Dimapur, Dec 13(NNN): Reacting to the news report under the caption, “Naga outfits giving out Army positions to China†published in some sections of national papers, the NSCN-IM on Monday termed the reports as wild allegation and concocted story aimed at tarnishing the image of the Naga outfit.
On Sunday sections of media had reported that Naga insurgents are giving away details of the Indian Army’s deployment in the Northeast to China. The report said these details emerged after the interrogation of a key leader of NSCN (I-M), who the Indian intelligence agencies have arrested a couple of months ago, pointing to the arrest of Anthony Shimray who is currently languishing in jail.
On Monday, the NSCN-IM said that after declaration of the cease fire agreement reached between Government of India and NSCN as two entities on August 1, 1997, the National Socialist Council of Nagalim in its assembly had solemnly declared its commitments to political solution. “Accordingly, we had been generously investing our time, energy and money for the past thirteen years without any reservation so that solution is concretized. We have also stopped procuring arms and sheltering other organizations which have been declared banned by the Government of India. We abide by our commitments and so there arises no question of trickery and deception,” explained the NSCN-IM. It added that no one should doubt about it that the “Naga army” has neither shot even a single bullet at Indian Armed forces during these thirteen years of peace process nor launched offensive operations against them. “We are fully convinced that armed confrontation will not solve the problem. It is political negotiation and it alone that will solve the problem,” clarifies the Naga outfit.
The NSCN-IM then said that the Sunday news report was a wild allegation and total concoction aimed at tarnishing the image of the Naga outfit and damaging its credibility.
“NSCN and the Naga people will never allow their country to be used as pawn by others. We do not believe in the philosophy of making friendship with one to kill the other. We bear no ill will towards anyone of our neighbours. Co-existence and harmonious relations with neighbouring people and nations is the declared guiding principle of our diplomacy. The Nagas of all generations will never allow their country to be a battle field of the two giant nuclear countries. The propaganda of ‘giving out information to China’ does not sell,” the NSCN-IM asserted.
It then stated that no one denies the fact that Government of India has been using factions to destroy NSCN-IM, “the only authentic political organization of the Naga people”. But it will be a futile exercise and repetition of the same mistakes, the Naga outfit added. Mud-slinging politics will not work, it further stated. “The mantra of deception and trickery will fetch nothing. It is far better for us to focus together on the strategy of how the political issue is materialized and of how the damaged relationships are rebuilt than to pull down one another. It is the era of negotiation not confrontation and that we should rather emphasize on building up trust than propagating hatred toward each other,” the NSCN-IM said.