Nagaland Congress demands early Naga peace settlement, seeks transparency on Assam oil pact

The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has urged the Centre to expedite the implementation of the long-pending Naga peace agreements, called for the early operationalisation of the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA), and demanded that the contents of the recently signed oil exploration agreement between Assam and Nagaland be made public.

The resolutions were adopted unanimously during a PAC meeting held at Congress Bhavan in Kohima on June 25.

Expressing concern over the delay in implementing the Framework Agreement and the Agreed Position, the PAC criticised both the Government of India and the Nagaland government. It questioned the state government's demand for appointing a political interlocutor at the ministerial level, alleging that such a move would only set the peace process back.

The committee urged the Centre to demonstrate its commitment by implementing a political solution that is "honourable and acceptable" to all stakeholders seeking lasting peace and development in Nagaland.

On the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA), the PAC described the delay in implementing the tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) as unacceptable. It held both the Union and state governments responsible for the issues that have emerged since the agreement was signed and called on them to resolve all contentious matters without further delay to fulfil the aspirations of people in the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO) areas.

The committee also expressed concern over the recent tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the governments of Assam and Nagaland under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to resume crude oil and natural gas exploration along the disputed inter-state border.

While acknowledging that oil exploration is important given Nagaland's economic challenges, the PAC questioned why the contents of the agreement had not been made public. It demanded full transparency and cautioned that any compromise on Nagaland's rights over land ownership and revenue sharing would be unacceptable.