The home ministry failed to meet the deadline committed to Issac-Muivah faction of National Socialist Council of Nagalim for signing a peace accord before the Christmas.
Disclosing that a verbal offer was given to NSCN (I-M) through interlocutor R.S. Pandey, authoritative security sources in the home ministry told this newspaper that offer was sent without having the approval of the Union Cabinet. The NSCN (I-M), which has hired top legal experts readily agreed to the proposal of the government interlocutor.
Informing that many in the home ministry were in dark about the proposal which may not offer legislative power but gives away executive, financial and to some extent taxation power to Nagaland in Naga dominated areas of the region, security sources said that it was also proposed that boundary dispute would be left as an issue to be settled in future.
Regretting that peace-negotiators instead of telling NSCN (I-M) that boundary of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh cant be changed, security sources pointed out that Naga leadership has been told that states are not ready to compromise with their territorial integrity so issue should be left for settlement in future.
Confessing that home ministry was in a hurry to sign some kind of agreement with NSCN (I-M), security sources however feared that any such commitment undermining the opinion of the states would be counter-produc-tive.Pointing out that NSCN (I-M) leadership was pushing for signing the peace-accord proposed to them, security sources said that home ministry is now on back foot as Prime Minister has already assured the chief ministers of north-eastern states that centre would not allow Naga peace agreement to infringe upon the federal rights and territory of the states.
Security sources also admitted that home ministry was ignoring the opinion of many other security agencies which were pro-actively involved in the peace-talks at early stages. Security sources also claimed that union home minister P. Chidambram had approved the proposal before it was proposed to the Naga leadership.