After 18 long years of ceasefire : Vague ‘historic accord’
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 05 2015 -

18 years of ceasefire. This is a pretty long time.

A child born on the day the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) signed the ceasefire pact back on August 1, 1997 would now be 18 years old and probably in college.

It is to the credit of both entities that the peace process has held on for such a long time and has today culminated in the Accord signed between Delhi and the IM leadership at New Delhi on August 3, 2015.

The Government of India and the rebel group may have their own reasons for not spelling out the details of the Accord but this is a cause for concern for it can give room to wild speculations which will not be good for anyone.

Ever since the ceasefire agreement was inked, followed by political negotiations, the peace process has been kept strictly confidential, giving rise to conspiracy theories which directly impacted on the people to people relationship between the Nagas, who the NSCN (IM) represent, and other communities, most particularly in Manipur.

These misgivings erupted in all its ugly manifestation when the words ‘without territorial limits’ were inserted in the ceasefire pact on June 14, 2001.

Also known as the Bangkok Declaration, Manipur still remembers this pact to date and the huge people’s uprising on June 18, 2001 must be still vivid in the consciousness of Delhi.

Maybe it is the political compulsion of the time or maybe a lesson from the 2001 days, but there is not much to suggest that there is anything similar to the Bangkok Declaration this time around.

Still the vagueness of the Accord is a worrying point in that it has the potential for conspiracy theories to do the round.

This is when mischief mongers can fish in troubled water for their own agenda. This is what Delhi and the leadership of the NSCN (IM) should be wary of.

Given the vagueness of the Accord, at least to the people, the best thing then would be not to jump to conclusions but wait for the time to see how it spins out.

Positive also to keep in mind that the time is for the people on either side of the Lim divide to come to the understanding that it absolutely makes no sense to gun for each other.

Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam probably hit the right chord when he stated that any accord is welcome for it means the fruition of an effort ploughed in to make peace a reality but it should not be at the cost of Manipur.

Profound and fundamental.

More than sure that the profundity of this observation would not have been lost on the Prime Minister of India and the leadership of the NSCN (IM).

It is also important for Delhi to acknowledge that the foremost question in the mind of the Government of Manipur and the people would be the basic points that have been agreed upon and this applies to the two sides on either side of the Lim divide.

Given such a reality, it is only right that the details are spelt out to the people, so that the period of uncertainty may be dealt with satisfactorily.

In wrapping up the political dialogue between Delhi and the NSCN (IM), Prime Minister Narendra Modi has demonstrated that he is in office to finish all pending businesses and this is something which should be acknowledged.