Ukhrul rally calls for resolution to Indo-Naga talks

DIMAPUR — Thousands marched through Ukhrul town in Manipur on Friday, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, a halt to border fencing, and the reinstatement of the Free Movement Regime (FMR).

Organised by the Tangkhul Shanao Long (TSL) and Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong, the ‘Save the Peace’ march also called for a swift and honourable resolution to the Indo-Naga issue. The rally, converging at the TSL jubilee venue, saw participants carrying banners urging the Indian government to honour the Framework Agreement.

Notable attendees included Neingulo Krome, Secretary General of the Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), who stressed the urgency of preserving the peace process. “There has been a threat of the peace talk breaking down for some time now. Especially on the backdrop of India going back on its word, on its commitment, especially on the Framework Agreement and the interlocutors behave in a manner that is not expected from them”, he said.

Expressing concern over the potential breakdown ceasefire because of stalled talks, he said that the Nagaland government and civil society organisations have made a request for a “full-time interlocutor with at least the mandate of the government of India who can take decisive decisions.”

Krome, without naming any parties, also referred to the NSCN (IM)’s recent demand for a third-party intervention in the stalled negotiations—a provision that was on the table ever since the ceasefire was signed in 1997. While the Nagas have honoured India’s request and not insisted on a third-party, now even after 27 years, if the “government of India keep going back on its words...in such a situation, a third-party intervention may be required,” he maintained.

Linking the march to the TSL’s 50th anniversary, President Thingreiphi Lungharwoshi highlighted the organisation’s history of opposing AFSPA: “We are here to raise the concerns and issues that Naga people are facing in our homeland. We are a peace loving community, but we are forced…to react time and again with oppressive laws.”

President of Naga Women Union Priscilla Thiumai added her voice to the call for AFSPA’s repeal, stating that the contentious Act “should not be wrongly implied…especially, in Naga inhabited areas, it should be repealed immediately.”