NSCN (IM) calls resolution of Indo-Naga political peace process an acid test for India’s leadership and future geopolitical ambitions.
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DIMAPUR — The NSCN (IM) on Tuesday said the manner in which the 28-year Indo-Naga political peace process concludes — either peacefully or otherwise — will affect India’s future geopolitical aspirations, calling the resolution of the decades-old conflict an “acid test” for India and its leadership.
In a press statement issued by its Ministry of Alee Affairs (Foreign Affairs), the group accused the Government of India of derailing the peace process and reiterated that Nagalim’s sovereignty, territory, national flag and national constitution are “non-negotiable.”
The group alleged that recent developments in Manipur and parts of Nagaland represent “another phase of the Indian-state terrorism and a manifestation of its hegemonic geo-political ambition.”
The NSCN claimed that violence involving Kuki groups and inter-community tensions are being used to legitimise the creation of a “Kuki homeland,” which it linked to a wider strategic design of the Indian state. It further alleged that incidents in Naga areas, including in Ukhrul district, were part of the same pattern.
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According to the statement, India’s broader objective is to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific region and the sub-Himalayan “Rimland” — a geopolitical concept referring to the coastal and adjoining land belt around Eurasia — through initiatives such as the Act-East policy and the Kaladan project linking India with Myanmar. The group alleged that this strategy involves “divide and rule,” fragmentation of Naga territories and proxy conflicts.
Referring to the 28-year Indo-Naga political peace process that began on August 1, 1997, the NSCN acknowledged milestones including the Amsterdam Joint Communiqué of July 11, 2002 and the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015. It said the refusal to recognise the Naga national flag and constitution amounts to undermining the peace process and indicated a calculated political agenda.
The statement further alleged that during the peace process there has been continued militarisation, growth of factions in Nagalim and inter-community conflicts. It also referred to the removal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 and alleged that Indian agencies including RAW, IB, NIA and the military had crossed international boundaries, created divisions within Naga organisations by “buying off” sections of Nagas, carried out military-drone strikes and supported pro-India organisations in Myanmar.
The NSCN said the present situation in Ukhrul and other Naga areas reflects a wider geopolitical agenda and accused Indian authorities of betraying the “letter and spirit” of the Framework Agreement. It alleged that such developments are intended to divert attention from the Indo-Naga political negotiations.
The group urged Indian leadership to exercise political will to settle the decades-old conflict and said attempts to resolve the issue through short-term arrangements or force would be unsustainable.
Reiterating its position, the NSCN said the political agreement must recognise the “unique history” acknowledged in the Framework Agreement and asserted that Nagalim would “stand firm to the last, come what may.”