The Global Naga Forum (GNF) has extended its deep appreciation to 21 Members of Parliament (MPs) for submitting a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging the Indian government to expedite the Indo-Naga peace process. GNF described this move as an act of “rare political courage and empathy” in the face of what it called the government’s “persistent apathy.”
“The MPs’ intervention will give the long-neglected negotiation for a peaceful settlement the vital push it needs among politicians and intelligentsia across India,” the Forum stated. It further called for “continued advocacy until a meaningful and lasting resolution is achieved,” emphasizing that such a settlement would not only impact the Naga people but also India’s international standing in terms of democratic integrity and justice.
The GNF asserted that it is not anti-India to highlight the “willful neglect of the Indo-Naga peace negotiation” and accused the government of “double dealings in the process.” It remarked, “These are common knowledge to both insiders and close observers alike of the negotiations, despite the government’s efforts to distort the situation and shift the blame squarely on the Naga side.”
The Forum criticized the Modi government’s handling of the Framework Agreement (FA) signed with the NSCN-IM in 2015, which was initially hailed as a “singular breakthrough.” “His government seems to have had a buyer’s remorse,” GNF remarked, pointing out that two years later, then-Interlocutor RN Ravi signed the Agreed Position (AP) with other Naga groups, which contradicted the FA. “A decade into the much-hyped Framework Agreement, the negotiations have stalled.
It is at a standstill because the Modi government has apparently washed its hands off the FA in favor of the AP,” the statement read.
The Forum accused the Indian government of “bad faith double dealings” in Naga negotiations, dating back to the Nine-Point Agreement of 1947. “The harsh Naga reality is that India has denied us justice by indefinitely delaying and postponing justice,” GNF stated.
The memorandum submitted by the MPs highlighted the need for elevating the status of the Naga Interlocutor to a Union Ministerial level, aligning with a resolution adopted on September 12, 2024, by the Nagaland Government, Tribe Hohos, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). GNF noted, however, that “uncertainty remains regarding the state government’s full commitment to this resolution,” and urged the Nagaland government to “clarify its efforts and take proactive steps towards its implementation.”
“The Government of India now holds the key, as it always has,” GNF emphasized, urging the central leadership to reciprocate the collective demand and demonstrate the political will to resolve the Naga issue. “The continued delay in translating the Framework Agreement into a tangible solution only prolongs the uncertainty, which must be addressed with urgency.”
The Forum reiterated its call for a “transparent, internationally monitored peace process that guarantees a just and honorable resolution.” It concluded with a pointed question to the Indian leadership: “Will India act in good faith as a mature, responsible democracy? Or will it continue its legacy of broken promises to the Nagas who live separated in four Indian states and are being fenced in and out of India even as we write to plead for a peaceful settlement? History will remember where India and every stakeholder stood on the democratic and human rights question of Naga self-determination.”