Why in news?
The interlocutor for Naga peace talks recently held talks with all the stake holders, notably inside Nagaland for the first time.
What is the Nagaland issue?
- There is a sense among a few sections of the Naga people to form a separate new country, the Greater Nagalim.
- It incorporates the entire Nagaland along with Naga-inhabited parts of Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar.
- Peace talks with the then most lethal insurgent group Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), NSCN(I-M) started in 1997 when their leaders agreed to a ceasefire.
- As a culmination of over 80 rounds of negotiations over the years, a Framework Agreement was signed in 2015.
- The agreement was signed by the Centre’s interlocutor for Naga peace talks, RN Ravi and leader of the NSCN (I-M).
- It aimed at facilitating stronger ties among Nagas across the region, without substantially changing the jurisdictional and administrative authority of neighbouring states.
What is the reason for the delay in resolution?
- The Naga people are a proud race and have held fast to their cultures, traditions and language.
- There are 16 major tribes, each with a sense of nationality of its own.
- And every tribe has its village republics which is a crucial part of their culture.
- These diversities lead to many divergent narratives on the concept of ‘nationality’ and thus Naga nationalism is both a movement and a sentiment.
- Besides, there is the issue of holding on to the Indian nation state.
- For the Nagas, the dilemma is thus between nostalgia for its unique history and the promise of a better future without disturbing this past.
- Given these, tribal loyalty often comes in the way of a collective discourse for the future of Nagaland.
- The problem now is with the use of words in agreements which lend themselves to several interpretations depending on who the stakeholders are.
What are the recent developments?
- The Centre’s Interlocutor for the Naga Peace talks is handling the issue with a more unconventional approach.
- No other interlocutor has interacted with and met so many Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) and civil society groups.
- For the first time, the interlocutor was able to create that integral space where all voices are heard with equal respect.
- However, this is sometimes done at the risk of the NSCN (I-M) calling off the talks.
- As, NSCN (I-M) feel that being signatories to the Framework Agreement they alone have the right to make major decisions.
How does the future look?
- The ongoing peace talks may have been initiated by the NSCN (I-M) but it has now become more inclusive.
- This perceivable political consensus and faith in the process as far as the Framework Agreement is concerned offers hope.
- For the Naga people at this juncture, the most pragmatic step is to take a balanced view of the past.
Source: The Hindu
