Pact welcome, need to see contents: ga Hoho

NEW DELHI, August 3: The ga Hoho, the apex body of all ga tribes of galand, on Monday cautiously welcomed the peace accord between the government and the NSCN-IM, saying it needed to see the contents of the deal before further commenting on it. “We are happy and welcome the accord but we need to see its contents before making further comments,” ga Hoho president P. Chuba Ozukum told IANS over phone soon after the announcement of the agreement made here on Monday evening.

Asked how effective the deal would be given that it was signed with the tiol Socialist Council of galand-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), and the NSCN-Khaplang faction abrogated its ceasefire with the government in March this year, Ozukum said S.S. Khaplang was being asked to renew the ceasefire.

“We are still requesting Khaplang to renew the ceasefire. We are trying to make him understand,” he said.

On March 27, the NSCN-K announced that it had abrogated the ceasefire with the government. Reports suggested that Khaplang took the step at the instigation of United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) leader Paresh Baruah who has taken refuge in the latter’s camp in Myanmar.

Monday’s landmark peace accord was signed between the government and the NSCN-IM in the presence of Prime Minister rendra Modi, Home Minister Rajth Singh and tiol Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

NSCN-IM leader Thuingaleng Muivah, who signed the pact, described it as a momentous occasion.

In his brief comments, he praised Mahatma Gandhi who, he said, understood and respected the gas, and also lauded the “visiory leadership” of Prime Minister Modi.

Meanwhile, the ga People’s Movement for Human Rights (NPHMR) on Monday said it was caught by surprise by the announcement of the peace accord between the government and the NSCN-IM.

“We were all caught by surprise by the sudden announcement,” NPHMR chairman N. Krome told IANS over phone.

“We were aware that something was happening but we did not realise that something like this would happen so soon,” he said.

Asked what he expected from the deal, Krome said: “Let’s hope it has been done with the best wisdom on the part of the two parties.”

The landmark peace accord was signed between the government and the tiol Socialist Council of galand-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) in the presence of Prime Minister rendra Modi, Home Minister Rajth Singh and tiol Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

NSCN-IM leader Thuingaleng Muivah, who signed the accord, described it as a “momentous occasion”. (IANS)