‘Separate administrative zone’ for Kukis should not touch an inch of Naga territory: NSCN-IM

Nagas are not opposed to the demand for 'separate administration' for the Kuki-Zomi communities but it should not touch even an inch of Naga territory for creating a separate administrative zone for them, NSCN-IM said on Monday.

Nagas are not opposed to the demand for "separate administration" for the Kuki-Zomi communities but it should not touch even an inch of Naga territory for creating a separate administrative zone for them, NSCN-IM, the Naga insurgent group in ceasefire, said on Monday.

"Pathetic is the unrealistic physical map of the proposed Kuki state that covers most parts of the Naga territories, even claiming some of the major Naga tribes as belonging to the Kuki family. Such bewildering concoction will not help the Kuki-Zo case in any manner as history is not established on concoction and falsehood," the NSCN-IM said in the July-August edition of its mouthpiece Nagalim Voice, which was released on Monday.

The Naga outfit said while the Nagas have expressed solidarity with the Kuki-Zo community on the issue of "crime against humanity" (killings), "they should tread very carefully and never overdo and avoid pandering in the name of "Zalengbam" (a separate land for the Kukis)...Thus, a political risk assessment is critically important for the Kuki-Zo community as the Nagas wouldn't allow war-mongering intrusion/provocation into their ancestral domain," it further said.

The NSCN-IM, which led the "armed movement for restoration of the sovereignty of the Nagas," has been in ceasefire since 1997. The outfit had signed a "Framework Agreement" with the Narendra Modi government in 2015 but has been insisting on its "core demands" for a separate flag and Constitution for signing the final agreement to solve the 67-year-old Naga "political conflict."

Integration

"Integration" of the Naga-inhabited areas in Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and even in parts of Assam is another major demand of the Naga groups including the NSCN-IM. Nagas are dominant in at least four hill districts in Manipur. The Meiteis, however, including CM N Biren Singh, are against the demand of the Nagas.

The Naga outfit conveyed the message on a day its leaders resumed talks with the Centre in New Delhi.

The NSCN-IM's statement, however, is likely to raise concerns among the Kuki-Zo organisations, who have intensified their demand for the creation of a "separate administration" for the Kuki-Zos in Manipur in order to end the ongoing conflict. The Kuki-Zo groups including 10 MLAs have stressed that a "separate administration" is the only way forward to restore peace in the conflict-hit state. Organisations like United Naga Council, Manipur also issued similar warnings to the Kuki groups, recently.

More than 160 people have died and over 60,000 others have been displaced due to the clashes between the Meitei and the Kukis since May 3.