Amit Shah Announces Plan To Remove AFSPA From Most Northeast Regions By 2027

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) would be withdrawn from most parts of the Northeast by next year, citing significant improvements in the region's security situation and a sustained decline in insurgency-related violence over the past decade.  Shah made the remarks while addressing the signing ceremony of a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Centre, the Assam government and the Nagaland government.

The agreement is aimed at facilitating oil and mineral exploration in the disputed area belt (DAB) along the Assam-Nagaland border, where such activities had remained stalled for more than three decades due to jurisdictional and law-and-order concerns. Expressing confidence about the region's progress, Shah said the shrinking geographical coverage of AFSPA reflects the return of peace and stability across the Northeast. He stated that, except for one or two states, the special law is expected to be withdrawn from the entire region in 2027.

AFSPA grants special powers to the armed forces in areas designated as disturbed and has long been a subject of political and public debate in the Northeast. Describing the MoU as a historic milestone, Shah said it removes one of the final obstacles to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a developed Northeast. He noted that the agreement would unlock fresh opportunities for oil, gas and mineral exploration in a region believed to possess significant untapped natural resources. According to him, exploration efforts had previously been hampered by security concerns and unresolved boundary-related issues.

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The home minister said the agreement could substantially boost oil production in the region. He claimed that existing extraction levels of 1,000 to 1,500 barrels per day could increase tenfold and highlighted the possibility of recovering resources worth more than ₹15,000 crore from a single field. Shah added that wider exploitation of oil reserves across Nagaland could help reduce India's dependence on imported energy resources.

Highlighting the government's broader Northeast policy, Shah said Prime Minister Modi has maintained a strong focus on the region and has visited it more frequently than any of his predecessors. He also noted that since 2019, twelve peace accords have been signed involving various groups and state governments, contributing to an estimated 80% decline in violent incidents. According to Shah, these developments have laid the foundation for greater economic growth, infrastructure development and long-term stability across the Northeast.

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