Indo-NSCN (IM) peace talks:: Ball still rolling in Delhi's court for 9 months
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN

Dimapur, August 25 2013: It has been almost nine months now that the dialogue between the government of India and the NSCN-IM has not been resumed.

NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah had come to Nagaland on December 18 last for the Christmas and ever since he has been confining to the outfit's base Hebron, off Dimapur.

"Whatever to be discussed has been done.

Whatever that was needed to be talked had been done.

We have no more to talk.

We are just patiently waiting for the response of the government of India for the last nine months or so," said a senior NSCN-IM leader today.

This comment of the senior NSCN-IM functionary was echoing what Thuingaleng Muivah had said a couple of months ago when some Nagaland based journalists met him at Camp Hebron.

"The ball is in the court of the Government of India.

We have done whatever thing to be done from our part," was what Th Muivah had said.

Meanwhile, now what if the response from the government of India is not that encouraging to the NSCN-IM or conditions laid down are not acceptable to the Nagas? Breakdown of the ongoing peace process between the government of India and the subsequent ceasefire impasse? These are some of the questions doing the round among the Naga intellectuals.

Thuingaleng Muivah's repeated comment of "now the ball is in the court of the government of India" speaks volumes.

It can mean that the NSCN-IM has nothing more to talk with the government of India.

It can also mean that to continue the peace process or not, it is up to New Delhi--India's response in the form of conditions not acceptable to the Nagas by the government of India will mean the end of everything.

It can also still mean that the government of India needs time and the NSCN-IM will wait.

It can be pointed out here that in the last interview with NNN, IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah had said that they had done whatever was to be done and they are waiting as to what decision the government of India will take in this connection.

Th Muivah also had said that though the outfit 'is not in the position' to tell the time-frame when the settlement would be made.

"What we want is solution to the Naga political issue.

And what the government of India wants is the solution to the Naga political issue.

So given this point of situation we are hopeful of the settlement.

However, it is hard to say when," NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah had stated.

Mention may be made here that late last year, the speculations had climaxed to the zenith that the protracted Naga political problem was about to be settled in a few months time.

The speculations were even fueled by the comment of Union Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde who had said that "settlement" to the Naga issue would be brought about by March, 2013 or before the Nagaland assembly elections.

That situation was even buttered it by the concerted show of the now-unheard Joint Legislature Forum (JLF) formed by the 60 MLAs of the Nagaland legislative assembly of the previous tenure to push for the early settlement of the Naga political problem.

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