The ball is in the court of the opposition-less Nagaland government to catapult the Indo-Naga political dialogue towards a permanent settlement with the arrival of the new Naga interlocutor A.K. Mishra in Kohima.
A senior government official said a middle path is being proposed by the new interlocutor, where demands for a ''sovereign state'' can be met with a division of ''sovereign powers'' under the federal structure.
One of the representatives participating in the peace talks said the proposed Indo-Naga political solution should guarantee political and administrative space and scope for divided Nagas in Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to protect ancestral land, resources, culture and traditions through redefined political structures.
While it remains to be seen how the T.H. Muivah-led NSCN(IM)—which is the signatory to the 2015 framework agreement—agree to any settlement short of a separate flag and constitution, many other leaders who are part of the Naga National Political Groups are of the view that the twin issues of a separate constitution and flag should not stand in the way of a settlement.
The NNPGs, an umbrella organisation of seven political outfits, want that the ''agreed position'' must be to promote and strengthen Naga history, identity, culture, customs and traditions beyond the present Nagaland state, taking into account the practical existence of Nagas under various political and administrative boundaries.
''While the Central government has made it clear that state boundaries cannot alter, the real Naga identity is beyond physical forms,'' said a leader. The working committee of the NNPGs further explained that today, Naga leaders must fight for and retain the real Naga identity that may have been lost in the hunt for name, fame and power.
After the NSCN(IM), the largest insurgent outfit, refused to sit across the table with former representative R.N. Ravi, accusing him of a divide-and-rule policy, Mishra's role is being seen as a leveller to the high tensions witnessed in the last year.
The former special director in the Intelligence Bureau has been holding dialogues with the NSCN(IM) as well as with the Naga National Political Groups, who are now beginning to put pressure on the Nagaland government to utilise its unique status of being an opposition-less government to facilitate a broader dialogue and arrive at a practical solution at the earliest.