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Syed Zarir Hussain in Kohima
The powerful church in Nagaland cautioned tribal separatists on Monday against calling off their four-year-old ceasefire with the Centre, a move that could derail the peace process aimed at ending 54 years of violent insurrection in the region.
"The Nagas are crying for peace and so the National Socialist Council of Nagaland should not take any hasty steps that could break the peace process," Reverend V K Nuh, head of the Council of Naga Baptist Churches, the apex church body in Nagaland, told the Indo-Asian News Service.
"The NSCN and all the Nagas must try their best to bring about a permanent solution to the region's violent insurgency," Rev Nuh said.
The CNBC represents the predominant Christian community among Nagaland's two million people.
Rev Nuh said all warring rebel factions in Nagaland must unite on a common platform for bringing permanent peace in the state. "The Nagas should stop hunting each other. Then only we can hope to achieve a solution. Piecemeal efforts would lead us nowhere," he said, adding, "We also want the Indian government to play a genuine and sincere role."
The truce with the Isak-Muivah faction of the outlawed NSCN has run into trouble after the Centre last month decided to revoke an expanded ceasefire that had earlier been agreed to with the outfit.
The NSCN, fighting for an independent tribal homeland for the Nagas, has threatened to call off the truce unless it is expanded to cover all Naga-inhabited areas of the Northeast.
The church in Nagaland has for years been playing the role of a peace broker between rival ethnic groups and underground outfits.
"We are hopeful that our plea to the NSCN to carry forward the peace process and to honour the wishes of the people would be responded to positively," the CNBC leader said. "The church being a powerful institution, we believe the NSCN cannot afford to ignore our appeal."
The church has asked the people to hoist white flags beginning Tuesday until Independence Day on August 15 as a symbol of peace.
"Our appeal to the NSCN this time is not to boycott the Independence Day celebrations as the Indian government is also trying to solve the problem. Hence, our request to hoist white flags across the state," Nuh said.
The NSCN has, however, already said in a statement that it will not participate in the Independence Day celebrations. "It is time for the Nagas to express resentment against the Indian government," the statement said.
Church leaders will also visit adjoining Manipur on Thursday in an effort to bridge the growing divide between the majority Meiteis and the Nagas in the wake of violent anti- and pro-ceasefire protests.
"We shall be meeting both Naga and Meitei leaders in Manipur to see that there is no flare-up of communal and ethnic clashes," Rev Nuh said.
An initial agreement with the NSCN-IM on June 14 had envisaged a truce covering all Naga-inhabited areas in the Northeast. This was resented by the states neighbouring Nagaland and triggered violent demonstrations in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur. All three states, which have sizeable Naga populations, feared the government was planning to slice off tracts of their territory to create a 'greater Nagaland'.
Indo-Asian News Service
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