“We talk of the unique history of our free country, our inherent sovereign right, and our unique identity and culture. However, talking alone is not enough if these aspects are not recognized as entities. We have confronted our enemies in the east, west, north, and south, but confrontation alone does not solve the problem. Confrontation without negotiation is an act of militarism. Confrontation must go along with negotiation. All disputes among peoples and nations over land and water, and all international disputes, are settled through negotiations. We believe in negotiated settlements through bilateral or multilateral talks. From the very beginning, we Nagas chose political dialogue, not armed confrontation. We focus on peace, not war; we focus on solutions, not problems. We are for the peaceful coexistence of the two peoples, but we strongly oppose forced union.
The past Indian leaders viewed the Naga national resistance movement from a military perspective. As such, hundreds of thousands of innocent Nagas were indiscriminately arrested and ruthlessly tortured; thousands were killed or slaughtered to frighten those uncommitted weak people. However, the real revolutionary sons and daughters of the land stayed the course. They tried to impose a military solution upon the Nagas, but it was proven to be a futile exercise. The Nagas survived many horrible onslaughts of the enemies by His grace.
Thereafter, the Government of India switched over to stage-managed negotiations with its henchmen and dictated the so-called 16-point agreement. It was, however, rejected by the Naga people. Realizing the mistake of seeking a solution without the consent of the Naga people, the Government of India invited the Naga leaders for political talks. Accordingly, a cease-fire agreement was signed on 6th September 1964, paving the way for political talks at the Prime Ministerial level. Ironically, negotiations ended in a deadlock due to the unacceptable colonial policy of India.
The Government of India committed another blunder in orchestrating the Shillong Accord on 11th November 1975. But the Accord was outrightly condemned by the Naga National Assembly as a sell-out. Seeing the strong opposition and reaction of the Nagas from all quarters to the infamous accord, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, sent feelers to the Naga leaders for political talks without conditions.
The Indian leaders and some of their prominent military generals who conducted military operations in Naga country stated that a ‘military solution is not possible’ and stressed the critical need to seek a political solution as the Naga issue is purely political.
True to his commitment and statement on the Naga issue, Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao, the then Prime Minister of India, took a bold step to enter into a cease-fire agreement with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) for political talks on the basis of the three agreed terms, namely: i) talks without conditions, ii) talks at the Prime Ministerial level, iii) talks in a third country.
Thus, the peace process between the Government of India, headed by successive six Prime Ministers of India, and the NSCN, led by its Chief negotiator Mr. Th. Muivah, the Ato Kilonser (Prime Minister) of Nagalim, was held and reached a cease-fire agreement which came into effect from 1st August 1997. The Prime Minister, Mr. I.K. Gujral, announced the cease-fire agreement in the Indian Parliament. In the subsequent talks held in Milan, Italy, the ban imposed on NSCN was lifted. Naturally, NSCN has been formally recognized as the national organization of the Naga people.
An important point to note is that the wild allegation leveled against NSCN as a terrorist organization by cohorts of the enemies is an anti-thesis of the peace process. Those people are preachers of war, not peace. They are troublemakers and warmongers.
The two peoples who took diametrically opposite stands finally agreed on the Framework Agreement as the meeting point for a durable solution. The GoI (Government of India) and NSCN (National Socialist Council of Nagalim) signed the historic Framework Agreement on 3rd August 2015. The Framework Agreement speaks about: i) the recognition of the unique history of the Naga independence, ii) the recognition of the sovereignty of the Naga people, iii) the mutual agreement of coexistence of the two entities (India and Nagas) sharing sovereign power. Moreover, in the competencies, it also says: iv) the recognition of land stating that Nagas are the owners of their land—everything on its surface and beneath it, v) the recognition of the legitimate right of the Nagas to integrate all Naga areas.
As the Framework Agreement was built upon the universal democratic principles of mutual respect and recognition of rights, and the harmonious interdependent relationship of peoples and nations, we believe no powers or forces, however big and strong they may be, could be able to tear it down. We can say that this Framework Agreement will certainly bring the cherished peace and prosperity in the war-torn Naga country and the Indian sub-continent as well.
The stand of NSCN is loud and clear: “We will uphold the Framework Agreement at all times.” NSCN felt free and exhilarated when the representatives of the Government of India repeatedly assured us that they will also abide by the Framework Agreement.
The irony of the Framework Agreement is that it is being threatened through deceit and double-dealing by the Government of India on the Naga issue. The Naga people have started questioning the sincerity of the Government of India, which has made many agreements with all Naga factions. This kind of divide and rule policy stands in the way of an honorable solution. The Government of India should not nourish the false hope of winning over the hearts of the Nagas with a colonial mantra or hooking the Nagas with development bait. The colonial policy of the Government of India will never bring the Nagas closer to India; rather, it will drive the Nagas further away to the other block.
The truth of the situation is that the Nagas are not alone. The international community has acknowledged that the Naga issue is a genuine case of a national resistance movement. Parliamentarians from many countries, international human rights organizations, and the Churches are with the Nagas. Except for a few collaborators of the enemies, all sections of Naga people remain united on the Naga political issue that remains politically sacrosanct. They are fully convinced that their future lies in salvaging their national principle.
The inherent sovereign right of peoples and nations is indestructible and never dies. The Roman Empire, the British Empire, and other colonial powers tried to murder the national sovereign rights of peoples and nations, but they ended up with damning failure. The Naga national issue cannot be robbed of or murdered by any power insofar as it is rooted on the solid ground of the recognized sovereign right of the Naga people.
Above all, the presence of God, the Creator of heaven and earth, has been with the Nagas since the beginning of the movement. Small and weak we may be, but no human force can defeat us because God is at the center of the movement. We started the movement with Him, and it will be concluded with Him in His own timing.”
The above is a press release issued by National Socialist Council of Nagalim on June 21, 2024.
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