GUWAHATI: The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) on Friday proposed third-party intervention to address the prolonged Naga political issue, warning that it would resort to violence if the Centre declined the proposal.
The insurgent group, which has maintained a ceasefire since 1997, accused the Indian government of disregarding the "letter and spirit" of the Framework Agreement signed on 3 August 2015.
“In order to conclude and realise an honourable political agreement, we rule out peaceful means against the ignominious betrayal of the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement. However, in the first place, we propose a third-party intervention to resolve the betrayal,” NSCN-IM general secretary and chief negotiator Thuingaleng Muivah said in a statement.
“But if such a political initiative is rejected by the GoI (Government of India), the NSCN shall resume the violent armed resistance against India for defending Nagalim’s unique history and her sovereign existence,” the statement warned.
The NSCN-IM attributed any potential violence to the “deliberate betrayal and breach of commitment by India and its leadership” to uphold the terms of the Framework Agreement.
The Naga peace process has stalled over the NSCN-IM’s insistence on core issues of a “Naga flag and Naga constitution”.
“The letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement officially recognised and acknowledged Nagalim’s unique history and situation and that sovereignty lies with Nagalim and the Naga people. Since sovereignty is constitutive of national identity, the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement has officially recognised and acknowledged Nagalim’s sovereign national flag and Nagalim’s sovereign national constitution,” Muivah added.
In a related development, former Chief Minister S.C. Jamir revealed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah rejected the demands for a Naga flag and constitution during their meeting two days ago.
“I asked him if the flag and constitution are negotiable or not. He said no,” Jamir told a news channel on Friday.
Jamir stated that the Naga people were waiting for a resolution. “When something is not possible, why should we go on wasting time? I think we should accept what is possible and ignore what is not possible. Flag and constitution are attributes of a sovereign country,” he said.
Asked about the future of the Naga political process, Jamir suggested it was entirely up to the parties involved. “If there is a will, it can be done. They should know people are tired. They are fed up with the non-solution of the problem,” he added.
