(MENAFN- IANS) Kohima, Dec 6 (IANS) Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah on Saturday deeply condoled the death of former Mizoram governor Swaraj Kaushal, who passed away at the age of 73.

Kaushal passed away on Thursday.

The departed senior lawyer was the husband of former Union Minister Late Sushma Swaraj and father of BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj.

The NSCN-IM leader, in a statement on Saturday, said he was "deeply saddened" by the demise of former Indian Interlocutor to the Naga peace talks, Kaushal.

Kaushal was a renowned lawyer and politician who was held in high regard by both Indians and Nagas, Muviah said.

Muivah, the key negotiator in the Naga peace talks with the Union government since the NSCN-IM entered into a ceasefire in 1997, said that Kaushal took an active part during the peace negotiations with the Mizo National Front (MNF), which led to the signing of the Mizoram Accord in 1986, and was an expert in affairs of the Northeast region of India.

He (Swaraj Kaushal) was the first official interlocutor to engage in peace talks with the NSCN in 1998 in Bangkok (Thailand) during the Premiership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, NSCN-IM supremo said.

"I still vividly remember what he said during one of our meetings in 1998, "Wherever they (the NSCN) are, we observe ceasefire, even abroad. Yes, very definitely. It covers Delhi and even Paris. After all, it is not that they will be killing each other in a particular area and discussing peace in another area. What is required is a conducive atmosphere for a discussion," the nonagenarian Naga leader said.

He said: "Prior to his (Kaushal's) appointment as Interlocutor, I, along with my NSCN teammates, had met Indian leaders including P.V. Narasimha Rao, Rajesh Pilot, H.D. Deve Gowda, Satish Chandra, and N.N. Vohra between 1995 and 1997. I last met Swaraj Kaushal in October 2020 in New Delhi and had a candid conversation with him. He was a very rational man with a deep understanding of the Naga political issue."

Expressing deep sorrow, Muivah said that the premature passing of Swaraj Kaushal was a great loss to the nation, describing him as a distinguished Indian statesman and a true friend of the NSCN in particular and the Nagas in general.

The NSCN-IM leader conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the family of Swaraj Kaushal and to the people of India.

Born in Solan on July 12, 1952, Swaraj Kaushal, a distinguished criminal lawyer who studied in Delhi and Chandigarh, served as Mizoram Governor between 1990 and 1993. He also served as a member of Parliament between 1998 and 2004 as a leader of the Haryana Vikas Party, representing the state of Haryana.

Kaushal was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1998-99 and 2000-2004.

Kaushal married Sushma Swaraj in 1975, and their only child, Bansuri Swaraj, is currently a BJP Lok Sabha member from the New Delhi constituency.

Former Union Minister Sushma Swaraj died of a cardiac arrest in New Delhi on August 6, 2019.

During his career, Kaushal had earned the distinction of being an expert on the Northeast region and its insurgency problem.

He is remembered for the key role he played in the signing of the Mizoram Peace Accord in 1986, ending 20 years of insurgency. He was also appointed the first Advocate General of Mizoram in 1987.

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