Kohima: The Framework Agreement (FA) signed between the Government of India and the Isak-Muivah led National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) on August 3, 2015, has once again taken center stage as 21 Members of Parliament (MPs) raised concerns over the prolonged delay in its implementation.
Reacting to it, the NSCN-IM recalled that the agreement created the much needed breathing space for both the negotiating parties. “There was excitement and not exasperation on the side of the government of India as reflected by the speech
given by the Prime Minister of India during the signing ceremony. Accepting the political point scored, the Framework Agreement signing ceremony was given high profile political status with the world as the witness via the live-telecast,” the group recounted.
The NSCN-IM stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken pride in announcing the Framework Agreement (FA) in 2015 as a significant achievement in resolving the Naga political issue, which he described as the longest insurgency in Southeast Asia.
However, the group expressed concern that the 27-year delay in concluding the talks had raised doubts about the sincerity of the Indian government. They appreciated the intervention of 21 MPs who had sought clarity on the status of the Indo-Naga political talks, calling it a wake-up call for Modi to prove his commitment to the agreement he had orchestrated in 2015.
“Needless to say, it doesn’t merit Framework Agreement to be compared with the Agreed Position signed with the RN.Ravi’s created group, W/NNPGs. This Agreed Position is nothing but a coloration of Article 371A of the Indian Constitution as craftily handled by the Indian agencies. As repeatedly uttered by NNPGs, negotiations between the GoI and NNPGs has already been concluded on 31st October, 2019. Certainly, it is difficult to find the meeting point between Framework Agreement and Agreed Position, the group said.
The NSCN-IM stated that Naga political groups, under the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), had made a historic decision to uphold the covenant of reconciliation based on the historical and political rights of the Nagas.
“Given the geopolitical importance of Nagalim, and the commitment of NSCN for peaceful political solution, government of India must send the right signal across the northeast region and not let the fragile situation turn into fireball by not taking forward the Framework Agreement to logical conclusion,” the group added.
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