The Huskar
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NEW DELHI: The attack on an army convoy in Manipur could see an overhaul of the Centre's security strategy vis-a-vis north-eastern states, which could include closer cooperation with Myanmar and a review of the ongoing ceasefire with one of the biggest insurgent groups in the region, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland ( Isak-Muivah).
A senior official in the security establishment, who is involved in the process, told ET that a new "aggressive and proactive" policy will aim at a "complete clean-up" than the existing strategy of "containment of terror".
"The focus so far has been on containment of terror. Now it has to be wiped out," he said, adding, "It is also time to finish the system of tax collection by the insurgent groups once and for all."
He said after the collapse of the ceasefire with NSCN-K (Khaplang faction) in March, it did not make much sense to continue the negotiations only with the IM faction.
"The process of negotiation with only one entity in a clearly complicated scenario with multiple outfits has only served to drive existing wedges in Naga society deeper. And, as we have seen, it goes beyond the boundaries of Nagaland affecting other states in the region, especially Manipur and Assam," explained the official. The Central government has a ceasefire in place with the NSCN-IM since 1997. In 2007, an indefinite ceasefire was put in place with the insurgent group.
The ceasefire with the IM faction too had become an uneasy one with differences emerging between the group and the government over the area it covered. NSCN-IM representatives had been claiming that the jurisdiction of the ceasefire was only within the boundaries of Nagaland. They alleged that the Centre's National Investigation Agency (NIA) had booked their leaders for "waging war against the country" outside the state too.
"NSCN-IM was undoubtedly the most influential one. Ever since NSCN-K abrogated the ceasefire agreement with the Centre, it collected several other organisations under one umbrella. An important meeting, where they decided to come together and operate in the entire north-eastern region, was held in April in Kachin area in Myanmar," an official said.
A senior official in the security establishment, who is involved in the process, told ET that a new "aggressive and proactive" policy will aim at a "complete clean-up" than the existing strategy of "containment of terror".
"The focus so far has been on containment of terror. Now it has to be wiped out," he said, adding, "It is also time to finish the system of tax collection by the insurgent groups once and for all."
He said after the collapse of the ceasefire with NSCN-K (Khaplang faction) in March, it did not make much sense to continue the negotiations only with the IM faction.
"The process of negotiation with only one entity in a clearly complicated scenario with multiple outfits has only served to drive existing wedges in Naga society deeper. And, as we have seen, it goes beyond the boundaries of Nagaland affecting other states in the region, especially Manipur and Assam," explained the official. The Central government has a ceasefire in place with the NSCN-IM since 1997. In 2007, an indefinite ceasefire was put in place with the insurgent group.
The ceasefire with the IM faction too had become an uneasy one with differences emerging between the group and the government over the area it covered. NSCN-IM representatives had been claiming that the jurisdiction of the ceasefire was only within the boundaries of Nagaland. They alleged that the Centre's National Investigation Agency (NIA) had booked their leaders for "waging war against the country" outside the state too.
"NSCN-IM was undoubtedly the most influential one. Ever since NSCN-K abrogated the ceasefire agreement with the Centre, it collected several other organisations under one umbrella. An important meeting, where they decided to come together and operate in the entire north-eastern region, was held in April in Kachin area in Myanmar," an official said.
