Govt ready to sign final accord on Naga peace

Pleas to NSCN( K) to join process fail

The Government of India is prepared to sign the final agreement with NSCN( I- M) and the Naga National Political Groups ( NNPGs), comprising six armed rebel groups, without waiting for NSCN( K) to join the process.

Saying that there had been many attempts by civil society groups, including the Naga Hoho, to persuade NSCN( K) to join the talks, security sources said the outfit operating from Myanmar was reluctant to be the part of the Naga political solution.

Indicating that the ongoing peace talks with the NNPGs in New Delhi had succeeded in thrashing out differences on the major contentious issues, sources told this newspaper that the final agreement will be ratified by Parliament. While no date for the formal signing of the agreement has been finalised yet, sources said the political leadership and stakeholders had to take a call on some issues.

Noting that despite repeated pleas, Naga civil society had also virtually given up hope that the NSCN( K) would join the talks, the sources said that the NSCN( K) was influenced more by Myanmar origin leaders who were reluctant to accept the reality that India and Myanmar are two

sovereign nations and that neither India nor Myanmar can interfere in the Nagadominated areas of the other.

Saying that certain Chinese intelligence agencies were also responsible for influencing NSCN( K), besides mounting pressure on it not to join the ongoing talks, the security sources said the NSCN( K) has also lost a large number of armed cadres of Indian origin during the last two splits in the outfit.

Asserting that the settlement of Naga political issues without NSCN( K) would not have any impact in Nagaland, the security sources said the Government of India had made it clear that there will only be one agreement.