Kohima: The Global Naga Forum (GNF) has expressed its deep appreciation for the 22 Members of Parliament (MPs) who recently submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging the Government of India to expedite the stalled Indo-Naga peace process.
According to a press statement issued by the forum, the MPs’ initiative was described as an act of “rare political courage and empathy” in the face of what it termed “persistent apathy on the part of the Indian government.” The forum stated that this move reaffirmed democratic values in India and could serve as a crucial push for the long-neglected negotiations.
The statement emphasized that the Naga people have historically refrained from seeking external intervention in their struggle for self-determination, maintaining that “Nagas don’t need other people’s permission to live and govern ourselves in our homeland.” However, the intervention by the MPs was seen as a significant step in drawing national attention to the issue. The GNF urged for continued advocacy until a meaningful resolution was achieved.
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The forum also criticized the Indian government for what it described as “wilful neglect” of the Indo-Naga peace negotiations and alleged “double dealings” in the process. “Despite efforts to distort the situation and shift the blame onto the Naga side, the truth remains that the Indian government has failed to shoulder the difficult political and moral responsibility of resolving the longstanding Indo-Naga issue,” the statement said.
The GNF further pointed to the Framework Agreement (FA) signed in 2015 between the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM), which Prime Minister Narendra Modi then hailed as a breakthrough. However, the forum alleged that the government later backtracked on the agreement by signing a separate pact, the Agreed Position (AP), with another Naga faction in 2017. “A decade into the much-hyped Framework Agreement, the negotiations have stalled due to the government’s apparent shift in stance,” the statement added.
The GNF asserted that the Indian government’s inconsistent approach—from the Nine-Point Agreement of 1947 to the Framework Agreement of 2015—has resulted in “a repetitive history of bad faith dealings with the Naga people.” It accused the Modi administration of “washing its hands off the FA” and instead insisting on a singular Naga solution while blaming the lack of progress on Naga disunity.
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In this context, the forum commended the 21 MPs from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha who collectively urged the Indian government to address the peace process in Parliament. “Their support for the Framework Agreement highlights the growing recognition of the Naga people’s aspirations and the urgent need for a political solution,” the statement read.
Additionally, the memorandum submitted by the MPs underscored the need to elevate the status of the Naga peace talks interlocutor to a Union Ministerial level, a move previously proposed in Resolution No. 3 on September 12, 2024, by the Nagaland Government, Tribe Hohos, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). The GNF urged the Nagaland Government to clarify its stance on this resolution and take decisive action toward its implementation.
“The Government of India now holds the key, as it always has,” the statement asserted. “It has the responsibility to reciprocate this collective demand and demonstrate the political will to resolve the Naga issue.” The forum warned that further delays in implementing the Framework Agreement would only prolong uncertainty and urged the authorities to act with sincerity.
The GNF also called for a transparent and internationally monitored peace process to ensure a just resolution. “The patience of the Naga people has been tested beyond reason—seventy-seven years and running, since India’s independence in 1947,” the statement noted. It questioned whether India would act “in good faith as a mature, responsible democracy” or continue “its legacy of broken promises.”
Concluding its statement, the forum remarked, “History will remember where India and every stakeholder stood on the democratic and human rights question of Naga self-determination.”
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