'No change in ceasefire ground rule in Naga pact'

Interlocutor for Naga peace talks R N Ravi is believed to have conveyed to the Union Home Ministry that no change has been made in ceasefire ground rule while signing an agreement with NSCN-IM recently.

The interlocutor is said to have conveyed to the Home Ministry that it was a framework for a final settlement to bring a lasting peace in Nagaland, sources said.

There has been no change in ceasefire ground rule which has been in place since 1997 when the NSCN-IM for the first time agreed for peace talks, sources said quoting Ravi's communication.

The interlocutor's letter came after the Home Ministry sought a clarification on the agreement signed by him and NSCN-IM on August 3.

The content of the agreement is yet to be disclosed. However, Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang said that the Naga peace pact is only a "formula" for a final accord.

Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him that North Eastern states would be consulted before finalisation of the peace accord.

The NSCN-IM, which had given up its original demand of sovereignty a few years ago, has been asking for integration of Naga-inhabited areas in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. All three states are opposed to the outfit's demand.