"Government of India must demonstrate utmost sincerity and responsibility"

Newmai News Network
DIMAPUR, Oct 23 : The Naga Scholars' Association (NSA) has expressed that "towards honourable Naga-India political settlement", the Government of India must demonstrate utmost sincerity and responsibility for an honourable settlement. While acknowledging the desire of the Government of India for settlement on "urgent basis", the NSA said the former must consider the way for a durable settlement, rather than take the approach of a piece-meal settlement.
Therefore, according to the NSA, it is a great opportunity and responsibility for the negotiators of the Nagas and the Government of India to strive for an honourable solution which will pave way for durable peace and progress. The kind of settlement shall manifest the maturity and statesmanship of the negotiators, it added . "Can the settlement be a model of conflict transformation for the world?," the NSA asked.
The NSA said that the Nagas are at a very critical juncture at the moment as the final Naga-India political settlement is set to be inked. "We are placed at a crucial historical point of time to seriously consider for what we had been struggling for," the NSA said and added that this opportunity has come after the determined struggle and sacrifices made through the decades. "The decision we make today will certainly define the political identity of the Nagas and its relations with India for decades to come," said the NSA, while adding, "This is a great challenge to both the Naga people and the Government of India to demonstrate political maturity and acumen towards finding an honourable settlement of the protracted conflict".
According to the NSA, the conflicting and disturbing views on the nature and the status of the political settlement are of great concern to the collective mind of the scholars which necessitates to be communicated to whosoever is concerned. "We strongly believe that any signing of the current political agreement should have the consent of the Naga people, particularly with the concerted effort of the nationalist groups; failure of which would result in division and conflict in the Naga family".
The NSA said that it is also a pre-requisite to consider the scope and status of the agreement. "The Agreement should be able to incorporate the core elements that the Nagas have been struggling for decades," it expressed. Among these core elements, the right to own the Naga National Flag and the Naga Constitution is crucial, said the Naga scholars' body. These two elements are certainly the important components towards building a Naga Nation. It further said that the flag and the Constitution are not only symbolic, but the defining frame of the political character, identity and status of a Nation. "This calls for a critical thinking and consideration on the part of the negotiators," it added.
The NSA then said that while the hard-earned current opportunity for Naga political settlement must not be missed, it is equally important that the agreement is not limited to the packages that address the immediate needs of the Nagas but also must be congruent to the political nature of the struggle which will have long-lasting implications on the Nagas' historical claim, geo-political position, dignity and identity. In view of the magnanimity of the issue before us, the Naga negotiators must take the right decision today, the Naga scholars' body added.