Centre urged to merge two pacts to solve Naga issue

Kohima, Mar 21 (PTI) Various civil society organisations of three northeastern state adopted a resolution urging the Centre to merge the two agreements it signed with the NSCN(IM) and a conglomerate to bring about a solution for the decades-old Naga political problem.

The central government inked the Framework Agreement with NSCN(IM) in 2015 and a pact of Agreed Position with the Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups (WC-NNPGs) two years later.

This is the first time that a unanimous call has been made by the key Naga bodies from different states for merger of the two agreements towards bringing about a common solution.

Nagaland Gaon Burahs Federation Peace Committee (NGBF-PC) on Friday said the resolution seeking the merger of the two agreements was adopted at a meeting at Dimapur.

Several Naga civil society organisations of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam took part in the meeting held on Thursday. Representatives of a similar body of Manipur could not attend the meeting, the NGBF-PC said in a statement.

While the Nagas are in majority in Nagaland, the other three states also have a sizeable number of people belonging to the same community.

The final settlement should not be based solely on one agreement while disregarding the other but a unified approach must be adopted to ensure a lasting and honourable resolution, according to the resolution.

Participants of the meeting cited the growing frustration among the Naga people due to the prolonged negotiations.

In the resolution, the Naga groups are requested to set aside their differences and work toward a single, consolidated agreement for a lasting solution, according to the statement.

It appealed to all negotiating parties to work towards an inclusive and acceptable agreement without further delay.

Representatives from organisations such as Nagaland Tribes Council, Senior Citizens Association of Nagaland, Forum for Naga Reconciliation, Ex-Parliamentarian Association of Nagaland, Tirap-Changlang and Longding People’s Forum Arunachal, Rengma-Zeliangrong Joint Council Assam, Naga Hoho and NGBF PC attended the meeting.

The United Naga Council (UNC) Manipur which was initially scheduled to attend was unable to participate.

The Ex-Parliamentarian Association of Nagaland, during its general body meeting on March 14, had separately urged the Centre to come out with a common draft of the two documents signed with the Naga political groups on the ongoing negotiations to find a solution to the issue.

The Framework Agreement was signed on August 3, 2015, by NSCN(IM) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah and government interlocutor for Naga peace talks R N Ravi in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The framework agreement came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years, with the first breakthrough in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland which started soon after Independence in 1947.

However, the Centre has not accepted NSCN-IM’s persistent demand for a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas, which has led to prolonged negotiations.

Subsequently, the government entered into parallel negotiations with the WC-NNPGs, a coalition of seven Naga groups, in 2017, and inked the Agreed Position on November 17 of the same year.

While the WC-NNPGs have expressed willingness to accept whatever is possible and continue negotiations on other contentious demands, the NSCN-IM has declared it will not accept any solution without a separate flag and constitution. PTI

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