NSCN (IM) General Secretary, Th. Muivah on Thursday reiterated that Nagalim’s “unique history, territory and sovereignty, national flag, national constitution (Yehzabo) and integration of all Naga contiguous areas are non-negotiable.”

In his address on the occasion of the 79th Naga Independence Day, Muivah declared that the Nagas “do not demand anything from India and Burma (Myanmar) but proclaim what is rightfully ours,” adding that if these nations respect Naga history, “we will respect theirs ten times more.”

The speech of Th Muivah was read out by Ashiho Asoumai, Kilo Kilonser, NSCN/GPRN.

Muivah reminded the Naga people that their declaration of independence on August 14, 1947, came a day ahead of India’s, but the ensuing decades have been marked by political suppression and military aggression from both India and Myanmar.

“The brutal truth of history is painful to us… we are being oppressed and suppressed by the invading nations,” he said. He accused India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, of “abhorring” the very idea of Naga sovereignty and introducing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) to crush the Naga movement, despite global condemnation.

Reflecting on the journey of the Indo-Naga peace process, Muivah said a major turning point came on June 12, 1995, when then Prime Minister, PV Narasimha Rao, meeting the NSCN leadership in Paris, acknowledged the conflict as political and stated, “We must solve through political talks.” This, Muivah said, paved the way for the 1997 ceasefire agreement between the NSCN and the Government of India (GoI), which was built on three principles: that talks would be unconditional, held at the highest level (Prime Ministerial), and conducted outside India in a third country.

Ashiho Asoumai, Kilo Kilonser, NSCN/GPRN

Since then, more than 600 rounds of negotiations have taken place — in India, Nagalim, and abroad — with key milestones including the Amsterdam Joint Communiqué of July 11, 2002, and the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015. The 2002 communiqué, Muivah noted, marked the GoI’s recognition of the Nagas’ “unique history and position” and expressed regret over past misunderstandings. The 2015 Framework Agreement, signed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, agreed on an “enduring inclusive new relationship of peaceful co-existence of two entities” based on sharing of sovereign power.

Muivah credited these achievements to the vision and sacrifices of past Naga leaders such as T Aliba Imti, AZ Phizo, T Sakhrie, Scato Swu, Khodao Yanthan, Isak Chishi Swu, and many others. He also acknowledged the contributions of Indian leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Rajagopalachari, Narasimha Rao, HD Deve Gowda, IK Gujral, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and Narendra Modi for their understanding of the Naga issue.

Special mention was made of GoI interlocutors Swaraj Kaushal, K Padmanabhaiah, Oscar Fernandes, RS Pandey, and RN Ravi, as well as human rights advocate Nandita Haksar and mediator Michael C. van Walt van Praag.

Muivah said that international support has been “a main pillar” in the Naga struggle, with organisations such as the Society for Threatened Peoples, International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), KWIA-Support Group for Indigenous Peoples, and the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) playing crucial roles. The NSCN’s membership in UNPO in 1993 was a “momentous and ground-breaking” development, he said, and the Naga national flag now stands proudly in institutions supporting human rights and self-determination.

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He expressed deep gratitude to Naga civil society organisations in India and Myanmar for their resilience and unity during times of both conflict and peace. Among them, he cited the Naga Hoho, Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organization (ENPO), Tirap Changlang Longding Peoples’ Forum (TCLPF), Global Naga Forum (GNF), United Naga Council (UNC), Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Naga Mothers Association (NMA), Naga Women’s Union (NWU), and various Naga student bodies including the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), All Naga Students’ Association Manipur (ANSAM), Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF), and the Naga Students Organization (NSO) in Myanmar.

Marking the 23rd anniversary of the Amsterdam Joint Communiqué and the 10th anniversary of the Framework Agreement, Muivah reminded the people that “Nagas are not lost people — we have our history and our sovereign rights.” He warned that “the enemy would not rest in order to destroy the God-given history of the Naga nation,” and stressed the need for “eternal vigilance” to maintain liberty.

“As we commemorate our Independence Day by hoisting our national flag,” Muivah urged, “we must have the courage to maintain freedom in the mind, faith in the words, pride in our hearts, and honor our creator God.”