Kohima: Thuingaleng Muivah, chief political negotiator of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) Isak Muivah (IM) group, has reaffirmed the group’s commitment to achieving sovereignty for ‘Nagalim’, while expressing dissatisfaction over the Government of India’s handling of the Framework Agreement signed on August 3, 2015.
Muivah addressed his statement to the Naga people, calling it his “political testament” on the Indo-Naga political dialogue, and accused the Government of India (GoI) of undermining the agreement’s essence.
In his message, Muivah emphasized that the Framework Agreement, signed between the NSCN and GoI, recognized Nagalim as a distinct entity with its unique history, sovereignty, and identity.
“This statement is a declaration of my commitment that Nagalim and the NSCN shall defend and protect the Nagalim unique history, Nagalim sovereignty and freedom, Nagalim sovereign territory, Nagalim sovereign national flag and Naga sovereign national constitution, to the last, come what may,” Muivah said.
Tracing the origins of the peace talks to August 1, 1997, Muivah said the negotiations were based on core principles, including unconditional talks, high-level discussions, and meetings in neutral territories. He highlighted two major agreements—the Amsterdam Joint Communiqué (2002) and the Framework Agreement (2015)—as pivotal milestones, affirmed that Nagalim was never a part of India or Myanmar by consent or conquest.
Muivah pointed out that NSCN-IM have given India the “finest opportunity” to resolve the decades old conflict based on the FA.
“In view of the betrayal of the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015 by the Gol, kindly allow me to state the position and the political steps Nagalim and the NSCN will pursue,” the NSCN-IM chief revealed.
According to him, the GoI have deliberately betrayed the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015, by refusing to recognise and acknowledge the Nagalim sovereign national flag and Nagalim sovereign national constitution.
To him, the benchmark for a political agreement between the Gol and the NSCN-IM must be according to the letter and spirit of the agreement. He said that the “Nagalim unique history”, “Nagalim sovereignty and freedom”, “Nagalim sovereign territory”, “Nagalim sovereign national flag and “Nagalim sovereign national constitution” are non-negotiable.
He opined that after betraying the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015, the Gol will attempt to impose conditions and terms of surrender on the NSCN-IM, whereby a political agreement that will not respect and honor the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015 will be imposed.
Muivah observed that the Gol will force the NSCN-IM to sign a political agreement without the flag and constitution and further resort to brute military force in order to crush Nagalim and the NSCN-IM when the latter refused to capitulate under the condition and terms of surrender of the Gol.
To protect Nagalim, he said that the NSCN-IM will take up any means including armed struggle.
“In order to conclude and realize an honorable political agreement, we rule out peaceful means against the ignominious betrayal of the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015 by the Gol,” he suggested.
In case of such a situation, Muivah revelaed that the NSCN-IM would propose a third-party intervention to resolve the betrayal of the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement. Muivah suggested that the NSCN-IM could resume the violent armed resistance against India to defend Nagalim’s unique history and its sovereign existence.
“The violent confrontation between the India and Nagalim shall be purely on account of the deliberate betrayal and breach of commitment by India and its leadership to respect and honour the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015. Therefore, India and its leadership shall be held responsible for the catastrophic and adverse situation that will arise out of the violent armed conflict between India and Nagalim,” he said.
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