On 17 December 2024, the Government of India re-imposed the Protected Area Permit (PAP) requirement for foreign nationals visiting Manipur, including the diaspora communities. 

While we fully recognize and respect the sovereign right of India to regulate foreign entry in the interest of national security, the current PAP regime has resulted in disproportionate and unintended hardships that go far beyond security considerations. 

The most affected are diaspora communities from the state, for whom visits to ancestral homes—central to family life, cultural continuity, and social and economic participation—have become increasingly difficult.

This civic petition is led by members of the global Manipuri diaspora whose families, cultural ties, and community connections are directly affected by the current Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime in Manipur.  For us, travel to Manipur is not tourism. It is about family responsibilities, cultural continuity, community participation, and emotional belonging. Under the present PAP framework, such visits have become uncertain, burdensome, and in many cases impossible. 

The petition conveys the community impacts and seeks a formal administrative review by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Why This Matters:

As a result, the PAP regime has led to:

• Missed funerals, medical emergencies, and critical family events
• Weakening of cultural continuity and weakened ties between Manipur and its overseas community
• Deterrence of tourism, academic collaboration, and diaspora-led investment
• Growing disengagement of second-generation diaspora from their ancestral homeland

More broadly, the current system risks isolating an already fragile state from global social, economic, cultural, and knowledge networks at a time when openness and engagement are essential for long-term stability and development.

Key Issues:

• Lack of clear, updated, and consistent information across official platforms
• Inability to apply from outside India: PAP applications can only be submitted from within India which effectively prevents applicants from initiating the process before traveling
• Contradictory requirements: Requiring PAP application only after arrival in India, while also requiring advance authorization
• Mandatory group travel: Individual travelers excluded
• Opaque timelines: No clear processing timelines and standards, making travel plans difficult
• Poor coordination: MHA, MEA, FRRO, Indian Missions, and State Governments lack alignment

Our Request:

We respectfully urge the Government of India to:

Review the necessity of continuing the PAP regime in Manipur, with a view to lifting it, OR

Pending such review, implement immediate reforms, including:

• Allow PAP applications from outside India via digital platforms or Indian Missions abroad
• Remove mandatory group travel requirements
• Establish clear, time-bound processing standards
• Issue uniform, updated guidelines across official platforms including all Indian missions abroad
• Empower Indian Missions to issue PAP

Call to Action:

Sign this petition to help restore family connections, cultural continuity, and economic opportunities for Manipur. Together, we can advocate for a fair and modern approach that balances security with human dignity and compassion.

Signatories are encouraged (but not required) to briefly state:

• Their relationship to Manipur
• How PAP affects them (education, work, travel, research, family)
• Their location (India / diaspora)

Signatures represent expressions of support from individuals identifying their names and locations voluntarily through Change.org.

Please find the official petition text to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India here