<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In 1967, while Indira Gandhi was the then Prime Minister of India, the Sixth round talk on the Naga Independence issue led by then Ato Kilonser Kughato Sukhai was held at the Prime Minister level. The late Indira Gandhi said to Sukhai ‘I will give everything to the Nagas except Sovernity’. To which Kughato Sukhai replied ‘we will not take anything else, no matter what at all cost, we will not leave the matter of Independence, we want our Sovereignty’. Indira Gandhi then suggested, ‘If that is the case, I will give the Bhutan Status settlement’. But Kughato Sukhai said that he would try talking to the Nagas first.<\/p>\n
During that period, Mr. Zapu Phizo was the President of NNC\/FGN and was residing in London. Though Mr. Sukhai had clearly talked with Mr. Phizo’s, the Angamis (Phizo’s supporters) back home in Nagaland infiltrated Phizo’s mind and said that the Naga talks must not be settled hand in hand with Sumi leaders. Most importantly, it was the Angamis that brought about a division amongst them. At that time, Sumi leaders like Kughato Sukhai, Prime Minister NNC\/FGN, General Kaito, Army Chief NNC\/FGN and Mr. Sukhato Swu, acting President NNC\/FGN who were occupying high profile positions, because of the seed of doubts and fears planted about by the Angamis , their names and positions were struck off. For this reason, the Sumi NNC\/FGN leaders were hurt and dissatisfied. In the end, out of compulsion, and left with no other choice, they decided not to involve any further into the NNC\/FGN matters and also decided to let the Angami brothers and other Naga tribes take responsibility in setting the Naga talks\/ issues.<\/p>\n
In the aftermath, the Sumis jointly formed the Revolutionary Government of Nagaland. Later on, this group surrendered and entered the BSF Battalion. This particular group only surrendered and did not have any political agreement or accord with the Indian Government. Soon afterwards, the NNC\/FGN under the leadership of Zapu Phizo surrendered (signed) to the Shillong Accord in 1975.<\/p>\n
The Nagas who suffered deeply sacrificing their life and blood for their motherland, and those who underwent training in China gaining arms and ammunitions, everything was surrendered to the Indians (Indian army). And thus, the right of the Nagas was sold.<\/p>\n
In the year 1980, Mr. Isak Chishi Swu and Th. Muivah together birth the idea of NSCN\/GPRN. Since the last forty years, the NSCN\/GPRN has been fighting and holding talks with the Indian Government. On 3rd August, 2015, the Framework Agreement was settled and on 31st October, 2019, a shared Sovereignty was settled with the Indian Government. But when everything was to stay with the India Government (was to be kept in the hands of the Indian Government) the NSCN\/GPRN (IM) firmly disagreed and stated that if some rights were not given and out rightly refused, it was impossible for the Nagas to accept any solution.<\/p>\n
Despite the disagreement, with great difficulty and through persistent negotiations for a stable solution, the Naga constitution and flag were earnestly and firmly sought after, to which the Constitution and flag were granted and settled. However, Government of India’s interlocutor for Naga peace talks, R.N Ravi, the then Governor of Nagaland had second thoughts and paved way for troubles and misunderstandings to brew amongst the Nagas. Meanwhile some Naga organizations were joined by a faction who brought about division and negativity.<\/p>\n
In 1967, during the sixth round talk, if the Nagas had agreed upon the 1967 Bhutan status settlement, today it would have been a different story. We would be asking for a full-fledged Sovereignty and not shared Sovereignty. But because we Nagas allowed tribalism and petty disagreements to take over, the cord of unity was broken. We can be likened to the Israelites. The Israelites who were freed from the Egypt bondage were supposed to reach Cannan, the land of promise within forty days but because of their disobedience to their leader, sinful nature and disobedience to Lord’s commandants, instead of forty days they reached the promised land after forty years.<\/p>\n
We Nagas too, disobeyed our leaders, our Almighty God, and hence it has been more than Seventy years of fighting and studying with the Indian Government, and in the process, we have lost thousands of our people who sacrificed their lives for their Motherland. Thousands of our brothers were tortured and killed by our Indian army; thousands of women were raped and shot too. Villages were burnt, fields and rice barns were burnt, grouping and untold sufferings were meted out to our Naga people. But today, in our present generation, without any real struggles, it is only through words and paper war that division is being brought amongst we Nagas.<\/p>\n
During the times of our forefathers, Nagas from all over and Nagas by blood gathered together, stood by each other and accordingly shared their grievances, thereby protecting the Naga family as a whole. But alas! Today, our Naga family has turned into a terribly divided society. In the midst of this brokenness for those true Naga patriots who suffered and Shed their blood, who will pay the price?<\/p>\n
A certain folktale unfolds so, once there were two friends who went to dig out a pangolin. One friend told the other ‘If I can dig a pangolin, I will take it but if I cannot dig it out, I will give it to you’. Perhaps we Nagas are also behaving likewise. Decades have passed since we Nagas have been fighting together for a common cause, and now, this enmity and narrow-mindedness have separated us. This is not the will of our people and definitely not the will of God.<\/p>\n
0n 11th July 2002, the former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared that Nagas were different in their nature and lifestyles, their land different and their culture totally different. Therefore they possess a “Unique History”. That declaration paved way for firm discussions with Indian leaders saying ‘We Nagas wish to live separately and freely’. Since then, discussions have been ongoing. As mentioned earlier on 31st October 2019, The Indian leaders suggested shared Sovereignty but our Naga NSCN GPRN (IM) leaders refused saying that Nagas had the right to be given the Constitution and Flag. That if these two privileges were not granted, it was impossible to resolve the Naga solution.<\/p>\n
But the Indian Government still was unwilling to fulfill the desire of Nagas and quietly and hopefully observed if problems should arise. Amidst the conundrum, unfortunately, there arose divisions and the breaking up of groups. And the demerit now is that same Naga NGO’S and some factions are jointly planning to break-up the PAN Naga hoho. In the lights of these circumstances, the future of the Naga look blurry as difficulties and herculean challenges seem unending.<\/p>\n
Till today, the twelve tribes of the Israel people are still being gathered, whereas, we Nagas though it’s not being long are still divided and have no unity. How can we leave out some tribes within our Naga society?<\/p>\n
Leviticus -19:18 reads, “Forget about the wrong things people do to you, and do not try to get even. Love your neighbor as you love yourself, I am the Lord”. Mark-12:31 reads, “The second command is this love your neighbor as you love yourself. There are no commands more important than these”.<\/p>\n
All the Naga tribes untidily agreed to carry the burden together and uphold the Naga society. In 1946, at Wokha, the NNC\/FGN birth the idea of ‘Nagaland for Christ’. And in 1958, during the C.E convention service held at Changtonya Village, the Slogon ‘Nagaland for Christ’ was made known throughout the land. The foundation of the Naga Independence struggle was laid in the power of God’s word. In Christ, let us all Nagas unite and stand together. It is the need of the hour because in 1946, when some of our Naga elders met with the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Nehru told our elders, ‘Nagaland is a land locked country and it is too small to stand by her own. So it should be in India’. At one point of time, he said ‘I have stationed an army each in every growing tree in Nagaland and it will crush the Naga hostiles within a few days’. Therefore it is important that we Nagas and our land be free and prospers. We must uphold those who were recognized as Nagas from the time of our forefathers and in Christ’ name, reconcile.<\/p>\n
K. Kikheto Wotsa, Dy. Kilonser NSCN (IM) S\/R<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A missed opportunity\u2026. (For the Nagas)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-217264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217264\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}