With differences between the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim NSCN(IM) having narrowed down,both sides are now confident of working out a settlement in the shortest possible time.
This optimism came in the form of a joint statement issued by NSCN(IM) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah and government interlocutor R S Pandey,after the two sides met in New Delhi on Monday. It said a set of proposals for an honourable political settlement to the Nagaland issue had been hammered out in the sustained negotiations that went on for several months.
Sustained negotiations over the past few months have led to a set of proposals for an honourable political settlement based on the uniqueness of Naga history and situation,which was recognised by the Government of India in 2002,as well as the contemporary realities and a future vision consistent with the imperatives of the 21st century, said the joint statement.
Claiming that differences between the two sides had narrowed,Muivah and Pandey,however,said some of the proposals would require further negotiations to reach a mutually acceptable solution. By accepting and respecting each others positions and difficulties,both parties are confident in working out a settlement in the shortest possible time, said the statement.
Best of Express Premium
They,however,refused to divulge anything in detail,including whether the NSCN(IM) had given up its demand for a Greater Nagalim comprising Naga-inhabited areas in Manipur,Assam,Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar. The demand for a sovereign state,however,is understood to have become a thing of past.
The NSCN(IM) had entered into a ceasefire with the Government of India in 1997,following which both sides have been engaged in a series of parleys,initially outside India and subsequently in New Delhi. The ceasefire,however,applies only to the geographical jurisdiction of Nagaland.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
