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Dimapur, Aug. 14 (EMN): General Secretary of NSCN (IM), Thuingaleng Muivah on Sunday said the ball is in the court of the government of India (GoI) to make the right move and fulfill the commitment given to the Nagas, adding that they (NSCN-IM) have left no stone unturned to bring a solution that is honourable, inclusive, and acceptable to both the Nagas and the government of India.
He said Nagas have endured 25 years of gruelling ceasefire living up to their commitment for a peaceful solution of the Naga political issue and have also waited patiently for seven long years after the historic Framework Agreement was signed on August 3rd , 2015.
“Sovereignty is our birthright, which should be defended at all costs. If we cannot defend our sovereignty, our future will be decided by others. If we cannot defend our land, the aggressors will possess it. If we cannot defend our people, we will become foreigners in our own land. If we cannot defend our freedom, we will become a lost people. If we cannot defend our history, it will be uprooted. If we cannot defend our culture, it will be assimilated. And if we cannot defend our identity, we will be proselytised”, he said.
This was read out by the convenor of the organisation’s steering committee RH Raising on behalf of TH Muivah during the 76th Naga Independence Day celebration at the group’s council headquarters, Camp Hebron on Sunday.
Further, he said they don't want war, but war is imposed on them and it has killed hundreds of thousands of Nagas, destroyed their villages, towns, and forests, educational institutions and churches.
‘This ugly war has damaged the psychology of the people, young and old and this war must be stopped or it will devour them,’ he said.
Muivah stated that they look for peace, but peace without freedom is wishful thinking and peace does not exist by itself. He added that it goes along with freedom, truth, justice and rights while ceasefire is a political terminology and the harbinger of peace.
Further, he stated that the25 years of ceasefire has no meaning if it does not lead to political negotiation, and there is no meaning in negotiation if it cannot deliver a solution.
“Indeed, they are for agreement, but it would be a form without content if it cannot bring a solution,” he said.
Muivah reminded that there was no solution in all the past agreements because they (GoI) betrayed the Naga national principle; Nagas are looking for an issue-based solution and are opposed to imposition of Indian will on the Naga people, he said.
The general secretary urged the gathering to work out a survival strategy if the government of India imposes its will on them, saying that the future is in their decision to stand firm on their sovereign right, not in submission to the aggressors. He added that their survival strategy lies in the power of prayer in the name of Jesus Christ.
‘’Let us also take critical note that divisive elements and collaborators are restlessly indulging in slanderous fabrications targeting the Framework Agreement. The irony is that the Government of India is keeping pretentious silence over the Framework Agreement it has signed on August 3, 2015. But the truth shall prevail in the long run’’, he said.
Further, he asserted that the May 31, 2022, emergency national assembly was one of the turning points in the history of the Naga political movement, where they have taken the stand before God and Naga people that NSCN will uphold and protect the unique Naga history and the Naga national principle at any cost.
He stated that the Naga flag and constitution were indivisible parts of the recognised sovereignty and unique history and they believe the Indian leaders understand it too.
Muivah said that political movement without looking into sustainable economic development is an outmoded policy and they have to feel comfortable about the fact that Nagalim is immensely rich in terms of God-gifted natural resources and human resources.
He added that Nagas are blessed with physical, mental and spiritual potentialities to grow and all the nations move forward through the spirit of self-reliance in all fields -- politics, economy, military and education -- in order to build a strong nation.
Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion as guest of honor, Secretary General of Naga Peoples' Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Neingulo Krome said that as they look back into the history of Naga struggle, they cannot help but salute and remember their leaders and pioneers who have laid the foundation of Naga freedom.
‘The history of the Naga people has not been written in books and poetry but it has been written in blood and tears and they would always honor those Nagas who have sacrificed their lives for the Naga cause irrespective of Naga army or innocent civilians and if history forgets their contributions, it would be a sad history for future generation’, Krome stated.
He recalled that the first ceasefire was signed in 1964 but it collapsed as the government of India did not respect the rights of the Naga people and if India respected the birth right of Nagas, ‘then perhaps the struggle would not have continued thus far’.
Krome added that even in the midst of the first ceasefire, Nagas were left with no option but to walk to China to bring arms and ammunition, and take training in the then East Pakistan. ‘This is how the Naga national movement survives,’ he said.
He further narrated the story about signing the second ceasefire agreement between India and NSCN which was hosted in USA, saying that Isak Swu and Muivah did not have passports to travel but the government of United States of America wrote a letter and asked the Immigration department to allow them to enter US as they were fighting for the freedom of Nagaland. He reminded the gathering that it was an exceptional case and this was no mean achievement, adding that once ceasefire started, negotiations began and one of the conditions was that talks would be held in a third country.
Krome added that so many countries have hosted the talks, from Japan to America and in Europe and Asia. He said these countries did not host the two negotiating parties for “namesake” but with full consent of that country, “which means they know about Naga issues and they support the Naga struggle”.
He further lamented that the Naga public does not know what Naga leaders have achieved.
Krome added that in the name of unity, Nagas are divided, and in the name of peace, war has been waged on the people in different forms.
‘Today Naga people are torn into pieces in the name of unity and peace’, he said.
At the event special numbers by Thsanci Whourr and Benjongsola Jamir were performed including a group song by Makuilongdi Lun choir, folk dance by Kharam Union dance troupe and drill display by Naga Army.
