The Nagaland government is currently awaiting an update from Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding a proposed meeting with an all-party delegation to deliberate on the Naga Political Issue and concerns surrounding the Free Movement Regime (FMR) with Myanmar, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said on Saturday, as reported by news agency PTI.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Konyak Heritage Complex in Mon district on Saturday, Rio stated that he had recently suggested during the state assembly session that an all-party delegation meet with the Union Home Minister to discuss these contentious matters. He mentioned that he had spoken with Shah during the recent North Eastern Council meeting held in Guwahati.
“He would find a suitable time and call us. So we are waiting for that,” Rio said.
When asked whether the government would engage directly with the Naga political groups, the Chief Minister responded, “We have been meeting and putting our side of the story since they have signed the Framework Agreement and Agreed Position.”
The Union government signed the Framework Agreement with the NSCN-IM in 2015 and the Agreed Position with the Working Committee of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) in 2017. According to Rio, the Naga groups must now be awaiting the outcome of these agreements.
Rio expressed hope that a final resolution to the long-standing Naga Political Issue would be inclusive and acceptable to all. However, he declined to comment on the internal split within the NNPGs, following the recent impeachment of its convenor Kitovi Zhimomi. The Chief Minister remarked that further division among the Nagas should not be encouraged.
Reflecting on the government’s approach to peace negotiations, he noted that the earlier policy was one of “equi-distance” from all Naga factions, but the current strategy has shifted to “equi-closeness.”
“We said we should talk to everyone and adopted a policy of equal closeness…. That is a positive approach we’re giving but they are the negotiating party, it’s up to them,” he said.
Negotiations between the Centre and NSCN-IM began after a ceasefire was declared in 1997, leading to over 70 rounds of talks. However, despite signing the Framework Agreement in 2015, the NSCN-IM’s demands for a separate flag and constitution remain a major hurdle. In contrast, the WC NNPGs, with whom the Centre signed the Agreed Position in 2017, have expressed flexibility on these issues.
Meanwhile, news agency IANS reported that an all-party delegation led by Rio would soon meet Shah to discuss not only the Naga Political Issue but also the Centre’s decision to scrap the FMR and plans to fence the India-Myanmar border. A senior Nagaland minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Rio had sought a suitable date from Shah to facilitate the meeting in New Delhi.
The Nagaland Assembly, on March 7, had unanimously agreed to send a delegation to present the “sentiment and resentment of the Naga people” over the FMR issue. Rio had told the Assembly that scrapping the FMR would severely impact historical, ethnic, cultural, and economic ties among Nagas on both sides of the border.
The Union Home Ministry plans to replace the FMR with a pass-based system and erect fencing across the 1,643-km unfenced India-Myanmar border at a cost of Rs 31,000 crore, a move opposed by Nagaland, Mizoram, and various civil society groups and political parties.