The Crucial Facts of the Shillong Accord of 1975

By Kaka D. Iralu Nobody can deny that an Accord called the Shillong Accord was signed between the “Representatives of the underground organizations” and L.P. Singh the Governor of Nagaland on Nov.11, 1975 at Shillong. Nobody can either deny that the officials who signed the document were sent by Zashei Huire, the then President of the Federal Government of Nagaland. Nobody can also deny that as a result of the accord, 150 guns of the Naga army were “deposited to the Peace Council team” and are still kept at the locked Federal Armory at the Chedema Peace Camp. This action on the part of the FGN was in implementing clause 2 of the Shillong Accord. But the crux or crucial issue of the Accord is however- whether Zashei and his colleagues accepted Clause 1 and 3 of the Shillong Accord. These two clauses state that that the underground organizations would of their own volition, accept the Constitution of India and that final settlement would be concluded after giving sufficient time to the underground organization to formulate issues for discussion. The implications of the above stated facts are the following: If President Zashei and his colleagues have accepted Clause 1 and 3 of the Shillong Accord, then they have indeed betrayed the Naga nation and have become traitors who could be shot to death on charges of treason to the nation. If however, Zashei and his colleagues have not accepted clause 1 and 3 of the Accord, then some Naga leaders have twisted the Shillong Accord and murdered thousands of their own people, so that they could topple the NNC and take over political power without the mandate of the Naga nation. Therefore, let every Naga read President Zashei’s statement on the Shillong Accord and find the facts for themselves. As President of the FGN, Zashei’s statement was given on behalf of every Naga citizen and it is reproduced here in its original form.

Federal Government of Nagaland.

