Political Affairs Committee appeals to Centre to expedite Naga peace process

Kohima, Sep 3 (PTI) The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) on the Naga Political Issue has appealed to the Centre to resume the ongoing political talks to expedite the negotiation process.

The appeal was made as a resolution of the PAC meeting held on Monday under the chairmanship of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, and attended by deputy chief ministers, ministers, the two Members of Parliament, Advisors, and MLAs, an official statement said here on Wednesday.

The committee also urged the Centre to elevate the ongoing dialogue and peace process to the highest political level by appointing an interlocutor of political or ministerial rank who has the confidence and mandate of the government.

The ongoing negotiations between the Centre and the Naga negotiating groups are being held with the government's representative, A K Mishra, following the resignation of then interlocutor and Nagaland Governor R N Ravi on September 22, 2021, after he was transferred to Tamil Nadu. Mishra was appointed as the government's representative on September 27 that year.

The PAC appreciated the Centre and the Naga political groups for upholding the principles of the ceasefire agreements and ensuring that the dialogue has continued without a breakdown despite challenges over the past two decades.

The committee unanimously endorsed the Ungma Statement of August 23, saying it "upholds the unity, courage, and enduring pursuit of a shared future for the Naga people." The PAC further expressed support for the call that all Naga political groups, with the collective backing of tribe hohos, should converge on a common ground to pursue a shared political vision founded on the historical and political rights of the Naga people.

Reiterating the resolutions adopted during the consultative meeting of September 12, 2024, the PAC appealed to all sections of Naga society to strengthen unity and oneness, and called upon Naga political groups and national workers to refrain from factionalism, formation of breakaway groups, or the creation of new organisations.

The committee also noted the need for all stakeholders, including tribal hohos, civil society, mass-based organisations, church bodies, NGOs, student bodies, gazetted officers' unions, and political parties, to renew efforts to bring the peace process under a spirit of understanding. PTI NBS NBS RG