Naga Peace Accord - Shared Sovereignty and its impact on Manipur
- Part 1 -

Dr. Khomdon Lisam *

Govt of India-NSCN (IM) sign peace accord :: Pix - HL/PIB

Someone said – " Indira Gandhi proved that a woman can become the prime minister of India. Rajiv Gandhi proved that a youth also can become prime minister of India. Manmohan proved that India does not require a prime minister." Recently Narendra Modi proved that democratic India can run the Government without transparency in entering into a Indo-Naga Peace Accord.

Indo-Naga Peace Accord

According to press release issued by the Press Information Bureau dated 03 August 2015 at 19:20 IST, Shri Narendra Modi, Hon'ble Prime Minister of India witnessed the signing of Naga Peace Accord between Ravindra Narayan Ravi (R.N. Ravi), Interlocutor on behalf of the Government of India and Thuingaleng Muivah on behalf of the NSCN-IM at the Prime Minister's residence at 7 Race Course Road in New Delhi. (http: //www.thehoot.org/media-watch/media-practice/journalists-or-drum-beaters-8857).

The Prime Minister announced the signing of a Naga Accord and described it as "historic agreement." However, Shri Narendra Modi refused to divulge the details of the historic agreement. The Hon'ble Prime Minister spoke of his vision for the transformation of the northeast region and expressed confidence that the agreement will open "a glorious new chapter for the Naga people to build a bright future for Nagaland."

Before the agreement was signed, Modi spoke to leaders of various political parties including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress' Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party's Mayawati, Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar and Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

He also spoke to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her Tamil Nadu counterpart J Jayalalitha besides the Nagaland Governor Padmanabha Acharya and Chief Minister T R Zeliang. He also called up DMK leader M Karunanidhi and Janata Dal-Secular leader H D Deve Gowda. Ths shows his seriousness to solve the Naga problem once for all. Sonia Gandhi, President of the Indian National Congress questioned Narendra Modi "why did he not consult with the Chief Ministers of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, who are affected by the Naga Peace Talk. (http://www.rediff.com/news/report/modi-govt-signs-historic-naga-peace-accord-nscn/ 20150803.htm).

Mr. Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, and T.R. Zeliang, the Nagaland Chief Minister have now clarified that it was only a "Framework Agreement", which means that it is an agreement to pave the way for a final settlement by laying out the framework on which it will be worked out.(http://www. thehindu.com/opinion/lead/naga-peace-deal-historic-is-still-some-way-away/article 7583490.ece). The government of India is yet to release the terms of the Framework Agreement signed with the NSCN- IM. People are asking, "then, why did they call the framework agreement "historic" when the final agreement is yet to be signed?

Mr. Rijiju told "The Hindu" recently that the NSCN- IM has given up the demand for "Naga sovereignty". However, less than a fortnight after the Delhi "Accord", on the occasion of 'Naga Independence Day' in Hebron headquarters near Dimapur town in Nagaland (14 August,2015), Mr. Muivah declared that there was no question of giving up the demand for 'Naga sovereignty' and that the Nagas appreciated the fact that 'New Delhi had changed its mind regarding these issues. Unfurling the "Nagalim Flag" to mark the day, he went on to say that both sides now accepted the concept of "shared sovereignty" — the details of which had still to be worked out. (http://viewsweek. com/south-asia/india/indias-naga-issue-historic-is-still-some-way-away/).

On Naga integration, he declared that there could be no solution without integration which would involve redrawing the boundaries of at least four States — Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. R.N. Ravi, negotiator for Naga Peace Talks, told The Hindu that the government has fixed a two-months time limit for the "nuts and bolts" to be fixed.

M.K. Narayanan, the former National Security Advisor of India and former Governor of West Bengal commented (The Hindu, 11 September, 2015 )– "Whether we are at the point of a 'historic accord' or a 'Framework Agreement' in the Naga peace process, adherence to fundamental principles of the Indian Constitution is vitally important. Therefore, the concept of 'Shared Sovereignty' needs to be examined. Consequently, the hype given to the signing ceremony on 3 August, 2015 and the symbolism attached to it seem rather exaggerated. More so considering the outcome, and the fact that a great deal of work still needs to be done."(http://www.competitive examsonline.com/current-affairs/the-devil-is-in-the-details/)

M.K. Narayanan continued –"Given Mr. Muivah's reputation as a master dissimulator, the need for greater clarity on what had transpired between NSCN-IM and the Government of India has become essential. According to M.K. Narayanan, the NSCN- IM does not represent all Naga communities. It is a debilitated entity, though it seeks to convey a different impression. The NSCN (Khaplang), the NSCN (Konyak-Kitovi) and the Eastern Nagaland People's Organization, all act independent of the NSCN- IM.

The Naga Hoho, the tribal council of the Nagas, has not endorsed the Muivah's leadership of the Naga cause. Additionally, there are intrinsic conflicts between the Sema, the Angami, the Ao, the Lotha and the Konyak tribes, which further weaken the NSCN- IM's claim. The fact that Mr. Muivah is a 'Tangkhul' Naga from Manipur also affects his leadership claim. Consequently, any expectation that an agreement with the NSCN (I-M) will be the harbinger of peace in the region will be a mistake.(http://www. thehindu.com/opinion/lead/lead-on-the-naga-accord/article7638045.ece)

What is meant by Frame work Agreement according to R.N. Ravi

There are no hard detail contents on the Peace Accord or Framework Agreement. This peace framework does not bind both the parties. Therefore it is a safe deal for both. It's a deal based on two points which will shape a shared sovereignty model.

