Furiously reacting to a PTI report based in New Delhi on September 7 under the heading, 'Naga peace package be ready by November', the Isak-Muivah group of the NSCN today said that 'the Joint Council Meeting' of the outfit seriously views the news item.

Below is an article published by The Sangai Express:

Furiously reacting to a PTI report based in New Delhi on September 7 under the heading, 'Naga peace package be ready by November', the Isak-Muivah group of the NSCN today said that 'the Joint Council Meeting' of the outfit seriously views the news item. In a statement issued to Newmai News Network tonight here, the NSCN-IM termed the report as 'anti-thesis' to the bilateral agreement signed between the outfit and the Government of India in 1997. The NSCN-IM seriously views the news item carried by local dailies regarding the proposal of the Home Ministry of India to "offer the package to the different Naga groups by November, if it reflects the opinion of the present UPA Government to settle the Indo-Naga issue, an anti-thesis to the bilateral agreement signed between the NSCN and the Government of India in 1997 and therefore not acceptable to the Naga people".

The statement of the Naga outfit said the NSCN-IM entered into the current Indo-Naga ceasefire and the political negotiations after intense parley with the officials sent by the Prime Minister of India.

The NSCN-IM claimed that at the beginning the 'Collective Leadership of the NSCN' was hesitant to be persuaded that the Prime Minister of India was really sincere to find a peaceful negotiated settlement to the Indo-Naga issue.

In the past the policies of the Government of India towards the Nagas were short of sincerity and respect, it added and said, It was only after the landmark meeting on June 12, 1995, in Paris between the then Indian Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and the Collective Leadership of NSCN where-in Narasimha Rao said: "I believe in political solution.

We must solve the problem through political talks and dialogue.

We should be patient enough and tolerant in tackling the problem", the Collective Leadership of the NSCN agreed to declare ceasefire and start political negotiation with the Government of India (GOI) after both the parties agreed in unambiguous terms that the talks shall be without conditions from both sides; the talks shall be at the highest level ie, at the Prime Minister level and the venue of the talks would be anywhere outside India".

Keeping the Nagas divided and seeking solution through imposition of Indian will on the Nagas is never a sign of political maturity of the Indian leadership.

The application of colonial 'divide and rule' policy by the Indian state towards the Nagas would create more problems for India than solving it, the NSCN-IM lamented.

"Indo-Naga problem is that of forced occupation of Nagalim by India and it cannot be resolved through social, economic and cultural packages.

After killing hundreds of thousands of our people, molesting and raping our mothers, sisters and daughters, after burning down our villages, is it possible on the part of the Nagas today and tomorrow to bargain our birth right with economic largesse from Delhi? It is simply not acceptable to the Nagas rather it is an insult and amounts to adding salt to the open sores," fumed the NSCN-IM statement.

It then stated that the inherent right as well as democratic aspiration of the Nagas to live together under one administrative roof as one family cannot be compromised to please the interest of Indian people whether for the better or the worse, whether for the richer or the poorer.

"There is no logic in inviting the various other groups while the political talk is continuing with the NSCN which is the only mandated political organization to negotiate with the Government of India.

And when the political negotiation is going on at the highest Prime Ministerial level any proposal to come in the form of this or that package from the Home Ministry level itself is making a mockery of their Prime Minister's Office and we find no wisdom in their approach.

We believe that the Government of India will not be so naive to make such an approach to settle the Indo-Naga issue," sarcastically said the NSCN-IM.