Z Lohe
To begin with, what is Peace? The meanings of Peace according to Webster dictionary: “It is a state of quiet, calm or tranquility; freedom from disturbance, or agitation. It is specifically, absence or cessation of war. It is a general order and tranquility; freedom from riot or violence. It is also a freedom from mental agitation or anxiety.” Does the prevailing peace in Nagaland match the literal meaning of peace as defined above? Peace in Nagaland has merely fulfilled just one condition is the absence of war. Whereas, the peace in Nagaland has miserably failed to fulfill the rest of the other conditions of peace. What peace we have in Nagaland is absolutely pseudo and never a genuine peace.
The citizens of Nagaland have never had peace in our land for decades together. There had been war between the Nagas and Indian security forces during which period the people were subjected to untold miseries too numerous to cover here. When the Nagas had the second and the third ceasefires with the GoI, we had fratricidal clashes amongst ourselves subjecting the innocent people to immense sufferings. Today, under the environment of ceasefire between the Naga National political groups and the GoI, the gullible general public are subjected to all kind of suppression and discriminations. People are robbed off their freedom of trade and commerce under the burden of excessive taxation by the highest number of governments under a roof of a Statehood. A small State called Nagaland is flooded with too many authorities for the common man to oblige to their whims and fancies. Not only on road but even in the labyrinth of our footpaths are filled with flow of ‘Sirs’ and ‘Madams.’ Barring few genuine patriots, the rest are obsessed with their comfort zones at the peril of the common man. Yet, I have no gut to solely blame the Naga National cadres alone for what mess we have in our land, because I am partly responsible for all self-destructive developments all this while. The fact is that the citizens of Nagaland in general have become equally selfish, venal and opportunist and individualistic. We are very fond of basking in our past glories and yet we are found to be the most timid and fragile people when we are challenged. Had Nagaland been inhabited by people with the blood of Generation Z of Nepal, our problems would have been resolved many years ago. Nagaland is bereft of Gen Z, perhaps procreation hiatus prevailed between 1995 and 2010 in Nagaland.
Adding fuel to the unending inferno of non-resolution of the Naga political issue are those elite members of the rightly coined ‘Status Quo Club.’ These people are but the experts of fishing out of troubled waters. These elites are the creamy layer of the society be it State politicians, be it the Naga National cadres or be it the civil body authorities. The existing mess of both the Naga National movement or the governance of the affairs of the State is the paradise of the said elite. The elite is therefore apprehensive of any remedy to the prevailing shambles which will in turn hamper their paradise. The prevailing situation, the chaos, the confusion and the excessive administration of Nagaland is the manna of the Status Quo Club, and the resolution of the mess will be their loss. The rich and the powerful are therefore hell bent to always protect their paradise in any given situation by keeping the turmoil alive.
With this brief backdrop, the most insignificant few of us had organized the Common platform (public rally) under the aegis of the NGBF at Agri. Expo on November 18, 2025, Chumukedima, Dimapur. The organizers had no intention to constitute any parallel public platform as sufficiently explained except branding its rally as ‘Common Platform’, a onetime gathering of the general public to vent out the public anxiety over the inordinate delay of the political solution vis-a-vis the unbearable chaos in Nagaland. What was said and resolved in the rally was its sole objective containing no hidden agenda except to restore normalcy for the sake of the suppressed section. The very message so generated by the rally was conveyed to the concerned authorities urging them to translate their business transactions into result either success or fiasco but without further delay.
The litmus test was that when the Organizers publicly invited every peace lover to participate, unexpectedly, with the inspiration from the rich and the powerful, vehement directives and strictures were issued to respective tribes men and citizens to boycott the rally. The litmus test proved that the rich and the powerful along with their cohorts do not need genuine peace in Nagaland. To Status Quo Club, the genuine peace is their anathema as and when brought about would upset their paradise as feared. The Club is therefore out and out against political solution which alone can bring genuine peace. The fact is that their paradise can prosper only in the existing peace which is absolutely pseudo, and therefore what the Status Quo Club does is to always mobilize its henchmen to go against the individuals or group who are pro-solution. Exactly that was how the Club did its best to deliberately thwart the public rally on November 18, 2025. Yet, the Club miserably failed to sabotage it as planned.
In the event of the Framework Agreement and the Agreed Position failing to fetch expected result on time, the alternative outcome may be the ‘surrender’ of all the Naga political groups without precondition but under duress. Such situation may come after March, 2026. This is just my personal apprehension, and yet should someone thinks it otherwise, he, too, cannot give guarantee that the GoI will never resort to mistreat the Nagas to that extent. Should the GoI give more credence to the Status Quo Club opposing the rally, our efforts may not fetch dividend. In such case, the Status Quo Club manages to sabotage political solution. Whereas, in the event of the second, the worst option, when imposed on the Nagas, the two basic agreements would then be thrown to the dustbin. Whereas, without political agreement based on the two basic agreements, namely, Framework Agreement and Agreed Position, the Nagas may not expect the retention of our political status. Further, if the Nagas prefer to bask in our bygone glories and tend to undermine the political solution out of the two basic agreements, and allow the Status Quo Club to ruin such opportunity, then it cannot be ruled out that Nagaland, in particular, may even have to face the fate of the people of Jammu & Kashmir. Nagaland may not be degraded to Union territory status as I believe, but Art 371A which is the eyesore of many including some Nagas outside Nagaland may even be removed just as Art 370 was removed much to the consternation of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
In the event of reducing the Nagas to political nothingness and ultimately impacting the political status of the State of Nagaland, we will then realize how important the political solution is to us. Yet, it will be a bygone case, and what we have reaped is only regrets. When so, whom should we blame? The anti-solution people have to be blamed including the Status Quo Club who are to bear the responsibility for such disaster as they are largely responsible.
The strong anti-people and chaotic undercurrent beneath the surface of the seemingly peaceful situation that remained against the poor, the downtrodden and the under-privilege is a matter of immense public concern. To restore peace and order and to bring justice through political solution is supposed to be the endeavor of the genuine peace lovers. Nagaland has been reeling under famine of peace and exploitation by the selfish people all these decades. The people of Nagaland suffered from similar suppression some 60 years ago. At that time, the Church under the leadership of Rev. Longri Ao and host of Church leaders spearheaded the initiatives for 1964 ceasefire between the GoI and the erstwhile FGN that saved our people and our land. Today, the proactive role of the Church is found wanted.
