Author:
Publication: Rediff
on Net
Date: November 30, 2000
For 20 years -- from
1966 to 1986 -- Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga was second in command
of the Mizo insurgents during militancy in the northeastern state.
As an underground leader, he travelled to various places including China
and Pakistan to procure weapons for the Mizo National Front that waged
a war against the Indian State.
But once the Government
of India and Mizo National Front leader Laldenga arrived at an agreement,
Zoramthanga started contributing towards the development of Mizoram.
Following the 1999 assembly election, he became chief minister of his state.
A few months back Zoramthanga
was asked by the Union government to undertake a peace mission to the National
Socialist Council of Nagaland leadership. He was given the responsibility
of persuading them to return to the negotiating table. The chief
minister has had a series of meeting with NSCN chief Thieungelang Muivah
and his second in command in the last couple of months.
In an exclusive interview
with Special Correspondent Onkar Singh, Zoramthanga said he was hopeful
that peace would come to Nagaland just as it did in Mizoram in 1986.
Is it true that the Government
of India decided to use your services to talk to the Naga leaders because
you were once an insurgent yourself and know the psyche of the underground
leaders better than other negotiators?
The Nagaland peace talks
have been going on for some time. This problem has to be sorted out.
The government and the
NSCN both requested me to intervene and make the atmosphere more conducive
for talks between the two parties. I told them I would not like to
be an uninvited intruder. If they wanted my services then it was
at the disposal of the GoI and NSCN for initiating the peace talks.
I stepped into the picture
only after I received a formal invitation from both parties. That
is why I ventured into this mission. I must, however, make it very
clear that I am not an emissary of the Government of India. I am
here only as a friend of both parties to pave the way for the commencement
of peace talks.
Yes, because I was an
insurgent in the distant past, I can understand the psyche of the NSCN
better than others. This is true and may have been one of the factors
in the minds of both parties when they asked for my services.
When did the GoI approach
you to talk to the NSCN leadership?
It would be difficult
to mention any particular day. We ave been discussing the Nagaland
problems with Prime inister Vajpayee and Home Minister Advaniji.
At one oint of time they felt the time had come to arrange a eeting between
the NSCN and myself so that I could talk to the Naga insurgent leaders.
How many times have you
met T Muivah and what does he say about the talks?
I met the NSCN leaders,
Mr Muivah and the others, thrice in Bangkok. Each meeting lasted
over four hours and we discussed the Naga problem in detail.
What does Muivah want?
Muivah told me he wants
to have serious negotiations with the GoI. From the talks I could
gather that he was serious about achieving peace in Nagaland. I told
him if he was serious then the GoI was also serious about solving the Naga
insurgency.
But because of the lack
of communication between the two parties there was some serious misunderstanding
between the GoI and NSCN. I have noticed that the two parties now
want to achieve peace in Nagaland and that is a positive sign.
Is he angry because he
was arrested in Thailand earlier this year because of fake travel documents?
No, he did not say a
word about the incident. In fact this incident never came up for
discussions at all. This issue is between the government of Thailand
and Muivah.
Is it true he was not
happy with the way former Union home secretary K Padmanabhaiah conducted
the talks?
Muivah did not say anything
about this. But he and his deputy did mention that there was lack
of communication between the GoI negotiator and them. But they hope
this would be a thing of the past and they would be able to talk under
better and more conducive circumstances.
What is your impression?
Is peace going to return to Nagaland?
Yes, I am hopeful.
In due course of time peace will return to Nagaland just as it did in Mizoram
fifteen years ago. I am optimistic that the talks would be held between
the NSCN and the GoI in a more positive manner than ever before.
Do you see any parallel
between the peace negotiations between the MNF and the GoI that were held
for almost a decade between 1970 and 1986, and now between the GoI and
Naga underground leaders?
We understand the psyche
of the underground leaders much better that anyone else. In fact,
we understand them better on many other counts as well. The actual
side of the Nagas and the MNF may be different, but the procedural side
is almost the same. Yes, you can draw parallels between the peace
negotiations held between the GoI and the MNF and the GoI and Naga underground
leaders.
Does he say anything
about a greater Nagaland?
No, we did not mention
this word during our talks. My role is to bring them to the negotiating
table. This issue has to be decided by the GoI while holding talks
with the Naga underground leaders.
When do you think the
two parties will talk face to face?
I have given my report
to the prime minister and home minister. They have to decide when
to make the next move. They have to come up with concrete proposals.
The NSCN will have to respond to those proposals. I am sure the NSCN
will respond positively to the government's proposals.
So you are hopeful that
peace will return to Nagland?
I am hopeful that peace
will return to Nagaland even though I know how difficult it is to bring
the insurgents to the negotiating able and achieve peace through talks.
In politics everything is possible, provided we have a good understanding
between the two parties.
What does Prime Minister
Vajpayee say?
Prime Minister Vajpayee
is very co-operative. He is very serious about making these peace
negotiations a success.
Has the prime minister
given you a free hand to talk to the Naga leaders?
Yes, he has given me
a free hand. But I must repeat that I am neither an emissary or a
representative of the Government of India. I am the chief minister
of Mizoram and I cannot be available to hold talks all the time.
This is a full time job and the GoI should appoint someone to do the talking
to the Naga leaders.
A time will come when
politicians at the Centre or ministers in the Union Cabinet will have to
take over the negotiations. There will come a time when the home
minister himself will have to take over the negotiations. I can only
pave the way for face to face talks.
Even in the case of talks
with the MNF the same procedure had been followed. The home minister
of India had stepped into the picture to facilitate the talks. The
time has come when peace should and must return to Nagaland and the northeast.