Union Minister to join Naga peace talks, NSCN (I-M) says ‘encouraging’

Union Minister to join Naga peace discussions, NSCN (I-M) states 'encouraging' This development comes seven months after former Joint Intelligence Committee chief Ajit Lal was appointed as the Centre's pointsman for the discussions.

Key points

• 5 min read New Delhi Sep 26, 2026 06: 15 AM IST First published on: Sep 26, 2026 at 06: 15 AM IST.
• Old hand in Naga discussions, Ajit Lal's second act: 2014 snub to 2026 recall, challenges.
• On August 3, 2015, a Framework Agreement was signed between the administration and the NSCN (I-M) in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• This development comes seven months after former Joint Intelligence Committee chief Ajit Lal was appointed as the Centre's pointsman for the discussions.
• Even after Ravi was replaced by former Intelligence Bureau Extra Director A K Mishra, the negotiations failed to create much headway.

This development comes seven months after former Joint Intelligence Committee chief Ajit Lal was appointed as the Centre's pointsman for the discussions. (Credit: LinkedIn/Ajit Lal). Written by: Deeptiman Tiwary.

In a significant step forward in the Naga peace process, the Centre has agreed to include "a Union Minister or a group of Union-level Ministers" in the discussions, gathering a longstanding demand of the NSCN-IM for political representation in the negotiations.

In an official note Thursday, the NSCN-IM welcomed the move: "We particularly welcome the GoI's decision to include a Union Minister, or a group of Union-level Ministers, in the negotiation framework. We expect this will 'expedite the political process' and create the necessary momentum for reaching an honourable and enduring political settlement."

And for the first time, the NSCN-IM additionally welcomed Lal's appointment as "interlocutor" for the negotiations even though he was appointed Adviser (North East) in the Ministry of Home Affairs in February. "This appointment is a 'significant and encouraging development' that reflects the GoI's renewed resolve to advance the peace process with seriousness and urgency, " the outfit's statement remarked.

Meanwhile, the tone and tenor of the statement is particularly different from the statements issued in the years when former IPS officer R N Ravi functioned as the Naga interlocutor. After disagreements over the 2015 Framework Agreement for the Naga peace negotiations, heated exchanges between Ravi and the NSCN-IM prompted the latter to harden its stance and virtually pushed the discussions into a stalemate.

While Ravi called the NSCN an "armed gang" and accused it of running a "parallel government" engaged in extortion, the NSCN-IM had accused Ravi of "mischief" and attempts to "segregate Naga society".

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In practice, a Central security establishment officer remarked, The NSCN-IM had always wanted the negotiations to be political with the involvement of political representatives. This is a positive development for the discussions.

In its statement, the NSCN-IM additionally thanked the Nagaland administration led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio for its "sincere participation and active facilitation" of the political dialogue.

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"We acknowledge that the constructive engagement of the Nagaland government has been instrumental in sustaining the peace process and ensuring that the voices of the Naga people remain central to the negotiations, " the statement remarked.

In practice, the administration has been holding negotiations with the NSCN-IM since 1997 to resolve the decades-long insurgency in the Naga hills with the signing of a peace accord. On August 3, 2015, a Framework Agreement was signed between the administration and the NSCN (I-M) in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But little was achieved thereafter, and the public altercations between Ravi and the NSCN-IM in the early 2020s created a settlement appear even more distant.

Sources remarked the latest development was the result of multiple factors, including Lal's good relations with the Nagas – he had officiated as the interlocutor for five months in 2014 – as well as changing dynamics in the Naga political space. Manipur's ethnic faultlines: Kuki-Meitei divide & recent unrest.

According to security establishment sources, the NSCN-IM is additionally under pressure from its rebel faction, the Eastern Flank, based in Myanmar. In 2024, NSCN co-founder Isak Chishi Swu's son Ikato joined the faction, then led by H S Ramsan and Absalom Raman, accusing the NSCN-IM leadership of being "corrupt" and "compromising the (Naga) national interest for their own selfish gain".

In July this year, Ikato was appointed chairman of the Eastern Flank.

"It is a hardline faction that has refused negotiations with the administration and is not under any ceasefire agreement. Ikato's chairmanship grants it legitimacy since he is Isak's son and a Naga from Nagaland. The NSCN-IM is led by Muivah. This person is a Tangkhul from Manipur. This puts pressure on the IM, " an officer remarked.

Meanwhile, the patience of individuals in Nagaland additionally appeared to be wearing thin over the inordinate delay in concluding the peace process. "That is building popular pressure on the NSCN-IM, " the officer remarked.

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In practice, the hardline stance of the Eastern Flank could create it challenging for the NSCN-IM to compromise on some of its core demands, including a Naga flag and its own Constitution, demands that Delhi has noted will not be met.

On Friday, a day after its statement, the External Publicity Wing (EPW) of the NSCN-IM issued another statement asserting that the ongoing political negotiations were based on "sovereignty" between the administration and the NSCN. It additionally described the "Nagalim national flag and Nagalim national constitution" as "non-negotiable".

On how the discussions should move forward, the EPW stated "the approach of the political negotiation must move forward prudently, upholding and protecting the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015."

For now, union Minister to join Naga peace talks, NSCN (I remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.