Many precious Naga lives have been lost, many sacrificed their lives for the cause of the Naga nation while many also died at the hands of our own Naga brethren owing to leadership and ideological differences. Such conflicts with factional hegemony at the top of each faction’s agenda would have by now defeated the very cause started and espoused by our early leaders had it not been, for the efforts put in by our civil society leaders, political leaders and the general public’s yearning for peace, reconciliation and a final solution.
However; with the achievement of this much needed reconciliation, the process for political parleys with the Gol was able to be put into motion, resulting in the inkling of the Frame work Agreement (FA) between the NSCN (l-M) and the GoI but sans the other factions. This FA seemed to have been shrouded in secrecy as its contents were not divulged to the public at the beginning and on the other hand giving rooms to the Naga public to squirm with suspicion (?) but rightly so because it will have direct bearing on their future if any agreement were to be reached without their knowledge and consent.
But hopefully, the lid has opened and some contents of the FA have come out into the open now following the ongoing agreement talks. If there are more contents in the FA, shouldn’t it be all made public so as not to create more unnecessary distrust and misgivings? My knowledge on the Naga political history is too limited and so am incapable of delving into the nifty — gritty matters surrounding the Indo-Naga imbroglio and also of the present political situation. But a clause or only pad of it (?) which seems to contain in the FA and highlighted in a daily paper by an eminent and proficient Naga writer which reads “the State of Nagaland will cease to exist” and replaces by a “Peoples Government of Nagaland” took me off-guard. I wonder if the Nagas of Nagaland would want its dear state to vanish from the face of the earth just by the nip of a pen? I am not writing this to create division or rift among Nagas of other states and Nagas of Nagaland State but only that solution should not be at the cost of the Nagas of Nagaland losing its state. Let us continue to be good hosts and guests to each other and maintain the existing status quo while official integration of all Naga areas is being awaited.
Well, a final solution seems to be on the threshold and we all must pray that the decades-old Indo-Naga problem reaches a mutually acceptable and honourable conclusion. Yet, until and unless, all the stakeholders are taken on board and even if one is left behind, according to my simple and humble layman’s point of view, the anticipated solution will be so near yet so far.
Earlier, if one is not mistaken, talks were to be held in a third country, then Delhi and now it has reached our very own state. Let our leaders seize this opportunity and make the best use of it. The closer, the warmer?
Aba Angami
Chümoukedima
