UKHRUL: In a direct address regarding the ongoing instability in the region, Standhope Varah, an Executive Member of the Steering Committee for the Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim (GPRN), has asserted that the core of the protracted Naga issue is a territorial dispute rather than a matter of domestic law and order.
Varah emphasized that the unrest stems from what he described as a “territorial incursion” into Naga ancestral lands. He noted that the Government of India (GoI) has historically acknowledged the political nature of the conversation, which necessitates a resolution beyond administrative or military measures.
“The primary source of this unresolved unrest is a territorial dispute between the Naga people and the Union of India,” Varah stated. “Our issue is not with the individual states of the Union of India, but with the Union itself regarding our territory. This must be addressed.”
Addressing the complex inter-ethnic dynamics in the region, Varah explicitly rejected the label of “separatist.” He drew parallels between colonial history and modern-day conflicts, suggesting that the Kuki community had historically been utilized as a “third factor” by external powers.
“History is very clear,” Varah remarked. “The British colonial power used the Kuki brethren as a third factor to deal with the resilient Nagas. Nagas are fiercely territorial, and we have every right to be. This started long ago, and the new colonial power, the Union of India, has utilized them to do the same job.”
Varah highlighted a shift in the nature of the conflict, noting that even former Indian military leadership has recognized that a “military solution” is impossible. He pointed to the “futility of seeking military or civil suppression,” citing past military campaigns that have caused immense suffering for the Naga people.
“We have endured too much from military campaigns and reactive forces used by different powers,” he said. He further warned against “sectarian interests” that are consistently deployed to sabotage and jeopardize any meaningful peace process.
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Despite the tensions, Varah expressed a belief that the “Kuki brethren” also value peaceful negotiation to avoid further bloodshed. He urged the GoI to remain committed to a political resolution, as the “Naga case” cannot be settled through force.
“We believe in peaceful resolution and negotiation,” Varah concluded. “But we must make this point clear: when someone violently intrudes into your homestead and then demands ‘peaceful coexistence’ while occupying your home, it is a contradiction. The encroachers are the ones demanding peace while they remain on our land.”
The GPRN leader called for a sincere commitment from Union to address the “crust of the issue”, he territorial rights of the Naga people, to finally achieve a lasting and peaceful coexistence.