DIMAPUR, AUG 13 (NPN): Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has questioned the need for renewed “Indo-Naga” political talks at the ministerial level, arguing that agreements between the Government of India and the Naga political groups were reached years ago and that the focus should now be on their interpretation and implementation.
In a press release, NTC president C Pankathung Lotha and general secretary C Onen Walling said the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the oppositionless state government should clarify why the issue of “Indo-Naga” political talks had been raised again when negotiations between the Government of India and the NSCN (I-M) and six NNPGs had already reached agreements.
The council recalled that political talks had taken place at the prime ministerial level on several occasions even before the 1997 ceasefire, including during the Congress-led governments of P.V. Narasimha Rao, HD Deve Gowda and Manmohan Singh.
It also referred to the August 3, 2015 framework agreement signed between the Government of India and NSCN (I-M) and the November 17, 2017 agreed position with the six NNPGs.
According to the NTC, the political negotiations were formally declared completed following the October 31, 2019 statement by RN Ravi, then governor of Nagaland and interlocutor for the Government of India, in the Nagaland Assembly. The council said the state government was subsequently assigned the role of facilitator in the implementation of the agreements.
“What remains now is only to interpret and implement the agreements,” NTC said, questioning the rationale for taking the issue to a ministerial level.
The council urged the state government, in its role as facilitator, to prevail upon the Government of India and the two Naga political groups to finalise, interpret and implement the agreements already reached.
NTC also criticised what it described as the lack of substantive progress despite repeated political statements calling for an early Naga political settlement. It urged the state government to make use of its facilitator role rather than becoming involved in political rhetoric.
Further, the council appealed for the agreements to be implemented before the next Nagaland Assembly election, expected in February-March 2028.
Reiterating the sacrifices made during the decades-long Naga political struggle, the NTC said thousands of people had lost their lives, while communities had suffered displacement, destruction and other hardships during the conflict.
It urged the PAC and all Naga political groups to recognise the sacrifices made by the people and work towards a settlement that reflects their aspirations.
The council expressed hope that the state government would facilitate the process while it remained in a position to influence the political process, saying an early settlement would serve the long-standing aspirations of the Naga people.
Friday, August 14, 2026