Naga Talks enters most critical and path-breaking stage .... Six militant groups come under one roof at singular negotiating table with Govt of India

"Inclusive Solution is the new Mantra to end long pending Naga issue"

Basic features of Life - like any contest, competition and fight - are essentially guided by a philosophy that winning each battle may be an important facet; but more significant is winning the long-term war.

 It's a must and crucial. 

July 17 'Big Breakthrough but still a baby step' 

Thus this is the first major push for an "inclusive Solution" to the eight-decade old Naga insurgency involving all key stakeholders based on a common draft and joint negotiation". 

A section of Nagas have been accusing Govt of India of following a divide and rule policy and delaying the Solution. For a change the central Govt has this time around taken an initiative to bring together six groups for an early inclusive solution based on a common draft based on the Agreed Position and the Framework Agreement. 

There was consensus on the approach and agreement to continue the initiative in future.

With a complex issue like that of Nagas vis-a-vis the political problem often called insurgency and militancy; the long term War is more important. Hence as talks continue often giving the impression of some deadlocks; it is important to focus on the ultimate goal.

The goal here is of mutual trust and ensuring Peace and Development. This means as of now the traditional 'fish eye' - as was the case with Arjun in Mahabharat - in the complex situation is the Solution. That's the singular and ultimate goal. 

The analogy of epic hero Arjun and his 'fish eye' story ought to be understood in a little different context.

Other than Arjun, all Pandavas and their cousins saw the tree and the bird. In our context; the 'tree and bird' is the knowledge and consciousness of a confused human mind. The volumes of information and the ability to analyse things that would force the protagonists and stakeholders to control, predict and shape the 'outcomes'. 

But excessive information also create a chaos. The focus is then diverted. In the case of Naga issue; therefore people started talking about everything under the sky - from corruption to extortion and ethnic differences and tribalism; but the need for an early Solution was almost pushed to the second fiddle.

  

The 'excessive information' is actually only a creation of a tremendous amount of chaos, confusion and noise, on which human minds tend to obsess. 

Now the Govt of India has taken upon itself the task of bringing all stakeholders (various Naga groups) under one roof at the same negotiating table. This is new and it takes the 28-year-old Naga negotiations to a very crucial stage.  

So, hopes were reposed on Nagaland state government and the civil society. As things did not bring expected dividend, now the Modi government wants to handle it differently at its own level. 

This is refreshing.

As many as six key NSCN groups came for parleys with Centre's special peace emissary A K Mishra on July 17 at Dimapur. 

They are NSCN led by N Kitovi Zhimomi and groups led by Akato Chophi, Hukato. Alezo Venuh, Isak Sumi and Y. Wangtin Naga-P Tihkak led faction.

"This meeting itself is path-breaking because lot of backroom channel talks and home work have gone behind this. This is an inclusive beginning of parleys with a renewed endeavour," says a source without elaborating further. 

At the subsequent stage, emissary Mishra and a senior Home ministry official Rajesh Kamble are likely to invite NSCN-IM led by mercurial veteran Thuingaleng Muivah, NNC factions and another faction led by Niki Sumi.  

On the face value coming together of six  groups at the same negotiating table may not appear as any mega event given the background that there are at least 25 factions of Naga militants still active and reportedly "collecting taxes" from common people. 

But there is a special significance as the July 17th deliberations will create pressure for other groups that under the Narendra Modi-led dispensation, there is no alternative to the negotiating table.  

And the time is ripe to wrap up the 28-year-old parleys that got underway in 1997.

It goes without saying that the multiple factions and internal conflicts within the Naga national movement have indeed hampered Nagas (themselves) the most.

These divisions, often along tribal lines and fueled by competing political agendas and reports of violence between factions have weakened the movement's ability to negotiate effectively.  

 

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