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Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 19 (EMN): The former special director of Intelligence Bureau of India, Akshaya Kumar Mishra, is scheduled to meet with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) today in Dimapur. Sources indicated that Mishra is expected “to resume” the talk with the negotiating parties, though meeting with the NNPG is yet to be confirmed.
An NSCN (IM) source confirmed to Eastern Mirror that its General Secretary Th Muivah will also attend “the talk” provided his health permits.
On his arrival at Dimapur Airport on Saturday, Mishra did not take any questions from journalists.
The former special IB director had been involved in the talks with the group for a year now and “can break” the stalemate between the two groups, observed leader of the NPF legislature party, TR Zeliang in his interaction with journalists on Tuesday.
When NSCN (IM) refused to meet with RN Ravi over the group’s “non-negotiable” demand for a separate flag and a separate constitution, GOI assigned Mishra and Director of IB, Arvind Kumar, to hold informal talks with the group.
This time, the talk will be held without interlocutor RN Ravi, who had been negotiating with the Naga political groups (NPGs) since 2014.
Back then, Mishra was made a “broker”; but now, “being a full-fledged interlocutor, he can take it forward”, Zeliang remarked. This was further substantiated by Nagaland Minister Neiba Kronu on Saturday, who maintained that “the new interlocutor has been appointed and we need to come closer”, though the Union Ministry is yet to confirm his appointment.
It may be recalled that the talks between NSCN (IM) and RN Ravi came to a stalemate after the former’s demand for a separate flag and a separate constitution was not met.
Few months after taking oath as the 19th Governor of Nagaland, Ravi formally ended the talk with the NPGs on October 31, 2019. He further stated that the negotiations between the Centre and NPGs to the protracted Naga political issue had been “concluded” on the floor of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly in February this year.
Arrangements have been made at the prime minister level to hold (informal) talks with the negotiating parties even after that but the “honourable” solution is still awaited.
Now, with GOI representative and Mishra being the “choice” of the Home Ministry as interlocutor, the talk heavily lies on whether the difference over a separate constitution and a separate flag would be worked out.
Meanwhile, as “desired” by the Centre, North-East Democratic Alliance (Neda) Convenor and Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, is scheduled to meet with the negotiating parties on Sep. 21 in Dimapur.