Is the PAN Naga Hoho Scheme Going to Unite the Nagas or Divide Them?

The meaning of the word “Pan” in a social context is to combine together a racial or religious group into one form.  The word “Pan Naga Hoho” is a new word in Naga national political vocabulary. It came into existence only in the mid 2010s. This Pan Naga Hoho word is not mentioned or even alluded to, in the Naga Yehzabo (Constitution) which was approved by the Naga nation on January 14, 1956. As for Nagaland’s territories, the Naga Yehzabo states in Article 1 that the territories of Nagaland shall comprise of all the territory occupied by the Nagas from time immemorial. It further states in Article 8 that the only national government to be recognised by the Naga nation shall be The Federal Government of Nagaland. As for the political organisation of the Naga people, Part xiii of article 143 of the Naga Yehzabo states that the Naga National Council shall be the only political institution in Nagaland. As for the official Naga Parliament, the parliament’s nomenclature is stated as the Tatar Hoho (House of the M.P.s).

The Naga Yehzabo is therefore a political umbrella like, national document that unites and integrates all the Naga peoples and lands under one federal government called the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN henceforth). This FGN was established on March 22, 1956 at Parashen in the Rengma region of Nagaland to run the affairs of the newly established Republic of Nagaland that was established on January 14, 1956. This same government went to war with India in the 1950s when Indian troops invaded Naga territories. It also signed an international Ceasefire Agreement with the government of India on Sept. 6, 1964. No other political settlement has been made with the Government of India besides this Ceasefire Agreement of 1964. (As for the Shillong Accord of Nov.11, 1975, the accord is not a settlement agreement as even the word “Naga” or “Nagaland” is NOT at all mentioned in the Shillong Accord document. The word Federal Government of Nagaland or the Naga National Council is also NOT mentioned at all in the document.

On the other hand, this Pan Naga Hoho idea is a very recent idea that emerged from the NSCN IM and Indian government talks beginning from 1997. As for its contents-for all that the Naga public knows or speculates- it is but an umbrella like canopy sprouting from within the 16,527 Sq. km. India created- Nagaland State of India. However, the umbrella’s ends will reach down to the Indian created Naga lands within the boundaries of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh with financial autonomies. This will be so, while geographically, these Naga lands will still remain within the boundaries of the Indian created neighbouring three states of India.

 Therefore, in its true essence, this Pan Naga Hoho scheme will validate the splitting of Naga territories which had already been grouped together as a single entity in the Yehzabo of Nagaland and the Federal Government of Nagaland. In the Pan Naga Hoho scheme, there are even talks about the creation of a so called “Frontier Nagaland’ which will further split the Naga territories in the Tuensang division. This means that the ancient Naga territories of the Naga nation will be splintered into five regions under the Constitution of India. Such a scheme stands diametrically opposed to the Constitution of the Federal Government of Nagaland. But despite all these facts, some very misinformed (or shall we call them “naive Nagas” still thinks that this Pan Naga Hoho scheme is a grand new scheme that will bring immeasurable benefits to the present and future Naga citizens for all times to come.

Kaka D Iralu