{"id":953871,"date":"2026-08-14T21:47:45","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T01:47:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefrontiermanipur.com\/?p=25159"},"modified":"2026-08-14T21:47:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T01:47:45","slug":"beyond-the-table-nscn-i-m-feels-a-shift-from-dialogue-to-dominance-in-peace-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.manipur.org\/news\/2026\/08\/14\/beyond-the-table-nscn-i-m-feels-a-shift-from-dialogue-to-dominance-in-peace-process\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Table: NSCN (I-M) Feels A Shift from Dialogue to Dominance in Peace Process"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Th. Muivah accused the Government of India (GoI) of \u201cbetraying the letter and spirit of the August 3, 2015 Framework Agreement\u201d and \u201cconsciously reverting to a military solution.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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By Paudi Renta<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Eleven years after the signing of the Framework Agreement on August 3, 2015, the Indo-Naga political dialogue seems to have remained stalled\u2014not for lack of talk, but for lack of trust. And in that vacuum, the contours of Govermnent of India\u2019s strategy appear to be shifting. According to the NSCN (I-M), New Delhi has quietly abandoned the negotiating table in favour of a return to coercive statecraft.<\/p>\n

In a sharp address marking the 80th anniversary of the declaration of Naga Independence Day on Augiust 14, NSCN (I-M) General Secretary Th. Muivah accused the Government of India (GoI) of \u201cbetraying the letter and spirit of the August 3, 2015 Framework Agreement\u201d and \u201cconsciously reverting to a military solution.\u201d The message, read out at the group\u2019s General Headquarters in Hebron, did more than register disappointment\u2014it framed India\u2019s posture as a deliberate strategic pivot.<\/p>\n

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Muivah\u2019s assertion is not merely rhetorical. It reflects a deeper analytical reading of New Delhi\u2019s actions over the past half-decade: the incremental reinforcement of security forces in Naga-inhabited areas, the lack of substantive movement on the core political demands, and the growing impatience within the Indian establishment toward any framework that acknowledges Naga sovereignty\u2014even symbolically. \u201cWe all desire an early, acceptable and honourable political solution,\u201d Muivah said, but cautioned that \u201cthe NSCN will not compromise the national sovereignty, flag and constitution on the grounds of political expediency to please India.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the heart of the impasse lies a fundamental interpretive clash. For the NSCN (I-M), the 2015 Framework Agreement was never a ceasefire extension\u2014it was a foundational pact between two sovereign entities. Muivah reiterated that the \u201cnew relationship\u201d of sharing sovereign power, as envisioned under the July 11, 2002 Amsterdam Joint Communique and the 2015 Framework Agreement, \u201cis between two sovereign entities.\u201d He added: \u201cThe final political agreement to be concluded from the ongoing negotiation shall be in accordance with the letter and spirit of the August 3, 2015 Framework Agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n

From New Delhi\u2019s perspective, however, the agreement was always a roadmap for greater autonomy within the Indian Union\u2014not a recognition of separate sovereignty. That dissonance has now hardened into mutual disillusionment. Muivah made it clear that the NSCN will not accept an imposed settlement: \u201cWe stand for a negotiated political settlement that recognises Nagalim\u2019s sovereignty, national flag and constitution.\u201d He warned that \u201cany political agreement that does not uphold those national principles\u201d would be unacceptable, and that the NSCN would \u201cdefend and protect Nagalim\u2019s unique history, sovereignty, territory, flag, and constitution to the last.\u201d<\/p>\n

Analysts tracking the conflict note that India\u2019s alleged return to militarised pressure is less about battlefield tactics and more about strategic signalling\u2014a way to force the NSCN into accepting a diluted outcome by making the cost of continued resistance visible. Muivah directly addressed this, stating: \u201cNagas took up armed struggle in self-defence against the occupational forces of India and Myanmar.\u201d He accused GoI of breaching the peace process \u201cconsciously,\u201d suggesting that Delhi has calculated that a “military approach” may yield quicker, if bloodier, results than an elusive political deal.<\/p>\n

Yet Muivah also took aim at internal Naga divisions, warning that \u201cfactions born of rebellion, mutiny and vested interests have been created and nurtured by adversaries to destroy the Nagas from within.\u201d This reflects a growing anxiety within the NSCN (I-M) that India may be leveraging rival Naga groups and other breakaway factions\u2014to fragment the nationalist movement and weaken its bargaining position. \u201cThese anti-nationals and reactionaries cannot claim the moral right to represent the Naga people,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n

The address also carried a theological and emotional weight, as Muivah paid tribute to former Naga leaders. He also paid tributes to former chairman Late Isak Chishu Swu, former vice chairman Late Khadao Yanthan, Late Brig. Thungbo Pangmi and former vice chairman Late “Gen. (retired)” Kholi Konyak and also acknowledged NNC leaders including AZ Phizo, Imkong Meren, T Sakhrie and others who have consolidated Naga movement. Muivah thanked civil society, churches, and international supporters. But the political message was unmistakable: the NSCN (I-M) seems to be getting close to a renewed prolonged confrontation, whether diplomatic or otherwise. \u201cWe will not accept an imposed solution or remain silent to a military solution,\u201d Muivah affirmed. \u201cAn acceptable and honourable political agreement shall be according to Nagalim\u2019s unique history, respecting the letter and spirit of the August 3, 2015 Framework Agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n

What remains unclear is whether New Delhi views the current stalemate as a failure of negotiation or as the necessary prelude to a different kind of resolution. For now, the rhetoric from Hebron suggests that the NSCN (IM) sees India\u2019s hand not as a negotiator\u2019s, but as a disciplinarian\u2019s. And in that reading, the peace process is no longer about reconciling two histories\u2014it is about which side can outlast the other.<\/p>\n

(Paudi Renta is a Dimapur based senior journalist and Chief Contributor for TFM, Nagaland.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Beyond the Table: NSCN (I-M) Feels A Shift from Dialogue to Dominance in Peace Process<\/a> first appeared on The Frontier Manipur<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Read more \/ Original news source: https:\/\/thefrontiermanipur.com\/beyond-the-table-nscn-feels-a-shift-from-dialogue-to-dominance-in-peace-process\/<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Th. Muivah accused the Government of India (GoI) of \u201cbetraying the letter and spirit of the August 3, 2015 Framework Agreement\u201d and \u201cconsciously reverting to a military solution.\u201d By Paudi Renta Eleven years after the signing of the Framework Agreement on August 3, 2015, the Indo-Naga political dialogue seems to have remained stalled\u2014not for lack [\u2026]<\/p>\n

The post Beyond the Table: NSCN (I-M) Feels A Shift from Dialogue to Dominance in Peace Process<\/a> first appeared on The Frontier Manipur<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20364,4],"tags":[20526,20369,20527,432,20370,319,336,20528,96,15447,1186,880],"class_list":["post-953871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-frontiermanipur","category-news","tag-august-14","tag-frontiermanipur","tag-general-secretary-th-muivah","tag-kuki","tag-lead-stories","tag-manipur-news","tag-naga","tag-naga-indepedence-day","tag-nagaland","tag-news","tag-northeast","tag-nscn"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.manipur.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.manipur.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.manipur.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.manipur.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.manipur.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=953871"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.manipur.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":953876,"href":"http:\/\/www.manipur.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953871\/revisions\/953876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.manipur.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=953871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.manipur.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=953871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.manipur.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=953871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}