Centre firm on Sept. deadline for Naga accord

Deadline not to be extended as talks on substantive issues have concluded

● THE BALL is now in the court of stakeholders, they can avail the opportunity to be the part of historic Naga peace accord, security sources said.

The Centre is firm on its September deadline to conclude decades old Naga peace talks by signing the final peace accord in which all the stakeholders would be the signatory.

Pointing out that the first deadline for concluding the Naga peace talks was October 31, 2019 which was extended on the request of NSCN (I-M) leadership, authoritative security sources in the ministry of home affairs told this newspaper that the Central government was not going to extend the deadline further from September as talks have concluded on all the substantiative issues.

Asserting that the Central government has already spelled out to the Naga leadership that what the issues are on which the Centre can agree or not, security sources said that no one can blackmail the government at gun point.

“The ball is now in the court of stakeholders, they can avail the opportunity to be the part of historic Naga peace accord,” said security sources clarifying that majority of the stakeholders of Nagaland including Naga tribal groups and the Naga National Political Groups (NNPG) have given their consent for signing the peace accord.

Admitting that NSCN (IM) leadership was still camping in New Delhi, security sources said that they have been kept engaged in meetings with Intelligence Bureau officers though most of the substantive issues with the NSCN (I-M) have also been settled.

Admitting that NSCN (IM) was insisting on demand of a separate flag and constitution, security sources said that they have been advised that they can hold talks on some of these rhetorical issues even after signing the peace accord.

It is significant that there has been a paradigm shift in the process of talks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 as ongoing Naga talks was made “inclusive” from its old format of “exclusive”.

Pointing out as to how Naga talks started “exclusively” with NSCN (I-M) in 1997, security sources said that for several years, other stakeholders were not included.

Though the NSCN (K) had also signed a ceasefire agreement for a brief period, no formal talk was held with the outfit.

Informing that immediately after assuming the office of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi took a stand that the talks would have to be inclusive, security sources said that he also directed that all the stakeholders should be taken on board for permanent solution of the Naga political issues.

“The government’s stand is now very clear. The government is of the view that it would not be possible to find a permanent solution to the problems only by talking to one rebel group. The government wants that all the rebel groups as well as the elected representatives and tribal bodies will have to be taken on board,”security sources said.

Disclosing that a section of NSCN (I-M) leaders did not like the idea of engaging the other rebel groups in the peace process, security sources said that even they have not agreed as yet to sit with the other rebel factions and stakeholders together for talks.

“But the government is firm that there will be only one peace accord with all the rebel groups. The government is also keen that the leaders of the tribal groups of Nagaland should also be the part of the accord,” sources said adding that ground work has started to conclude the Naga peace accord against all the odds.