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Updated: Oct 24, 2019 22:17 IST

A crucial round of talks between the Centre and the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN – IM) – on Thursday to hammer out a final settlement of the Naga issue remained inconclusive, said an official who did not want to be named.

Both sides are likely to meet again soon. Nagaland governor R N Ravi who is also the Centre’s interlocutor in the peace talks and other Naga insurgent groups who have been grouped together to form the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) will be meeting separately next week. This will be followed by another round of talks with the NSCN (IM), the official said. The Centre wants to conclude the peace deal by October 31.

The Union Home Ministry did not comment.

“Today’s Indo-Naga talk was inconclusive. No consensus was reached. The fate of a (separate) flag and Constitution now lies upon the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” a Naga leader who did not want to be named said. The 15-member NSCN (IM) delegation was led by its general secretary T H Muivah.

Speculation has been rife that the peace deal could be signed anytime but the NSCN (IM), Nagaland’s largest and oldest rebel group, has been insisting that any such deal must incorporate its demand of a separate flag and Constitution for Nagaland. It has also accused the Centre of trying to “hijack the outcome of the peace talks”.

The Centre in turn had accused the NSCN (IM) last week of delaying tactics.

On Tuesday, Nagaland government ordered cancelling leave of bureaucrats and police personnel and asked them to stay put in their duty stations in view of the prevailing situation in the state.

The ongoing peace talks are based on “Framework Agreement” on August 3, 2015 which the Centre and the NSCN (IM) had signed.