All-Party Delegation to Confer with HM Amit Shah on Naga Political and Indo-Myanmar Border Matters

Kohima, April 6 (NationPress) An all-party delegation led by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio is set to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to address the long-standing Naga political issue and concerns regarding the border fencing and Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the India-Myanmar border, according to a minister's statement on Sunday.

A senior minister from Nagaland revealed that during the last Assembly session (March 3 to 8), the Chief Minister proposed a meeting between the all-party delegation and the Union Home Minister to inform him about the contentious Naga Political issues that frequently dominate the state's politics.

“The Chief Minister has already requested a suitable time from the Home Minister for the all-party delegation meeting in New Delhi,” the minister, who wished to remain unnamed, stated.

He added that besides the Naga political issue, discussions will also cover FMR and the border fencing along the India-Myanmar border.

Last year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced plans to soon discontinue the FMR, which permits residents along the India-Myanmar border to travel 16 km into each other's territory without a visa.

Instead, the MHA has proposed a new scheme to issue passes for border residents on both sides of the frontier to regulate cross-border movements.

On March 7, the Nagaland Assembly unanimously resolved that an all-party delegation should meet the Union Home Minister to convey the “sentiment and resentment of the Naga people” regarding the MHA’s decision to annul the FMR between India and Myanmar.

During the discussion, the Chief Minister emphasized that restrictions on border movement would disrupt the deep-rooted historical, ethnic, social, cultural, traditional, and economic connections of the Nagas residing on both sides of the India-Myanmar border.

The delegation aims to inform the Home Minister about the concerns and the consensus of the house, which passed unanimous resolutions on March 1, 2024, along with state cabinet decisions from February 8, 2024, and January 6, 2025.

Governments in Nagaland and Mizoram, along with numerous political parties and civil societies in both northeastern states, have expressed opposition to the border fencing and the FMR.

Four northeastern states—Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram—share a 1,643-km unfenced border with Myanmar.

The MHA previously decided to erect fencing along the entire porous border, notorious for smuggling arms, ammunition, narcotics, and various contraband, at an estimated cost of Rs 31,000 crore.

Meanwhile, officials from the MHA and top leaders of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) met in Dimapur on February 21 and agreed to initiate formal talks between the government and the leading Naga group soon.

A Nagaland government official indicated that the MHA’s advisor for the North East, A.K. Mishra, met with the NSCN-IM’s General Secretary and chief negotiator Thuingaleng Muivah during his February visit to Nagaland to discuss various aspects of the Naga political issue.

“Both parties agreed to convene formal discussions at the earliest to advance the long-standing Naga political issue,” the official stated anonymously.

Mishra also met with the Working Committee of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) in Dimapur, an alliance of seven other Naga groups that have been negotiating with the Centre and signed an “Agreed Position” in 2017.