Kohima, July 20 (MExN): The Naga Hoho on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, seeking repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 from all the Naga inhabited areas, in order to create a favourable environment for constructive engagement towards resolving the Naga political issue.
As the nature of the case requires and demands a political solution, the Prime Minister must demonstrate statesmanship and will to personally monitor the talk, it said, adding that it is the only way forward to resolve the issue.
In the memorandum, the Naga Hoho noted that the Naga people have become restive with the way Peace Talk has been conducted. It said that the signing of the Framework Agreement between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) on August 3, 2015 brought about great joy and hope to the Naga people: “Now seven years have gone since the signing of the agreement but instead of resolving the issue, the negotiation has run into brinkmanship. We anticipated the solution which could have arrived early had the Government of India translated the Framework into practical reality. The Naga people are now polarized between the two agreements—the Framework Agreement of 2015 and the Agreed Position of 2017.”
The Naga Hoho went on to state that the delicate nature of the Naga Political issue requires introspection of how the past agreements of 9 Points Agreement in 1947, 16 Points Agreement of 1960 with the Naga People Convention and the infamous Shillong Accord of 1975 failed to bring about lasting peace between the Government of India and the Nagas.
“Employing the same method to resolve the Naga issue will only breed more suspicion than understanding between the two parties,” it said.
In this context, the Naga Hoho asked the PM to remember how the peace process was initiated by the Government of India in 1997 with conditions that the talks should be unconditional, and held at the highest level i.e. the Prime Ministerial level, and the venue of the talks would be outside India, in a third country.
“While addressing the core issue on Naga political process, India as one of the strong contenders in global leadership with sensitivity to geo political dynamics in the region, will creatively and realistically formulate a mutually agreeable proposal to resolving the protracted political conflict,” it added.
It also called for repeal of AFPSA from all the Naga inhabited areas in order to create a favourable environment for constructive engagement.
“India under several Prime Ministers of India---PV Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, HD Deve Gowda, IK Gujral and Dr. Manmohan Singh---has taken keen interest in resolving the Naga Political issue which is still continuing. We are confident that under your strong leadership, Naga political issue will find honourable solution which is acceptable to both the parties and bring about enduring peace in this strategic geographical location which is considered as a gateway to the South East Asian countries,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Naga Hopho stated that it desired to bring durable peace between India and the Nagas in the spirit of peaceful co-existence as agreed in the Framework Agreement.
Reminding the PM of his call to “build a new, resurgent, stronger and more prosperous India and Nagaland,” during his visit to Kohima during the Hornbill Festival seven years ago, the Naga Hoho maintained that the Naga people yearn for permanent peace with India and would be “truthful and committed towards making Nagaland a strong regional ally of India.”
