NEW DELHI, April 10 � Arunachal Chief Minister Nabam Tuki on Thursday called on the Centre to urgently review the decision of extending the Armed Forces Special Powers� Act (AFSPA) to all the districts of Arunachal Pradesh bordering Assam. An official level meeting has been convened on Friday to resolve the impasse.
The Chief Minister, who called on Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh here yesterday, expressed serious concerns at the Centre�s decision to extend AFSPA to the �peaceful districts� of the State.
Terming the Centre�s decision as unilateral, he pointed out that it was not taken in consultation with the State Government.
The Chief Minister argued that Arunachal Pradesh has been the most peaceful State in the region with no history of home-grown insurgency. He contended that the three districts of Tirap, Changlang and Longding are insurgency infected, as ultras from neighbouring States and Myanmar operate in these areas, sources said.
AFSPA has been in force in these three districts since 1991, after they were categorised as disturbed area by Ministry of Home Affairs.
Singh assured Tuki to examine and review this decision of extending AFSPA in the State. An official level meeting between senior officials from the State and the Ministry of Home Affairs will be held here today for early resolution of the issue.
