Guwahati: Former Mizoram CM and veteran Mizo National Front (MNF) leader Zoramthanga on Thursday described the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) as a “terrible” law, drawing on his experience in the underground movement and his eventual transition to constitutional politics.Zoramthanga, who joined MNF in 1965, went underground in 1966 when the Mizo insurgency began and remained part of the movement for nearly two decades. He was involved in negotiations that led to the 1986 Mizoram Accord, which ended the insurgency and brought MNF into the political mainstream. AFSPA was subsequently withdrawn from Mizoram.Speaking at Gauhati University on Thursday, where he received his graduation certificate six decades after passing his examinations, Zoramthanga acknowledged the govt’s rationale for AFSPA. He said the law was intended to give security personnel extraordinary powers to confront armed insurgency without the constant fear of prosecution.“This is not war between two countries,” he said, adding that the use of wartime powers in an internal conflict had severe consequences for civilians.For people living under AFSPA, its impact was “terrible”, Zoramthanga said, noting that he had experienced the conflict as a member of the underground movement confronting the Indian state .He argued that “extraordinary security laws should not become a substitute for a political settlement.”“Dialogue and reconciliation offer a more sustainable route out of insurgency than prolonged military operations,” he added.Zoramthanga said the Mizoram experience offered lessons for other insurgencies in the northeast. Comparing underground groups to a “prodigal son” returning home, he said negotiations could not always follow the conventional model of one govt dealing with another.He called for patience, understanding and magnanimity, saying that bringing armed groups back into the political and social mainstream should be the first priority.“Security measures may be considered necessary by the govt during periods of armed conflict, but ultimately, peace achieved through political dialogue is the preferable solution,” he said.
