From August 1, 1997 to the present : The long walk to peace
- Sangai Express Editorial :: December 25, 2013 -

The walk to peace is certainly long, very long.

From the Plebiscite of 1951 to raising the banner of Naga Nationalism to drawing up battle plans and mounting ambushes and waging a bush war against the Indian Army to taking the issue to the international fora, to signing the cease fire pact on August 1, 1997 to holding over 80 rounds of talks, the Naga issue has certainly lived up to the description of the route to peace being laden with thorns.

Add the numerous vertical splits, seen in the presence of the NSCN (IM), the NSCN (K), the NNC and now NSCN (KK) and the journey to peace has certainly been a bumpy one.

Price of peace, one may say.

The presence of factions is a sure indicator that there are competing forces within the great Naga family on who is or should be regarded as the one truly representing the Naga community and this is one issue which cannot be swept aside that easily, though the IM faction and the Government of India seem to think otherwise.

Throw in the demand for the integration of all Naga inhabited areas under one administrative unit or put in one single word, the ideology of Nagalim, and it does not need rocket science technology to understand that the Naga issue cannot be viewed in isolation of the other States, notably Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

Solution at sight, a slogan or a by word that did the buzz when Nagaland went to polls on February 23 this year.

Ten months down the line and there is nothing to suggest that a solution is nowhere in sight.

Far from a 'solution at sight' the resumption of the formal talks between the IM faction of the NSCN and the Government of India has been put on hold following the resignation of the Government interlocutor, Mr RS Pandey just a few days before the scheduled date of the talk resumption on December 10.

Out RS Pandey with Delhi now toying with the idea of roping in former Union Home Secretary RK Singh as the interlocutor.

At the moment this commentary is being penned down, no report of the Centre appointing a new interlocutor has come in.

More than enough indication that the talk resumption will have to wait for some more time.

Sixteen years is a long time.

A child born on August 1, 1997 would probably be in Class XI now.

The question is what could be the reason for the negotiations to drag on for so long.

A recent revelation, which came like a bombshell and peeved the IM group no end was the admission of the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and in-charge of North East, Mr Shambhu Singh that the IM group presented their demands only in 2011, thereby vindicating the apprehension of many that Delhi may be trying to buy time and in the process wear out the outfit.

Whatever the case, one reason for the elusive settlement could be the demand of the IM group to integrate all Naga inhabited areas under one administrative unit.

That this demand has been opposed tooth and nail by the neighbouring States, especially Manipur is there for one and all to see.

Add the stand of the Government of India, dating back to the days of the NDA under Atal Behari Vajpayee, that the consensus of all the neighbouring States is a must before an agreement is inked and things should be a litte clearer.

Under the Constitution, the demand of the NSCN (IM) is not ultra vires but not all issues can be justified under the argument of it being Constitutional.

A point which Delhi seems to have understood.

The question is how to proceed ? The need to take all the stakeholders into confidence need not be overemphasised.

Whichever way one looks at it, no one, that is the IM group as well as the Government of India has been able to put their cards on the table and bring it to the public domain.

There must be a reason for this and hereby hangs a tale.