Demand for new interlocutor ‘premeditated ploy’ to derail Naga Peace Talks: NNPG

Kohima, Sept 19: The vexed Naga Peace Talk seems to have encountered another roadblock in the form of the need for appointing a new interlocutor.

The issue made news yet again on Wednesday when the working committee of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPG) criticised the demand for a new interlocutor, describing it as a deliberate effort to "subvert and delay" the decades-old political solution.

The remarks were made in response to a resolution passed on September 12 during a consultative meeting on the Naga political issue, convened by the Nagaland government's Political Affairs Committee (PAC).

The NNPG, which comprises seven Naga groups, in a statement on Tuesday, labelled the demand as a “premeditated ploy aimed at derailing the peace process”.

The NNPG stated that the PAC’s pre-drafted resolution, calling for a new interlocutor, is simply an “attempt to derail the solution and push the Naga political process back to the starting point”.

The NNPG entered into negotiations with the Centre in 2017, resulting in the signing of the Agreed Position in November of that year. The committee highlighted that the Naga political dialogue had officially concluded on October 31, 2019, making the need for a new interlocutor unnecessary.

The NNPG further noted that former Interlocutor RN Ravi, who held cabinet status, was fully empowered by the Prime Minister's Office during the talks.

However, with the interlocution phase completed, the Centre appointed AK Mishra as its representative to fast-track the solution, eliminating any need for a new interlocutor.

The Centre first entered into a ceasefire with Naga groups in 1997, followed by nearly 70 rounds of talks with different factions.

In 2015, the government signed the Framework Agreement with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) and in 2017, the Agreed Position with the NNPG.

Despite the conclusion of talks in 2019, the peace process has been delayed due to the NSCN-IM's demand for a separate Naga flag and constitution, which the Indian government is yet to accept.