Gujral gives fillip to Naga peace process

Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral has okayed Nagaland Chief Minister S C Jamir's attendance of the conference in Atlanta where the 125th year of the Baptist Church is being celebrated and where all Naga rebel leaders are meeting to find a solution to insurgency in the state.

The decision could have significant implications for the peace process in the state which has witnessed for the past 50 years.

Earlier, the home ministry had objected to Jamir attending the conference, feeling a chief minister should not enter into dialogue with separatist leaders who demanded an independent state. However, Gujral personally intervened and approved Jamir's attendance at the conference.

Following Gujral's announcement on Friday in Parliament, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isaac-Muviah), the main insurgent group in Nagaland, had agreed to a three-month ceasefire, with effect from August 1.

Speaking to Rediff On The NeT from Kohima on the telephone, Jamir said, "The agreement with the rebels is a good move by the prime minister. I hope that after attending the conference in Atlanta, I will be able to find a lasting peace solution for the state."

Asked how different this initiative is different from the initiatives the central government had undertaken to win over the rebels in the past, the chief minister said, "The majority of the population in Nagaland is Christian and if the Church intervenes, I am sure we will come to a peaceful solution."

In pursuance of the ceasefire, Jamir said all "military operations against insurgents in the state will be suspended with effect from August 1, 1997."

"The conference is a good move taken by the Baptist Church... I hope that leaders from all the parties attend the conference for the betterment of Nagaland," said Vizol, the Rajya Sabha member belonging to the Nagaland National Council.

Earlier reports said the NSCN (I-M) had issued statements from The Hague and Hong Kong, saying it would not attend the Atlanta meeting and accusing Jamir and his 'pro-Indian colonialists' of trying to derail the Indo-Naga peace process.

But later, NSCN (I-M) leader Isaac Chischi Swu announced in a separate press release, 'I hereby announce... that a cease-fire agreement has been entered into between the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland.'

The government is in touch with other Naga insurgent groups committed to suspending their activities, Gujral said. Three other groups -- the NSCN (Khaplang), the Federal Naga Group and the National Council of Nagaland -- also agreed to abide by the ceasefire.

Admitting no commitments had been made by either side, Gujral said the government was willing to hold talks with the underground elements "without any prior conditions". He said the government was also trying to bring insurgent groups in other North-Eastern states, including Assam, Manipur and Tripura, to the negotiating table.

Ninety-five per cent of Nagaland's population is Christian, though they still belong to their individual tribes. There are 15 major tribes in Nagaland -- Angani, Ao, Chakesana, Chang, Khaimaniygan, Lotha, Konyak, Phom, Rengma, Sema, Sungtan, Yimuchunger, Zeilang, Kuki and Pochury.

Though the state boasts 61.3 per cent literacy, there has been little development and consequently little employment for the youth, encouraging them to adopt the gun culture, says Vizol. He feels that only when the employment problem is resolved will lasting peace come to Nagaland.

The state's backwardness can be measured from the fact that there is only one airport, in Dimapur, one railhead, and that transport is dependent on private bus operators more than on government road services. The state is, however, self-sufficient in food.

Ever since Independence, the rebel leaders of the Nagas, settled in Manipur and parts of Burma, have been demanding a separate state, claiming their land was never part of India but was forcibly captured by the Indian government.

Congress leader Rajesh Pilot, one of those who sought to initiate peace in Nagaland, admitted, "Though I had many meetings with Naga leaders, I could not understand what these people wanted. I hope the Church, which is very influential in Nagaland, will be able to bring peace in the state."

The rebels want their separate state to consist of the current Nagaland state, parts of Manipur and Myanmar. There is a separate demand for the creation of a "Southern Nagaland" as part of a "Greater Nagaland"', compromising four hill districts of Manipur -- Tamonglong, Senapati, Ukkhrul and Chandel.

A Z Phizo, the late Naga leader, was the first to demand a separate homeland. Interestingly, he was the man who assisted Subhas Chandra Bose battle the British in Imphal. He was also present when the Indian flag was first hoisted at Imphal, now the capital of Manipur.

Although former prime minister H D Deve Gowda announced relief measures and met rebel leaders Issac Chischi Swu and Thuinaleng Muviah in Zurich on February 3, the situation did not take a turn for the better.

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