Former petroleum secretary RS Pandey was today appointed as the new interlocutor for Naga talks to carry forward the peace process with NSCN-IM.
Former petroleum secretary RS Pandey was today appointed as the new interlocutor for Naga talks to carry forward the peace process with NSCN-IM.
"I am happy to announce the appointment of RS Pandey as the interlocutor and the representative of the government of India to hold talks with NSCN-IM," home minister P Chidambaram said in a statement.
A Nagaland cadre IAS officer of 1972 batch, Pandey has served as chief secretary in the insurgency-hit state and is a recipient of Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Service in 2007 besides the UN Public Service Award in 2008.
He was appointed in place of former home secretary K Padmanabhaiah, who had handled the dialogue process with the NSCN-IM for nearly a decade. The government relieved him from the responsibility last September.
Chidambaram also welcomed the decision of the NSCN-IM leadership to visit India and hold talks with the government.
On Tuesday, the Centre announced that it would hold dialogue with NSCN-IM's top leadership in the first week of April, giving a fresh impetus to the Naga peace process.
The Naga militant group's chairman Isak Chishi Swu and general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah, who are currently based abroad, are expected to participate in the dialogue.
Padmanabhaiah, 69, was first appointed as interlocutor for Naga talks on July 28, 1999, for one year but he had been getting extension for his task for one year every time. He retired as Union Home Secretary on October 31, 1997.
A ceasefire was agreed upon with NSCN-IM since August 1997. In May 1998, the first negotiator Swaraj Kaushal was appointed. He continued till July 1999.
Padmanabhaiah had described his service as satisfactory and said he has been submitting reports to the government about the progress of the negotiations regularly.
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