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Dimapur — There is no question of moving away in any manner or dilute the sovereign meaning of the historic Framework Agreement and history will judge us if we fail to protect the Naga sovereign identity, said Q Tuccu, Yaruiwo (Chairman) of the NSCN (IM), on the occasion of the 8th Anniversary of the agreement held in Hebron.
The government of India (GoI) and the NSCN (IM) signed the Framework Agreement (FA) on August 3, 2015, in an attempt to end the decades-old Naga political issue.
In his commemorative speech, a copy of which has been made available to this newspaper, Tuccu said the GoI acknowledging the Naga sovereign identity by signing the FA was a great achievement. “It was not only an indelible chapter added in the Naga political history but a challenging task for the Nagas to stand the ground till the logical conclusion emerged.”
The FA is now the foundation on which an honourable and inclusive solution to the Naga political issue would be established, he said, while lauding the members for respecting the sanctity of the agreement despite the inordinate delay in its implementation.
The GoI “accepted the historical truths that Nagalim was never an integral part of India either by conquest or consent” after more than 50 years of fierce fighting, he said.
The driving force behind the FA was recognition of the uniqueness of Naga history by the GoI, said Tuccu, adding that “understanding of the past history is crucial in responding and shaping the political status of the Indo-Naga political talks”.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]He also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech when the FA was signed eight years ago, who lauded the people for supporting the Indo-Naga peace process patiently and expressed hope that “an honorable peaceful political solution will be worked out before long”.
“Given the fact that Naga political issue is very complex, let us continue to have faith and confidence that something honourable will be worked out soon. Therefore, let us not lose sight of NSCN's goal but to stand firmly behind Framework Agreement, doing our duty faithfully and firmly on the side of freedom and justice,” he said.
“Let us therefore, keep waiting with renewed hope and pledge allegiance to the Framework Agreement that whatever may betide, we shall stand by it,” he added.