1.Indians and Nagas will live through sharing of sovereign power (shared sovereignty between Indians and Nagas) and

2. The two entities (India and Nagaland/-lim) will have peaceful co-existence in the spirit of equality and respect for each other based on Uniqueness of Naga History and Situation.

In the agreement, Rijiju, minister of state, said that the Indian Government has accepted the uniqueness of Naga history and culture. The Nagas have accepted the primacy of the Indian Constitution. NSCN-IM demand for sovereignty has been addressed by stating that sovereignty lies with the people and not governments and that Nagas have as much right over India as India has over Nagaland.

Jurisdiction of the Naga Peace Accord -The Jurisdiction of the Naga Peace Accord comprises of all Naga inhabited areas in the three states of Assam, Maanipur, Arunachal Pradesh , apart from Nagaland.

Key elements of the Naga Peace Accord – The NSCN-IM has placed 33 points of agreement to the Government of India. The Government of India has not yet released the terms of the Naga Peace Accord . (http://www.oneindia.com/india/naga-peace-accord-details-eyes-on-camp-hebron -1835525.html) But according to information trickling from various sources, some of the terms of agreement may be as follows :-

1. A special Budget and Separate Budget

2. Shared Sovereignty – The "shared sovereignty" refers to such a power-sharing model where the sovereign jurisdiction over a single political territory can be shared by two or more consenting powers. It is generally arrived through an agreement which legitimised equal distribution of power and rights among administering bodies. (http://www.insightsonindia. com/2015/09/11/4-it-is-said-that-the-doctrine-of-shared-sovereignty-one-of-the-demands-of-naga -rebels-can-have-unexpected-consequences-for-india-examine-briefly-the-meaning-of-shared-sovereig/)
(Marc P. Gangmei, observer to Myanmar-Naga Politics and also serves as Vice President to Council of Naga Affairs, Myanmar-Decoding The Indo-Naga Framework Agreement(http://nagastudiesgroup.blogspot.in/2015/08/decoding-indo-naga-framework-agreement.html)
(https://www.face book.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=881460541889977 &id =101844373184935)

In the event of sharing of sovereignty of Nagaland with the Government of India, Nagaland may have separate constitution, separate flag, separate passport, separate National Anthem, separate Emblem, Separate Supreme Court, separate currency, separate seat in the United Nations, having separate Embassies across the globe., recognition of Pan Naga Hoho as the governing body for all the Nagas, reunification of Naga inhabited areas (popularly known as integration), right to land and natural resources, separate service cadres at par with IAS, IPS ,IFS which may be inter-transferrable.

3. Restricted Area Permit - the introduction of a restricted area permit as a means to protect the Nagas' identity and to restrict 'outsiders' from settling in Nagaland and other states with substantial Naga presence.

4. Formation of two army under Indian Army and four paramilitary force battalions for the NSCN-IM cadres who surrender to the State Government or the Indian Government.

5. The Government of India will recognise the so called 'unique history' of the Nagas, which is one of way of working out a formula that would involve greater devolution of powers, including special status for Nagaland and the other three states with sizeable population of Nagas. Recognising the 'unique history' of the Nagas could also mean expanding the political influence of the Nagas in Manipur. This could take the shape of increasing the number of seats for Nagas in the Manipur Legislative Assembly which at present has 60 members. In other words, there could be a delimitation of the constituencies in Manipur's hill districts which are home to about 3 lakh Nagas of various tribes.

6. Defence – In the event of an external threat on Nagalim, the security of India is ultimately threatened therefore if the necessity arises, it would be for a joint defence of Nagalim only, for the security of both countries. A "no-war" policy would be declared in Nagalim territory, allowing for the demilitarization of the Line of Control (LOC). While joint responsibility over Foreign Relations would be enacted and enforced through participation of Nagas in meetings and decision making (particularly in matters that matters that directly affect the Nagas), India would take the lead in handling of the External Affairs matters that do not directly affect the Nagas.

The Government of India should grant Shared Sovereignty for Manipur

We welcome the actions of the Government of India to recognise the unique history of Nagas and the grant of shared sovereignty of Nagaland with the powers, authorities of a sub-nation sovereign country. We are very happy about it. Our request is that the Naga Peace Agreement should be confined to Nagaland only. For Manipur, the same terms of Shared Sovereignty should be given for the benefit of all Nagas, Kukis, Meiteis and Meitei Pangans inhabiting Manipur.

It will be impossible for the Manipuris to become the Prime Minister, the President of India under the existing Indian Constitution and under the Indian style of democracy even if Jesus Christ or Shri Krishna or Prophet Muhammad becomes the Lok Sabha MP from Manipur. Manipur had the kingdom with definite boundary, administrative system, army , constitution, democracy, judiciary, legal system, courts etc. The history of Manipur is not like the unique history of Nagas which is based on village republic.

To be continued ...