“The government would like to assure NSCN-I-M general-secretary, Thuingaleng Muivah that there is no question of encouraging other Naga groups when the talks are only with the NSCN-I-M and these also are at delicate stage,” Centre’s interlocutor on the vexed Naga issue, Mr K Padmanabhaiah said in a statement here.

“It may be possible that one group or the other may have become more active and may say or do things to create roadblocks in the talks, now that they have reached a crucial stage, but wisdom would lie in ignoring such extraneous factors and to continue with the peace process as scheduled,” Mr Padmanabhaiah said.

According to some recent media reports, Muivah seemed to be having second thoughts about visiting India later this month for an intensive and structured dialogue with the Centre.

Muivah, currently in Netherlands, seemed to have taken exception to New Delhi’s “policy” to prompt “discredited” organisations like the Naga National Council and NSCN-Khaplang to disturb the seven-year-old peace process and specially when a qualitative breakthrough in the peace negotiations seemed likely. “Unless these issues are directly and officially clarified to us by the government of India, we will consider ourselves free of our commitment to cease-fire and the peace negotiations,” he had said.

“The honour we extended to the Prime Minister’s invitation by accepting to come to India is being undermined,” Muivah had said. He claimed that the NNC and NSCN-K were being “used by the Indian intelligence agencies” and that the NCC was being provided with sophisticated weapons. NSCN-K leader, Mulatonu was in Delhi earlier this month during and held a press meet urging the Centre to begin negotiations with the group.

During the last round of talks in Bangkok last month, Mr Padmanabhaiah had extended the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh’s invitation to the NSCN-I-M leaders to visit India in November for talks to resolve the five-decade-old insurgency in Nagaland. The Naga leaders are scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on November 26. They last visited India in January 2003 after 36 years during which they held substantive talks with the Indian leadership. During the forthcoming visit the NSCN-I-M leaders are scheduled to visit Nagaland to meet common Nagas and also celebrate Christmas there.

Mr Padmanabhaiah further said in his statement that “the government has taken a serious note of Muivah’s concerns and would investigate the matter thoroughly if he has any credible information as to any linkages of NSCN-K or NNC or about their procurement of weapons.”

Source: The Navhind Times