Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has reacted to the recent statement of Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) that “a settlement that may turn out to be the best for the Nagas under today’s circumstances” was in real danger of being characterized only as an Indo-NSCN (I-M), not an Indo-Naga settlement, and that such “an interpretation could give rise to violence.”
In a press release, media cell, NTC said Nagas were grateful to FNR for their selfless services rendered towards understanding and peace.
However, Nagaland Tribes Council said in the light of the “nature of language” contained in the FNR statement, it deemed fit to “react in the better interest of evolving a lasting peace and peaceful coexistence.”
Maintaining that there were better vocabularies befitting the role of mediation, NTC said the parlance contained “sufficient calories of imposition” including threat that such branding of the ‘framework’ as exclusive ‘could give rise to violence’.
The council said there was no argument on the dialogue that has been going on during the last 18 years “between government of India (GoI) and NSCN (I-M) exclusively and not with any other NPGs”. It said August 3, 2015 ‘Framework Accord’ was consequently between the two entities.
Besides, the council said the general Naga public was not at all aware of the conditions so far agreed upon in the ‘framework’.
NTC said FNR statement, which was an indicative of its confidence that the ‘settlement’ out of the ‘framework’ would be ‘the best for the Nagas’, implied that FNR was well aware of the contents of the ‘framework’ and therefore volunteered to vouch and sternly warn the Nagas.
NTC said it fully agreed with FNR that ‘a renewal of conflict will become too heavy a burden for the Naga people to bear….’ in the post settlement.
Therefore, NTC reiterated that there was no better alternative to bring lasting peace among the Nagas than inclusiveness. It affirmed that solution could become honourable and acceptable when all stakeholders were taken into confidence in its pre and post settlement.