SINCE independence, India’s north-eastern states have been volatile. The people of these states initially demanded statehood, but subsequently settled for internal autonomy.

Indian forces, under the protection of special powers, carried out merciless operations to weed out insurgents. Still, the insurgencies could not be quelled fully. One unquelled insurgency was that of the Nagas. After several rounds of talks held between 1977 to 2015, India signed an agreement with the Nagas in August 2015.

The main Naga demand was the establishment of a greater Nagaland or Nagalim by extending Nagaland state’s boundary to include the Naga-dominated areas in neighbouring Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

The Nagas threatened to resume their armed struggle a few months ago when they felt that progress on the pact was slow. The Indian government buckled to the threat and immediately announced autonomy for the Nagas besides certain privileges in social and cultural matters irrespective of their geographical locations.

There is a darker side to the Naga saga (pun unintended). New Delhi’s overtures to Nagas have angered the Kuki people who mostly practice Christianity. The Kukis are spread over Nagaland and adjoining states and also settled in Myanmar. They have also been demanding recognition. Thousands of Kukis have been killed by Naga insurgents and observed Sept 13 as martyrs day at home and abroad to commemorate the gruesome murder of over 100 Kukis on Sept 13, 1993.

The Indian government is alarmed over the Kukis’ effort to attract the international community’s attention. New Delhi has offered to form a Kuki territorial council if the Kukis abandon their demand for an independent state. Sandwiched between Nagas and Kukis, the Indian government is on horns of dilemma.

What I find strange is that India is not willing to extend similar privileges to Kashmir.

Maharukh Jamshed Ansari
Lala Musa

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2018