Nagas don’t demand anything from India, says Adinno Phizo

EMN
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 8

The president of Naga National Council (NNC), Adinno Phizo on Thursday sought to clarify that Naga people are not demanding anything from the government of India but only asking the latter to leave Nagaland “as the British left India before.”
The NNC, in a press statement issued today, stated that Adinno Phizo delivered this message during the outfit’s “CEC meeting” at Chedima Peace Camp on Thursday. “The Naga National Council (NNC) is now in the 69th year of establishment and this has become the platform to speak for the right of the Naga people. The most important was when India first sent her delegation to Kohima to meet the Naga National Council in May 1947.
“From NNC the Naga became united as one people. Moreover, under the leadership of AZ Phizo, all the Naga Regions (tribes) were brought together into one nation and also set up the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) on 22nd March, 1956. This was what AZ Phizo, president NNC wrote, ‘the Naga National Council is the only institute responsible for the work of political organizations for entire Regions. And the administration is run by the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) assisted by a department of Home Guard functioning in the dual capacity as police and patriot soldiers to defend our citizens who have all long been harassed and killed by the Indian troops’,” the statement read.
With great difficulty when our leader reached London in 1960 to appeal to the world about the plight of the Nagas, the Indian government was shocked and hurriedly arranged a puppet government in Nagaland, it stated. “But that did not deter the Federal Government of Nagaland, and the people continued to defend the country. As India’s invasion of Nagaland started in November 1954, war continued between the two nations since then. Finally, a Ceasefire Agreement was signed between the Federal Government of Nagaland and the Government of India in 1964.
“However, after the defeat of Pakistan in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1971, proud of its victory India abrogated the ceasefire agreement with the Federal Government of Nagaland and started war again in Nagaland. The Naga Peace Council was organized to stop the fighting and both Naga and India met outside Nagaland in Shilong.
“An accord was signed not the name of Nagas but ‘underground organizations.’ The result was fighting stopped and the war prisoners were all released. But the persons suppose to stand by their president make (sic) him the culprit of that the so-called Shillong Accord and even called him “traitor” and formed their own group called the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (now NSCN-IM) and killed many of their own day today friends who refused to join their socialism.”
Adinno referred to the signing of the framework agreement between the NSCN (IM) and the government of India. “Some people have been blindly following them. What ‘Charter of demands’ they were (sic) asking from India, but in reality the Nagas are not demanding anything from India. We are asking India only to leave Nagaland as the British left India before.”
She further urged the people to always remember those who “who defended our country to the end, and we shall not fail them. Our national stand is to save our country from foreign domination as India is trying to dominate us for the past 68 years.”