Kohima: The Nagaland government is poised to urge the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to withdraw the Protected Area Permit (PAP) requirement for foreign nationals visiting the state. The decision was made during a state Cabinet meeting held earlier today with the aim of promoting tourism in the region.
The PAP, mandated under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order of 1958, requires foreign nationals to obtain special permission from the MHA to visit designated areas, including Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. The order was reimposed in December 2024 after a 15-year relaxation.
The proposal of the Cabinet comes in response to the reinstatement of these restrictions last month, which were originally eased during the UPA regime in 2010-11 to encourage tourism. The reimplementation was attributed to security concerns arising from political instability in neighbouring Bangladesh, ongoing internal conflict in Myanmar, and ethnic clashes in Manipur.
In addition to tourism, the Cabinet also addressed significant political issues, including the Naga political settlement and the proposed Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT) for the state's eastern region. The Cabinet called on the Centre and the negotiating Naga Political Groups to expedite discussions and achieve a peaceful resolution to the decades-long Naga political issue.
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Regarding the FNT proposal, the Cabinet reiterated its support for the collective position taken by the 20 legislators from eastern Nagaland, represented by the Eastern Nagaland Legislators Union (ENLU). The proposal aims to address the unique challenges and developmental needs of the region.
Nagaland's push to remove the PAP aligns with its vision of fostering economic growth through increased tourism while addressing longstanding political and developmental challenges in the state.
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