Mugdha Das

Mizoram to Re-Implement Protected Area Permit

Digital Desk: The Mizoram government is set to reintroduce the Protected Area Permit (PAP), a travel document required for foreigners to visit sensitive areas in India. 

This move follows a directive from the Centre to reimpose Protected Area Permit in three northeastern states - Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland - that share a border with Myanmar.

The state government has been working towards implementing the PAP, also known as the Restricted Area Permit (RAP).

This was stated by Mizoram Home Secretary Van-lal-mawia.

Van-lal-mawia stated that a holding area is being identified at Lengpui airport, as instructed by the Union Home Ministry.

The state government has also requested the Centre to open a designated office in Aizawl for easier foreigner registration, as the nearest Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) is currently in Kolkata.

Worth mentioning here, the Protected Area Permit was initially relaxed in 2011 to boost tourism in Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram, exempting all foreigners except those from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China. 

However, due to growing security concerns and the influx of foreigners from neighboring countries, the Ministry of Home Affairs reimposed the PAP in December last year.

Chief Minister Lalduhoma had previously alleged that some foreigners used Mizoram as a transit route to provide military training to pro-democratic forces in Myanmar, prompting the re-imposition of the PAP.