A process dating back to 1997 : 25 years in the process
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: January 18, 2023 -

No 'deadline', save for the call 'solution before polls' but the pressure being mounted on the Centre to get 'its feet moving' and ink the final deal can be read in the decision of the NSCN (IM) and the NNPGs to collaborate and help find a solution to the Naga political issue.

This is an extension of the Joint Accordant inked between the two groups on September 14, 2022 and which was facilitated by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR).

Positive outcome, one may say and what is unmistakable in the recent developments is the readiness of both the NSCN (IM) and the NNPGs to listen to the voice of the people which is aired by civil society organisations, notably the FNR.

It has been a marathonesque peace process between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India. The world has changed a lot since the ceasefire was inked in 1997.

And here is a peace process that has dragged on for 25 years. Back in 1997, mobile telephone was unheard of in this part of the world. So too was the internet.

Newspapers published via the offset technology and use of computers had just started in Manipur and the same must be true for Nagaland.

Money was still sent via the Telegraphic Money Order of plain Money Order and to call anyone in other parts of the country meant booking a trunk call.

The Maruti 800 and Maruti Gypsy ruled the roads back then. Take this reality into consideration and then perhaps one may understand the changes down the 25 years since the ceasefire was signed.

In as much as the world has changed, the peace process between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) seems to be stuck, with nothing much to indicate that a solution may just be round the corner.

The Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015 seemed to be a giant leap in the peace process, but more than seven years down the line and there is nothing to indicate that things have moved from the initial days.

Or is it a case of everything being kept under cover? The answer could be anything, but what is significant to note is that the NSCN (IM) and the NNPGs seem to have overcome the initial hiccups and have come to the realisation that what ultimately matters is the aspiration of the Naga people, a people either side claim to represent.

For reasons which must be clear to all, the peace process between New Delhi and the NSCN (IM) has always been of great interest to the people of Manipur and not without reason.

Greater Lim or Nagalim is not just a term that has been coined by the NSCN (IM), for it has the potential to tear apart the understanding of Manipur as a geo-political reality.

It was this reality which prompted the All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO) to organise the integrity rally on August 4, 1997.

This was three days after the ceasefire agreement between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India was inked.

And this was much before terms like Nagalim and Greater Um entered the lexicon of the average Manipuris, and here is a case of far sightedness displayed by leaders of AMUCO back then.

Many would hold the view that the August 4 integrity rally of AMUCO sowed the integrity seeds in the consciousness of all the people who have always stood by the idea of Manipur as a distinct geo-political reality.

What happened after the words-ceasefire without territorial limits-were inserted in the Bangkok Declaration of June 14, 2001 to be capped off by the June 18 uprising are stuffs that will write the history of Manipur for decades to come and while the Government of India has repeatedly been assuring that the territorial sanctity of Manipur would not be compromised, it should be clear that the NSCN (IM) has still not given up its Lim aspirations.

It is against this reality that the peace process has been progressing, with many in Nagaland yearning for a final solution.

And this is the reason why it is of utmost interest to the people of Manipur.