Morung Express News
Dimapur | October 28
Talks between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) continued on October 28 without any breakthrough in the stalemate over the issue of separate Naga flag and constitution. It was the fourth formal sitting between GoI Interlocutor and Nagaland Governor RN Ravi and the NSCN (IM) Collective Leadership led by General Secretary Th Muivah since the political negotiations resumed on October 10 in New Delhi after a two-month break.
With reports rife of the GoI stipulating October 31, 2019 as the deadline to conclude the 22-year old political dialogue, a senior NSCN (IM) leader commented that it would be unwise to specify deadlines.
An online news agency reported on October 28 that the GoI has decided to withdraw the October 31 deadline. Queried on this, the NSCN (IM) leader maintained that the question of withdrawing deadline does not arise as there was no such issuance or official stipulation from the GoI in the first place.
He added that there was no announcement of deadline withdrawal at the meeting today.
According to him, both sides want to end the talks at the earliest; however, the ongoing political dialogue cannot happen under the dictate of deadlines.
He described the day’s meeting as cordial and informed that the next meeting has been scheduled on October 29.
Meanwhile, Interlocutor Ravi will likely hold back-to-back talks with the Working Committee (WC) of the 7 Naga National Political Groups and the NSCN (IM) on Tuesday. A senior member of the WC informed that its leadership was scheduled to formally sit down with Ravi October 29 at 11:00am.
