Dimapur, February 26 : The NSCN (IM) has sounded a note of caution to all concerned including the Government of India pointing out that the unfortunate killing of the Kasom Khullen SDO and his two staff members by one Lt. Colonel H. Ningshen should not be “over exploited and carried too far to affect the whole structure of peace process”.
“Certain elements or groups are desperately trying to use the situation with anti-peace and anti-communal harmony.
This will go against the overall interest of widening the peace process in the region. Therefore, ill-motivated reaction to the situation should be cautiously dealt with”, stated a press note issued by outfit’s MIP.
The NSCN (IM) cautioned that if the government of India succumbs to the “high tension emotion over the killing of Kasom Khullen SDO, it will simply go towards becoming victims of dirty politics to undermine the core issue of the Indo-Naga political peace process, the collapse that will have widespread socio-political and military ramifications”.
While making the point that it had its own “law” and that the “verdict” was “already quite obvious”, the NSCN (IM) affirmed that it will, with a “clear conscience” abide by the decision of its “national security council”.
It also assured that a high level enquiry Committee has been constituted with reports to be submitted on or before 4th March ’09.
It was also reiterated that no matter how big the crime, it was committed “outside the purview of the NSCN authority” “by the wayward Naga Army officer”.
“And while the sword of Damocles is hanging above his head such aberration should not be over exploited and carried too far to affect the whole structure of peace process”.
Pointing out that the unfortunate incident was made more “shocking” by the inhuman manner of the killing, the MIP note stated that after “Lt. Col. H. Ningshen owned up to the murder, done with the motive as dictated by his own conscience and remotely connected with NSCN official directive, the ground reality is being handled in the manner it deserve”.
It assured that the law was there to deal with such “ruffian-like elements in the organization” and that the NSCN (IM) would “allow the Naga Army rules and regulations to follow its own course”. “There is no question of running away from the verdict of the law to save anybody.
There will be no pretension and there will be no lapses in delivering justice”, the MIP note stated. It however stated that while the NSCN (IM) authority will soon be taking the severest action on the disgraced Naga Army officer “forced upon by the gravity of the crime”, it was not done under pressure from any angle whatsoever.
The NSCN (IM) pointed out that under no circumstances should the hard earned Indo-Naga peace talks be undermined by “generating confusing interpretation of Indo-Naga ceasefire, and the designated camps”.
“Ceasefire means to stop fighting and to stop fighting honorable steps are of extreme necessity. And here comes the question of establishing “designated Camp”.
There is no another interpretation to this”, the MIP note stated. It also stated that to campaign against the NSCN (IM) to be grouped as a terrorist organization by some political parties was not “politically nice and communally dangerous too”.
“It will also go against the historical identity of the Naga’s struggle for an honorable solution”.
The NSCN (IM) pointed out that one such act of aberration did not make an organization a terrorist.
“Black-sheep abound any organization. But when black-sheep are cleaned out the organization’s political stature should not be targeted with demeaning orchestration”, the MIP note stated.