AFSPA has not solved insurgency: Metbah
'Insurgency can be addressed through dialogue and not bullets'
Joining the chorus for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, the United Democratic Party (UDP) president Metbah Lyngdoh on Tuesday asserted that the Act has not solved the insurgency problem in the Northeast.
The Act grants special powers to the armed forces to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”.
“AFSPA is not a solution as it has not solved the issue of insurgency in the Northeast,” Metbah said in a statement.
He maintained that the recent killing of civilians in the Mon district of Nagaland is not directly connected with the insurgency.
According to him, there are ways to solve insurgency that can be addressed through dialogue and not bullets.
Recounting Meghalaya's anti-insurgency operations that were undertaken by the State Police Department here in the state, the UDP chief appealed for the state machinery to be given the opportunity to handle the internal crisis.
“We should have faith in our police, they have the personnel, knowledge, skills, language and mobility to enable greater effectiveness,” the UDP president said.
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