty. Also, it is our duty and responsibility to propagate the present status of the Indo-Naga peace process and provide an amicable solution to avoid the human rights crisis similarly placed in Sri Lanka against Eezham Tamils,” the statement reads.
“Hence, I insist the Hon’ble Prime Minister of the Indian Union come forward to follow the clauses and conditions as per the Framework Agreement between the entities,” the statement further reads.
K Venkatraman, general secretary of Tamil National Movement, in his virtual speech stated the success of the peace process depends entirely on the actions of the Government of India.
Also speaking, social activist Sandeep Pandey expressed solidarity with the Nagas. He reminded that the founding members of the Socialist Party had a history of intimate relations with the Naga movement. He pointed out that the Framework Agreement based on the principle of shared sovereignty was an expression of the right to self-determination.
Jagmohan Singh, Editor, World Sikh News, stated virtually that the Nagas had repeatedly engaged the Government of India in negotiation to resolve their political demands.
That they have not diluted their core demands speaks volumes of the wisdom of the collective leadership of NSCN-IM. It also demonstrates the abiding commitment of the Nagas for the NSCN-IM leadership, he said.
Nilesh Ukey, a Mumbai-based lawyer, stressed that there was an urgent need to create widespread awareness of the peace process and that all Nagaland legislators must write to the President of India every month and request for the resumption of the peace talks.