From once a year to twice a week : Progress of the peace process
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: January 22 2016 -
From once or twice a year to twice a week talk is indeed a remarkable progress. This is if what ‘sources’ had to say is taken into account.
It has been a long journey for the Naga rebel group as well as for the Government of India but what is remarkable is the point that the truce pact inked on August 1, 1997 has stood till day and for this credit must be given to the leadership of the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India.
Nineteen years is indeed a long time and this is where it may be safe to surmise that the peace talk did not stall but has been making some progress and this should explain why it has been going on for more than 18 years now.
A more than enough indication that sincere and thorough homework was done before the peace process was inked. Here it is significant to note that before the formal peace pact was signed on August 1, 1997, feelers were already sent during the time of Narasimha Rao giving enough time to both parties to prepare well ahead of the peace pact and the
political dialogue that followed soon.
A sense of urgency was undoubtedly injected in the political dialogue after Narendra Modi took office as the Prime Minister in 2014 and perhaps the Framework Agreement signed on August 3 last year gave credence to this sense of urgency.
After the significant Framework Agreement of August 3 last year, it is now talk twice a week and this should underline the progress of the peace process.
Difficult to say when the final agreement will be inked for there are a number of ends to be tied up. So far the Government of India has maintained that the territory of other States, notably the territories of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh would not be disturbed, but it is nonetheless important to note that a Greater Lim has been
on the agenda of the NSCN (IM) for long.
Between the strong protest against the insertion of the words ‘without territorial limits’ in 2001 and the Framework Agreement of 2015, a number of theories have been doing the round.
The shroud of secrecy surrounding the political dialogue is definitely one reason for the theories to do the round and making things more complex is the vagueness of the Framework Agreement.
Twice a week political dialogue is good but it is also important for Delhi to realise that the longer the Framework Agreement is kept under secrecy the more room for wild theories to do the round and this definitely cannot be good for the people, especially the people of Manipur.
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