Statement of Mr. Zashei Huire on the Shillong Accord. Whereas a Resolution was adopted by the Naga Federal Emergency Meeting held at Urra-Dihoma on 2nd December 1975: Quote, - “An understanding that is officially known as the Shillong Accord between the Representatives of the underground Organizations and the Representatives of India was delivered to the Naga Federal Emergency Meeting on Saturday, the 29th November 1975 and the discussions spread over Tuesday, the 2nd December 1975. The Shillong Accord is as follows: 1. The Representatives of the Underground Organisation conveyed their decision, of their own volition, to accept the Constitution of India; 2. It was agreed that the arms, now underground, would be brought out and deposited at appointed places. Details for giving effect to this agreement will be worked out between them and representatives of the government, the security forces, and the Members of the liaison Committee; 3. It was agreed that the representatives of the Underground Organizations should have reasonable time to formulate other issues for discussions for Final Settlement. A careful study along with the implications of each item has been made and the decision taken is as follows:- 1. The Naga Federal Emergency Meeting, having received the Report from the Federal and NNC Representatives on the Shillong Accord, and having made a serious study of the matter, urged that the Accord be forwarded to Mr. A.Z. Phizo, President of the Naga National Council and Representatives of the Federal Government of Nagaland Abroad, for his consent, and hereby re-affirmed that the Talks between the Government of India and the NAGAS be conducted by him, so that the Final Settlement that could be reached with the Government of India might NOT leave any trail of bitterness among the Nagas. 2. Whereas a warfare has been going on in the Naga country for a long period of twenty years, it is the non-combatants who are suffering more than the combatants, because the village areas and the fields are all unprotected areas. Therefore all forms of violence and bitterness shall have to be brought to an end. Therefore, in pursuance of the Resolution that was adopted at the Naga Federal Emergency Meeting during the opening days of December 1975, the present effort is taking place for the speedy restoration of peace in the Naga Homeland, and to settle the Indo-Naga issue. On this urgent matter, the progress we have so far achieved and consistently making further to keep the Members of the Liaison Committee fully informed, and who, in turn, are to convey the exact situation to the Government of India. The Shillong Accord No. 2: It has been impressed upon us that the Shillong Accord No. 2 should be implemented without delay, so that the Government of India can take positive steps in the following Army and Police actions:- (a) Withdrawal of Military personnel from the Operation theatres; (b) The release of political prisoners; (c) The withdrawal of Cases that are pending in Courts; (d) The withdrawal of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act; (e) The revision of Police activities and Collective Fines against the village communities, etc. In this respect, we have already taken measures to construct Open Camps and to implement the No. 2 of the Shillong Accord according to the Plan that was first agreed upon between the Naga Federal representatives on one side AND the Members of the Liaison Committee on the other side, who are the recognized body to assist in the works of collection. Since our talks on the restoration of peace began, first with the go-between Liaison Members and then, with the officials of the Government of India, the strong pressures exerted upon the Naga Federal Representatives have been only on the item of the belief that it is the guns that is the sources of war. The collection of arms is going to be a contribution toward disarmament and the restoration of the Rule of Law. The other issues: The Shillong Accord No. 1, and No. 3. We now bring the other two items of the Shillong Accord into our consideration. We are involved in a human problem. In the inside Nagaland, we have called a halt to the SERVICE of the Naga Army. And now, we have to take the Naga National Council into our account. The Naga National Council is an established Naga institution and therefore an independent organisation. It is holding the Naga cultural, social and political interest. In the political field, the Federal Government of Nagaland is functioning under its direction. The Articles 139 and 140 of the Constitution of Nagaland, reads: Art. 139. The Naga National Council shall be the only political institution in Nagaland. Art. 140. The Naga National Council shall work on the following principles:- (1) There shall be a Central Executive Council which will guide and control the political policy and decisions of the Nation. (2) Regional and Range Council will deal with organizational activities and problems in the respective Regions. It is in this national observance and behaviour that the Naga National Council has a firm foundation, and the people as a whole, have a common foundation here. We, the Naga Federal representatives have laboured ourselves to explain this position to the members of the Liaison Committee already that we have tried to reach Mr. A.Z. Phizo. We have been informed that there is a technical aspect that would take some time to allow some of us to go to London or to let Mr. A.Z. Phizo come nearer home. As our understanding and our communications are bound to improve after the implementation of the No. 2 of the Shillong Accord, we leave the No. 1 and the No. 3 of the Shillong Accord to the Central Executive Body of the Naga National Council where Mr. A.Z. Phizo is also the Chairman, to receive his consent. Therefore, the Naga Federal authority is morally and legally not competent to include the Number One (1) and the Number Three (3) of the Shillong Accord until this subject is taken up by the competent authority. We are only competent to carry out the No. 2 of the Shillong Accord. We would expect that the Government of India will come to appreciate our present position. The Federal Government should aim to bring about a durable Peace for the whole of Nagaland.

Kuknalim Sd/- Zashei Huire President Federal Government of Nagaland

Concluding remarks of the presenter of the facts: A copy of this statement on the Shillong Accord by President Zashei was handed over to the Governor on the 3rd of January 1976 at Shillong. In the ensuing talks, the Governor realizing that the “Representatives of the underground organizations” had cleverly run away from the implications of Clause 1 and 3 of the Shillong Accord and that even the arms collected had been simply deposited at the Federal Armory at Chedema, threatened the Naga delegation that he would once again resume all military operations. But when Rev, Longri countered him with the question “Mr. Governor, after achieving peace with such great efforts, are you going to be the first to start the war again?” The Governor, after a long silence finally said: “The political process will have to be delinked from the Peace process. The political process will be handled by the Indian politicians and the Central Executive Council of the NNC.” Forty two years have passed since that day, but so far the Indian Government had neither ratified the Shillong Accord in their Parliament nor approached the Central Executive Council of the NNC for a final settlement of the Indo Naga conflict which was never settled by the Shillong Accord. As for the 150 arms that were deposited in the Chedema armory, the Indian Army later on secretly damaged all these arms by drilling the barrels of the guns without informing the Federal Government of Nagaland.