The United Naga Council (UNC) will submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the end of the August 9 rallies through a deputy commissioner. Sources informed Newmai News Network on Tuesday that the memorandum will “strongly stress” on two points.
The first point presses the Prime Minister “for translation of the Framework Agreement, which was signed between the Government of India and the NSCN-IM eight years ago in New Delhi, into political reality for enduring peace”. The UNC memorandum stresses that, according to the sources, “Naga National flag and Constitution must be an integral part…”
The sources then said that the second point of the UNC memorandum asserted that “Naga areas” should not be touched while attempting to address demands of “any other community”. This assertion of the UNC comes at the backdrop of the demand for “separate administration” by a certain community in Manipur. In the memorandum, according to the sources, the UNC warns that “such misadventures will have serious ramifications that will provoke further senseless violence…” This expression of the UNC is actually the continuation of what the Naga body had told Union Home minister Amit Shah on May 31, 2023, through a memorandum.
In that representation, the UNC had sent out a strong message to the Government of India that the “Nagas will not accept any disintegration of Naga areas in attempting to address any appeal or demand by any community”. The UNC had also cautioned in the May 31 memorandum to Amit Shah that “breaking up Naga areas or adversely affecting the Nagas in any way will have serious ramification…”
In that memorandum to Amit Shah, the UNC had also said that the Government of India must uphold the sanctity of the “historic Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015, in letter and spirit for enduring and peaceful co-existence of India and the Nagas and to expeditiously translate the same into a political reality”.
Meanwhile, the Naga Hoho on Tuesday said that it “unequivocally extends its unwavering support to the UNC’s call for rallies in the Naga areas of Manipur on August 9, 2023, to address the longstanding Naga political issue based on the historic Framework Agreement signed between the Government of India and the NSCN (GPRN) on August 3, 2015”.
For decades, the Nagas have endured immense challenges in their pursuit of political justice and
recognition of their identity, the Naga Hoho also said. The Framework Agreement represents a ray of hope and a crucial step towards resolving the longstanding conflict. It is essential for the Government of India to fulfil its promise and refrain from further delay or denial in the Indo-Naga process, it added.
The statement then said, “We firmly believe that resolving the Naga conflict is not only crucial for the Nagas but also for the entire Northeast region. A lasting peace in the Northeast will undoubtedly have positive geostrategic and economic implications, fostering stability and development for India and the Nagas, as well as the neighboring nations in the region”.
It also said the Nagas have a historical and legitimate claim to their ancestral land and have consistently upheld their right to self-determination.
The Naga Hoho then urged the Government of India to honor its commitment regarding the Framework Agreement and engage in honest and productive dialogues with the Nagas to find a comprehensive and inclusive solution. Denying or prolonging the Indo-Naga peace process will only perpetuate the suffering and uncertainty in the region, it also added.
