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Take the peace talks to a new level

The time has come for some creative diplomacy to end the stasis that has marked the long-running Naga peace process — and take it to the next level. When representatives of the government and the Naga groups sit down on Monday in Dimapur to consider the extension of the 10-year-long ceasefire, they confront the task of finding an equilibrium between overarching demands raised over time and a just and realistic arrangement within India’s constitutional framework that will meet genuine Naga aspirations. Against the background of a recent session in New Delhi failing to take things forward, they are meeting on the eve of the expiry of the ceasefire on July 31 — for the first time in Nagaland itself. It is all about applying pressure, even brinkmanship. The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (I-M) is playing a zero sum game by refusing to compromise on its demand for the unification of contiguous Naga-inhabited areas in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur to form a greater Nagalim: there is little territorial negotiability here. (This is comparable to the Dalai Lama’s demand for ‘Greater Tibet’ as one administrative unit, merging vast Tibetan autonomous areas in four Chinese provinces with the Tibet Autonomous Region.) Demands for ‘sovereignty,’ which spell separatism, cannot even be put on the table. What should be considered is the set of demands that revolve round the legitimate Naga aspirations for self-administering opportunities and development within the structure of the existing State of Nagaland. Last year the two sides agreed on a broad framework to define the relationship and what is needed now is a mechanism to fast-track the process.

The Naga groups, assuming they are serious about negotiations, should make a realistic reassessment of how far the Indian state can go to meet their demands. The government on its part should show both sincerity and flexibility in crafting a solution that will assure the Naga people a life of peace, dignity, and self-respect — recognising the uniqueness of Naga history. The government should also do everything possible to remove the suspicion that it has been encouraging certain Naga groups. Growing internecine violence among them is a worry. No solution can be found through bloodshed. The people yearn for peace — not a return to violence. They also look for an end to extremist extortion, which continues in various spheres of life. Peace in Nagaland is crucial to a broader harmony in the region, including the States that face territorial demands for a ‘Nagalim.’ Finally, it goes without saying that the ceasefire must be extended as part of the larger quest for peace.

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