The NSCN (IM) general secretary declared his commitment that “Nagalim” and the NSCN shall defend and protect Nagas’ unique history, sovereignty, and freedom.
By Imna Longchar, TFM Nagaland Correspondent
The NSCN (IM) general secretary Th Muivah has in his statement issued recently mentioned that the long-awaited Indo-Naga political negotiation and the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015 signed between the government of India (GoI), and the NSCN (IM) as two separate entities have yet to be materialized as he declared his commitment that “Nagalim” and the NSCN shall defend and protect Nagas’ unique history, sovereignty, and freedom.
Muivah in a press statement said that it is fully in will of its demands, including Nagalim’s sovereign national flag and constitution to the last, come what may.
Stating that his comrade late Isak Chishi Swu went to the negotiating table respecting and acknowledging the international political norms for the resolution of conflicts through peaceful political negotiation and also honouring the commitment of India’s prime ministers, including late PV Narasimha Rao, HD Deve Gowda, AB Vajpayee, and others to resolve the protracted Indo-Naga political through peaceful political negotiation, leaving aside the military way of solution, Muivah reminded that accordingly, the Indo-Naga political negotiation began on August 1, 1997, between the two entities based on four points broad based principles which included that the talks would be unconditional, that the talks would be at the highest level that is at the prime ministerial level, the talks to be held outside India in a third country, third party to remain witness and open ended.
Since August 1, 1997, more than 600 rounds of political negotiation have been held between the GoI and the NSCN based on those principles without any pre-conditions at the prime ministerial level and outside India in a neutral country.
Muivah stated that in the ongoing political negotiation between the GoI and the NSCN, two significant official agreements have been signed between the two entities during the prime ministership of late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Narendra Modi respectively including the Amsterdam Joint Communique of July 11, 2002, and the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015.
AMSTERDAM JOINT COMMUNIQUE
The letter and spirit of the Amsterdam joint communique of July 11, 2002, officially recognized and acknowledged the “unique history” and situation of Nagaland, and hence, it is an official recognition and acknowledgment that Nagalim was never/is never a part of India or Myanmar (erstwhile Burma) as the case maybe, either by consent or conquest. Therefore, Nagalim is not the internal matter of India neither the internal matter of Myanmar (Burma) as the case maybe.
Following the letter and spirit of the Amsterdam Joint communique also mentioned that:
- The letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015 officially recognized and acknowledged Nagalim’s unique history and situation and that sovereignty lies with Nagalim and the Naga people. Since sovereignty is constitutive of national identity, the letter of the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015 has officially recognized and acknowledged Nagalim’s sovereign national flag and its constitution.n
- The letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015, officially recognized and acknowledged that the “sovereign powers” are concluded from the negotiated political agreement of the two sovereign entities and they are not accrued from the constitution of India or Myanmar.
Therefore, the mutually agreed “sovereign powers” that are concluded from the negotiated political agreement shall constitute the constitution which shall be called the “Yehzabo/Nagalim” constitution.
- The Cornerstone for an honourable political agreement between India and Nagalim is respecting and honouring the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement, wherein, amongst others, the Nagalim sovereign national flag and constitution are duly recognised and acknowledged. And the sharing of sovereign of power in a new relationship as agreed upon in the letter and spirit of the FA of August 3, 2015, is of two separate sovereign entities, hence, as two separate sovereign entities, the sharing of “sovereign powers” in a “new relationship” shall be outside the Union and constitution of India or Myanmar as the case maybe.
It is pertinent to understand that Nagalim and the NSCN have given India the finest opportunity to resolve the decades-old Naga-Indo political conflict on the basis of the letter and spirit of the officially signed FA, and therefore, in view of betrayal of the FA by the government of India (GoI), the NSCN general secretary, Muivah, sought attention in stating the position and the political steps Nagalim and the NSCN would pursue.
It included that the NSCN and its leadership took steps of resolving the decades old Indo-Naga political conflict by agreeing to have political negotiation with the GoI, however, it is the authorities and the leadership in the GoI who have deliberately betrayed the letter and spirit of the FA of August 3, 2015, by refusing to recognize and acknowledge Nagalims’ sovereign national flag and constitution.
The benchmark for a political agreement between the government of India (GoI), Muivah said that it must be according to the letter of spirit of the FA by citing that whether it is today or tomorrow, Nagas’ unique history, its sovereignty and freedom, sovereign national flag and constitution must be an integral part of the political agreement.
Stating that Nagalim and the NSCN would not wait forever for the government of India to respect and honour the spirit of letter of the FA, neither shall wait for to recognize and acknowledge Nagalim’s sovereign national flag and constitution in the political agreement, Muivah also went on to add that after betraying the letter and spirit of the FA, the GoI, will attempt to impose conditions and terms of surrender on the NSCN, whereby, it would firstly impose a political agreement that will not respect and honour the letter and spirit of the FA, the GoI will force the NSCN/GPRN to sign a political agreement without the Nagalim sovereignty flag and its constitution, will resort to “brute military” force in order to crush Nagalim and the NSCN when the latter refuse to capitulate under the conditions and terms of GoI to surrender.
However, Muivah added that if India sincerely desires an honourable political agreement with Nagalim and the NSCN, the GoI must respect and honour the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement including the sovereign national flag and constitution which should be officially recognized and acknowledged in the political agreement.
Later, Muivah reiterated that for an honourable political agreement with Nagalim and the NSCN, the GoI must respect and honour the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement and others which is already mentioned.