First time, peace talks reach Nagaland

GUWAHATI: People in Nagaland are happy that the peace talks are being taken to another level and that discussions are being held on our soil. The inclusion of six new groups in the process is a positive development.

THEJA THERIEH , Nagaland Tribes Council

Two decades after they began, Naga peace talks were held for the first time in Nagaland on Monday with deliberations between the Centre and six rebel outfits in a bid to find a final solution to the six-decade old issue.

Chief interlocutor and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s envoy RN Ravi reached Dimapur around noon before the formal talks began in nearby Chumukedima.

This is the first time talks are being held with outfits other than the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) (NSCN-IM), with whom the Centre signed a framework agreement in 2015.

The six outfits, who come under the umbrella of Naga National Political Groups (NNPG), are GPRN/NSCN (Kitovi Zhimomi), Naga Nationalist Council (NNC), Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN), NSCN (Reformation), National Peoples Government of Nagaland (NonAccord) and NNC/GDRN/NA (Government Democratic Republic of Nagaland-Non Accord).

“People in Nagaland are happy that the peace talks are being taken to another level and discussions are being held in our soil. Inclusion of six new groups in the process is a positive development,” Theja Therieh of Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) told Hindustan Times.

After the public reception, closed door negotiations took place between representatives of the six groups and the Centre’s team led by Ravi.

Since this is the first time the talks are being held with the six groups, Monday’s discussions focused mainly on the principal issues without delving much into specific details.

Among other things, Naga outfits, who were earlier seeking a sovereign state, have now been demanding greater autonomy for Naga people and integration of Naga-inhabited areas in the region under Greater Nagalim.

In the framework agreement signed in 2015 (details of which are yet to be made public), the Centre had accepted the “uniqueness of Naga history and culture” and the NSCN-IM had agreed on the “primacy of the Indian constitution”.

There is still a lot of uncertainty on the issue of Greater Nagalim.

Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram—states which have Naga-inhabited areas—have vehemently opposed giving away their territory for the Naga cause.

Peace talks with NSCN (IM) started in 1997, with the first rounds being held outside the country.