Dimapur: The Naga Hoho said today that “as there is not a single absolute mandated Naga Organization at the moment, it is illogical to denounce each other based on vested and regional interest leaving aside the larger Naga issues”.
The Naga Hoho in a statement said that during the darkest period of “our Naga history” where killings became the norm of the day, the Naga elders and intellectuals realizing the need for a collective effort to usher in peace and a voice for unified Naga homeland without borders, came together and gave birth to Naga Hoho. It also said that till today, the Naga Hoho “stands firmly on the foundation of Naga political and historical rights for self-determination and recognition of Naga homeland”.
The Naga Hoho then said that it is mandated to pursue and mediate for unity among various diametrical Naga political groups and early Indo-Naga political settlement. “Hence, any political solutions sans inclusive of Naga ancestral land and its people are not acceptable to the Nagas,” the Naga Hoho further said, adding, “This has been endorsed by the Naga leaders from different tribes before the emergence of new organisations in recent times”.
The Naga Hoho then said that it is unfortunate that there are some groups of people who claim to represent some sections of the society and has been continuously spiting venom against the Naga Hoho. “However, one must realise that the Nagas’ struggle for self-determination for more than 70 years is for a common homeland under one administration and not based on the artificial boundaries demarcated by British-India and Burma. Failure to bring political settlement through various agreements/accords in the past and signing of another ceasefire agreement in 1997 speaks volumes towards searching for settlement above 16 Point Agreement,” the Naga Hoho added.
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The Naga body then alleged that various agencies have been and will continue to further divide the Naga society unless the Naga people stand on the truth of our history. “It will be a disaster if the present generation forfeits the struggle of Naga patriots who sacrificed and shed their blood for a free Naga land for just mere packages and commitments by the Government of India,” it added.
It then said that the Naga people must play the role of facilitator and strengthen the negotiators rather than destroying the hard earned peace process. “Regrettably, many Naga pseudo intellectuals and leaders of today are trying hard to destabilise the peace process without understanding the intrinsic value and the dynamics of political negotiations,” it stated.
It then reminded, “The Naga Hoho White Paper on Naga Integration which was published in 2002 and approved by the Federal Assembly stands as the testimony of who Nagas were, is and will be. It was widely accepted by every Naga tribes and therefore, the Naga Hoho stands by it and will continue to stand on the foundation of Naga history. -Contd.2 Nill 16/11/2021”.
According to the Naga Hoho, there are sections of people who believe that the Indo-Naga political negotiation has been concluded on October 31, 2019 and the ownership of land is above the Naga political problem which is ridiculous. “Naga sovereignty was the only problem ever since the beginning of Naga political movement and the physical integration of Naga homeland has been the core issues post 16 Point Agreement,” said the Naga Hoho. Apparently, both the entities – Government of India and Naga political negotiators have been trying their level best to find out the best option by understanding each other’s difficulties, the Naga Hoho also said. “However, it is unfortunate that some sections of our own people are simply following the stand of the Government of India which lacks pragmatic solution”. It then asked, “What is the use of having a political negotiation if we are to stand by the oppressor?”
With regard to Dr S C Jamir’s statement in various local and national print media on November 9, 2021, “it has become imperative to clarify to keep the record straight that the Prime Minister of India never in his speech on August 3, 2015 mentioned or welcomed the decision of ‘the underground to join the mainstream of Indian polity’ and it is never a reason why the Government of India and the Prime Minister described the Framework Agreement as ‘historic’”.
NNN
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