Dimapur, October 5 (MExN): There cannot be true spirit of peace and tranquility when the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 is in place, the Naga Hoho stated on Wednesday.
Taking strong exception to the recent extension of AFSPA in several areas of Nagaland by another six months, the Naga Hoho stated that the Government of India (GoI) “seems to reject and discard the voice of the people” even as the popularly elected democratic government of Nagaland had recommended for repeal of the Act.
“The continued policy of the GoI to traumatize, wage proxy wars and create psychological threats against the Nagas deserves condemnation from every right thinking citizen,” it stated in a press release issued through its Media Cell.
Expressing dismay over what it termed as the “devilish design” of the Government of India and the “false promises and assurances” to the Nagas and the North-East region, it also questioned why India should “play fool with the sentiments of the Naga people” when it has officially recognized the political rights of the Nagas.
“There cannot be true peace and mutual respect through the barrel of a gun. And therefore, the draconian law must go away from our land. The extension of AFSPA in the Naga areas is only the justification of how India had forcefully occupied the free Naga land,” it asserted.
“We look forward with hope for a peaceful resolution to the Indo-Naga Political issue. However, with AFSPA in place, there cannot be true spirit of peace and tranquility,” it stated.
Further, it claimed that the recent incident in Tamenglong District of Manipur where an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was planted in Puilang (Kambiron) village was “one glaring proof” of the “deliberate attempt of the Indian Army to kill innocent Naga citizens.”
“The Naga people are outraged and anguished by the terrors created by the Indian Army over the Naga people. The patience of the Naga people should not be misunderstood as weakness,” it said, while demanding the complete withdrawal of the draconian Act from the region once and for all.
