The Working Committee (WC) of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs), led by its Convenor N Kitovi Zhimomi, has issued a statement in response to the recent remarks made by the MIP of NSCN-IM regarding the comparison between the “Agreed Position” and the “Framework Agreement.”
The WC NNPGs stated that they found it necessary to “clear the clouds in the sky” and refresh public understanding regarding what has gone wrong in the Naga political negotiations. “We definitely do not want to compare the Agreed Position with the Framework Agreement, signed on the 3rd of August 2015, which starts with the statement – ‘The Indo-Naga political conflict is about six decades old.’ This is a total betrayal to the thousands of Nagas who have laid down their lives before 1955,” the statement read.
The WC NNPGs pointed out that the Framework Agreement has omitted significant historical events. “They have very casually forgotten the ‘Plebiscite’ that was signed in 1951 – being 64 years in 2015. The Framework Agreement has also very nonchalantly forgotten that the Nagas declared independence on the 14th of August 1947 – or 67 years away from 3rd August 2015. So also, they have completely ignored in the Framework Agreement, the fact about the submission of memorandum by the Nagas before the Simon Commission in 1929 or 86 years ago from 2015, which is a total betrayal,” the statement asserted.
The NNPGs also criticized NSCN-IM for stating in the Framework Agreement that they “understood and appreciated the intricacies of the Indian system.” According to the NNPGs, this means that NSCN-IM accepted that their earlier demands from India were not feasible. “Now, they are deliberately quoting all these events mindlessly which have not featured in the Framework Agreement but in reality, just like they had conveniently forgotten to mention Flag, Constitution, Integration, and instead talked about ‘Shared Sovereignty’ and ‘Contemporary reality,’ which according to the Framework Agreement, ‘Sovereignty’ is defined in the Competency. Now where is that Competency? What are they referring this Competency to? Why is the Competency mentioned in the Framework Agreement not brought to the public domain till today?” the statement questioned.
The WC NNPGs further argued that “Shared Sovereignty has no rational meaning in a political dialogue” and accused NSCN-IM of “hurrying forward to greatly satisfy themselves to successfully conclude the dialogue with India, thus totally surrendering all political rights and values of the Nagas.”
“Now after signing such a document, they are further trying to drag back the issues which they have either forgotten themselves or probably not known. Therefore, there can be no question of comparison between the two documents. The ‘Agreed Position’ is clear and without any ambiguity or misleading statements as it has been agreed by the Government of India to ‘Recognize the Historical and Political rights of the Nagas to self-determine their future in consonance with their distinct Identity’ to resolve the Indo-Naga political issues considering the ‘Contemporary Political realities,’” the statement emphasized.
The NNPGs also questioned NSCN-IM’s understanding of Naga history, particularly the struggles of Nagas from areas outside of Manipur. “We cannot blame the leaders, especially those Nagas from Manipur, who were not aware of the tremendous trials and tribulations that have been going on in the other parts of the Naga Hills, presently Nagaland state. They have conveniently forgotten the vital facts of the history of the Naga Political Movement. They have forgotten the ‘Plebiscite’ that was not participated by any of the Naga tribes of Manipur.”
Furthermore, the statement suggested that Nagas from neighboring states should allow Nagas in Nagaland to handle their own affairs. “The Nagas in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland state are all under the same union. So, we, the Nagas of Nagaland, would suggest our Naga brothers and sisters of the neighboring states to leave the issues of Nagaland to the Nagas of Nagaland alone. The Framework Agreement was signed much before the Agreed Position, and the issues of Freedom, Independent Sovereignty, and integration of Naga-inhabited areas were not mentioned in the Framework Agreement. All these issues have been buried through the Framework Agreement. Now it is too late to talk about the same issues but need to be practical and prepare for the solution that our people can determine their own future without any outsider’s intervention in their respective states, as they know what would be best for their younger generations in their own respective areas.”
Concluding their statement, the WC NNPGs urged all peace-loving Nagas to carefully study and compare both the Agreed Position and the Framework Agreement for a clearer and more distinct understanding of the issues at hand. “May the good God bless all the Nagas wherever they are,” the statement concluded.