Ex-BSF DG Pathak appointed Naga ceasefire panel chairman

New Delhi, August 3: Former Director General of BSF D K Pathak was today appointed as the new chairman of the Ceasefire Monitoring Group (CMG), created in 2001 to formalise a permanent peace accord with Naga rebels.
Pathak, a 1979-batch Indian Police Service officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, retired as the Border Security Force Director General in February this year and will now operate from Nagaland’s capital Kohima.
An order issued by the Union Home Ministry said the appointment will be for a year, from the date Pathak takes charge, adding he will “monitor the implementation of the agreed ground rules during the operation of ceasefire with NSCN/IM (Isac-Muivah), NSCN/KN (Khole-Kitovi) and NSCN/R (Reformation) in Nagaland.”
The post was being held by Lt Gen (retd) N K Singh and his tenure came to an end on June 30. This is the first time a police officer has been appointed to the post as all past chairmen have been army officers.The main task of the CMG chairman is to help in creation of a conducive atmosphere by talking to the stakeholders on the ground that could pave way for a successful political negotiation and bring a final end to the decades-old insurgency problem in the northeastern border state.
Sources said Pathak was chosen for the job given his experience of not only being the chief of the border guarding force which tackles insurgency of northeast groups as part of their mandate to guard the Indo-Bangla border but also owing to his knowledge of the northeast during his early service years as an IPS officer in his cadre Assam when insurgency were at their peak.
Pathak will report to the Home Ministry and will coordinate with the army, paramilitary setup operating in Nagaland along with state government authorities including the police.
In a similar development, the government today said in Parliament that Naga peace talks are “in progress”.
“Subsequent to the framework signed on August 3, 2015, details are being worked out. Consultations with all the stakeholders and the state governments involved will be held before reaching the final agreement,” Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.
In a separate reply, the minister responded with a “yes” when asked whether National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) is “behested” by neighbouring countries.
“There are inputs to suggest that NSCN-K has established camps across the border in a neighbouring country. The government has taken measures to eliminate security threats from insurgent groups having camps outside the country,” he said.