UNC urges Prime Minister to facilitate early and honourable settlement
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 01, 2012: The United Naga Council and other Naga tribes' bodies have urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to facilitate early and honourable settlement of the Indo-Naga issue on the basis of unique history and situation of the Nagas while seeking the PM's intervention and exercise of political will to expedite the process.

"While our people await the historic settlement in great anticipation, we are concerned by the postures being projected by certain groups particularly in the present state of Manipur, without any historical or political basis in connivance with the communal Government of Manipur with the intention of disturbing the Indo-Naga peace process," the Naga bodies apprised the Prime Minister in a representation.

The communal force particularly in Imphal Valley have lately been on the offensive by equating the impending settlement of the Indo-Naga issue with a 'time-bomb' in the public discourses and have been stridently inciting sentiments against the same, the representation stated.

The Naga bodies conveyed strong feeling that taking cognizance of such frivolous postulation will be against the very spirit with which the unique history and situation of the Nagas have been recognised by the Govt of India.

Conveying that the conditions under which the Nagas in particular and the tribals in general subsist under Manipur Govt are unconstitutional as the democratic rights and guaranteed protections of tribals have been submerged by the interest of the dominant valley community, the memo stated that the political position of the Nagas in demand for an AA outside the Govt of Manipur pending settlement of the Indo-Naga issue has been drawn from this very mistakable fact.

"This position has already been registered with the Govt of India," the memo stated while adding that the tripartite talk of the GoI, GoM and UNC on the demand already completed its fourth round.

"Delay in the settlement of the Indo-Naga issue would tantamount to deprivation of democratic rights of the Nagas in Manipur to the extent of delay," it posited adding that it is the moral responsibility of the Government of India to bring the Indo-Naga negotiation to its logical and honourable end at the earliest possible time.

The memo asserted that honourable settlement of the Indo-Naga issue will bring peace not only in their land but also just peace for the entire North East people and the region and also benefits from it in genuine and long terms.

Apart from the UNC leaders, all the tribe leaders of the Nagas � ANT, BAP, TNL, KNH, ZB (Manipur), CTU, TNU, CLAM, INU, PMM, TTU, Mao Council, MUA, MNU, SUR (Monsang), LNNC, NPO (Spt), CNPO, ANSAM, NPMHR (South), and NWU appended signature in the representation.

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