Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, AUGUST 26
The Government of India’s interlocutor for Naga peace talks, RN Ravi has arrived Kohima on Wednesday. He is reportedly putting up at a hotel in Kohima for his three-day visit.
Sources said the interlocutor will be meeting with different Naga civil societies during the visit centred on the recently signed “framework agreement” between the Centre and the NSCN (IM) August 3 last.
Upon arrival, Ravi is reported to have called on the Governor PB Acharya at the Raj Bhavan, and has had closed-door meetings in the evening with members of the Naga Hoho and the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF).
A Naga Hoho official, who was present at the meeting said the interlocutor explained about how the “framework agreement” was signed, and he (RN Ravi) conveyed that India has come to recognize the unique history of the Nagas and is committed to working towards an “honourable interim solution in the spirit of equality and respecting each other”. Ravi is said to have put across that the two entities (Nagas and India) must coexist, and while admitting that absolute sovereignty is not possible for now, he expressed that the relationship must be built on the basis of sharing sovereign power.
The Hoho member said the GoI official also conveyed that India will go for a comprehensive solution inclusive of all Naga political groups (NPGs) and accordingly invitation for dialogue has been extended to all the groups and their response is awaited.
“The Naga Hoho has made its stand clear that if at any point the NSCN (IM) or the Government of India compromises the Naga integration issue, it will not be acceptable to the Nagas,” the member said. He said Ravi has assured that both integration and the “Pan Naga Hoho” were in the agenda however he said the details need to be worked on with careful consideration.
On the Hoho’s view that the ‘Naga political prisoners’ who were arrested during the last 17-18 years ceasefire period must be released, Ravi is said to have assured that he will take up the matter with the higher authorities. The Naga Hoho members also raised concern over the border issues between Nagaland and other states and the funding pattern as and when settlement comes.
“We are worried about the division among the Naga people- both overground and underground…. The time has come for all sections of the people to ponder on the unity move,” the Hoho official said. He said the meeting was satisfactory and the members are hoping for the best.
He further informed that how the content of the framework agreement should lead to an honourable settlement to the long standing Naga political issue acceptable by all the people was discussed during the meeting. The Naga Hoho has made its stand clear that post-agreement should not result in bloodshed, he said.
Meanwhile, the GoI interlocutor to the Naga peace talks also held another closed door consultative meeting with an 11-member Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) team this evening. When contacted, a NSF executive said Ravi informed that he is trying to bring all the NPGs together to settle the Naga issue however he admitted that it was difficult to give a specific timeframe.
As stakeholders of the younger Naga generation, the NSF made it clear to the GoI that the political agreement made by the NSCN (IM) and the Centre should stand by the federation’s principle of “unified lim” and glorify the Nagas.
On whether the Nagas of Myanmar are being considered in the talks, he said Ravi pointed out that towards this, there has to be an open dialogue with the Myanmar government.
The NSF official also asserted that Nagaland’s neighbours should not take the Nagas for granted and if any of them tries to sabotage the aspiration of the Naga people then the federation will not simply stand and watch. “We should all coexist together as a people and respect each other’s identity….. If the Nagas find peace, it is our neighbours who will also benefit from that,” he said.
He said that the people need to be patient at this juncture as this is a process where decisions cannot be made “at one go”. Any settlement should be honourable and acceptable to the Naga people and the process has just been initiated, he said. He further expressed hope that these consultative meetings will bear the desired fruit for the Nagas as a whole. The meeting, it was informed, lasted for two hours.
Meanwhile, Ravi is scheduled to meet the Naga legislators on Thursday at 11 am at the NLA conference hall, and later in the day, he will have a round of meetings with the Eastern Nagaland organizations including the ENPO and ENSF, the Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA), Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), Church organizations and the GBs Federation at a hotel.
