NSCN for extension of ceasefire

GUWAHATI, July 25: The council of "kilonsers" (ministers) of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim has recommended extension of the ongoing ceasefire with the Centre. The ceasefire expires on 31 July. A Union Home Ministry official told The statesman over the telephone from Delhi this evening that the recommendation was made to the "Tatar Ho Ho" (NSCN parliament) following a meeting of the "kilonsers" at Dimapur yesterday. The government is willing to extend the ceasefire. "If the NSCN agrees, then it can be done," the official said. The government and the NSCN had entered into a ceasefire agreement on 1 August 1997, initially for periods of three months. It was extended for a year in 1999. Various NGOs and the Church, which have been playing a crucial role in an effort to restore permanent peace in Nagaland, have appealed for extension of the ceasefire. The NSCN has recently said that the terms of the ceasefire must be reviewed and that it must be made clear whether its ambit covered all Naga-inhabited areas or what is called the "greater Nagaland." The NSCN claims parts of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, inhabited by Nagas, as belonging to "greater Nagaland." The three-year-long ceasefire has not been without bloodshed with at least 536 deaths reported. Of these 165 people died in clashes between underground groups in Nagaland, mainly between the NSCN and the NSCN (Khaplang). Besides, an abortive attempt was made on the life of the Nagaland Chief Minister, SC Jamir, by the NSCN. The NSCN justified its action against members of other militant groups by saying that the ceasefire was only with security forces. The government has said the ceasefire was agreed upon to create peaceful conditions to facilitate talks. Several rounds of talks have been held between the government and NSCN leaders during the past three years. However, not much headway seems to have been made towards finding a political settlement of the decades-old imbroglio. Talks at the highest level came to a halt after the NSCN general secretary, T Muivah, was arrested at Bangkok in January on charges of travelling on fake passport. The hearing of the case, which came up yesterday at a Bangkok court, has now been deferred till August. The Centre's negotiator, K Padmanabhia, has admitted that Muivah's arrest has been a setback to the talks. Observers say no lasting peace can be achieved if militant groups do not unite. The NSCN is reported to have deputed three senior leaders for talks with the NSCN(K) to chalk out modalities for unity. Zunebhuto district has been declared as a "peace zone."