Why Jammu for Rohingyas?

BY: VIKAS KAPOOR PUBLISHED ON JANUARY 1, 2018

The Rohingya people historically also termed Arakanese Indians are a stateless Indo- Aryan people from Rakhine region of Myanmar. There were an estimated over 1 million Rohingya living in Myanmar before the 2012-13 crisis. Rohingyas are 1.2 million against population of 51.4 million (2014 census) in Myanmar. Major religion is Buddhism followed by Christianity. In 1.2 million Rohingyas, Hindu Rohingyas are around 0.1 million.

Rohingyas relationship with terrorist organizations’ goes back to more than five decades. It has links with Al Qaeda’s and other networks in Afganistan as well as seminaries in Pakistan to feed its Armed wing, the Rohingyas National Army(RNA). After 9/11 attacks USA troops found multiple videos of Al Qaeda camps in Afganistan. Myanmar Jihadists were training with other militant organizations is well proven, Harakah al – Yakin (aka Arakan Rohingya salvation Army and their sound links with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan & goes back to 1982. In October 2016, a group of men attacked an outpost of Bangladesh’s Ansar auxiliary police inside Nayapura refugee camp, killed constable Mohamad Ali Hossain and made off with 11 assault rifles and ammunition. The man who carried out attack Nurul Avsar is involved in metamphetamine smuggling at Shah Porir Dwip. In 2013, Delhi police interrogation of alleged RSO operative Khalid Mehmood, from the village of Yethwenkyawyng, threw up evidence that many Rohingyas volunteers have been trained with Pakistan in making ammonium nitrate based explosives at Nakhpura.

Recently, a mass grave discovered contained the bodies of 28 Hindus, including women and children, in violence – affected Rakhine state, killed by Muslim Rohingya militants. It was also revealed that about 300 Rohingya Muslims abducted 100 Hindus on August 25th, eliminated 92 of them and forcibly converted the eight surviving women to Islam. Around 30,000 Hindus and Buddhists have been displaced by the violence by Rohingya Muslims. It clearly shows they cannot adjust with one Lac minority community, what is the guarantee they will not do such nasty things or fall prey to wrong elements in India especially Jammu which otherwise is a peaceful region and believes in mutual co-existence.

Pakistan is as usual infamous promoting such groups (Rohingyas) to destabilize SAARC countries. Disclosures confirmed India’s worst fears that Pakistan based terror groups have infiltrated the Rohingyas and pose a grave threat to national security. Inputs from security agencies indicate the involvement of Rohingyas in illegal activities including fund mobilisation through hawala channel, Human trafficking and procurement of fake Indian identity documents. Rohingyas with militant backgrounds have been found to be active as far as Jammu, Delhi, Mewat and Hyderabad. A big Surprise and element we all need to ponder and address is that Rohingyas travelled almost 2500 Kms to reach Jammu, who guided them, for such a destination? I am sure they may not be even knowing the place where it exists on map of India before they thought of migrating to India came into their mind, is big question to ask ourselves and need to be thoroughly dealt with ? It’s a sure shot conspiracy to derail peaceful coexistence of Jammu. Rohingyas might be weak today but forces against our country will not take much time to capitalize on the same. Intelligence units welcomed the move, citing the mushrooming of Rohingya camps in areas close to Jammu and Kashmir, stating that these camps-if allowed to flourish-would become the hunting ground for terror groups such as Lashkar-e- Toiba (LeT), the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM). “There are intelligence reports to prove that the Rohingyas have links to the Islamic State (IS) and the Al-Qaeda. They have also been trying to make their way to Jammu and that is extremely dangerous because there is a huge risk of them being inducted into terror camps in Kashmir, which will only worsen the Kashmir problem.”

Official registration of Rohingyas in Jammu is 5700 but unregistered number seems to be more than 15000. Jammu and Kashmir’s special status clearly says that they have no place in Jammu. Article 370, 35A bar land ownership and state voting rights amongst others, no one can be allowed to settle here, not even Indian citizens but Rohingyas.

When at the same time, existing genuine settlers (refugees) from West Pakistan who came and settled in Jammu since 1947, are not even given citizenship of J&K, as there is war cry among Kashmiri separatists’ and Kashmir centric organizations in Jammu, who always go out against granting them citizenship, are the ones who say now, “we will not let go Rohingyas from Jammu”, what a double & dubious standard? And who are they to challenge Govt. of India on security handling?? The separatists in Kashmir have already agreed to granting asylum and financial support to the Rohingya Muslims as many of Rohingyas have already gone & settled in Kashmir.

“Kashmiri pandits” who had been thrown out of Valley in early 1990, have not been able to go back to their homeland till now and they talk about settling Rohingyas, illegal migrants from other country? As a country, we have accepted several refugees with open arms since Independence, however, fact remains, Is India a country already overloaded with population grappling with multiple cross state problems, a developing economy, so much of poverty, skewed on several basic resources, we cannot afford to accommodate any more illegal immigrants. Developed countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Australia, USA and many more have clearly said NO to refugees, although they can very well afford (because of their economic might and infrastructure).

“The clamor for granting Rohingyas does not stand on any legal grounds as India is neither a signatory to the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees nor the 1967 protocol relating to status of refugees. Moreover, Article 19 of Indian constitution states that right to reside and settle in, or move freely throughout, any part of the territory of India is only available to citizens of India”.

In Jammu, hearing the public interest litigation ( PIL) filed before the court by Advocate Hunar Gupta, Legal cell BJP, the High Court gave relief to the Rohingya Muslims for “time being” as Court deferred the decision on the PIL till the outcome of the proceedings before the Supreme Court.

I am surprised over the suggestions / sermons pouring in from a particular section in the Indian society, on Rohingyas which try to portray India & present regime in a bad picture without even thinking for a while that what catastrophe, it could bring in the coming years.

Please appreciate, in 2005, the Supreme Court of India had ruled that the Centre had not done its duty to protect Assam from external aggression due to IMDT Act, which encouraged rampant illegal migration from Bangladesh. Experience in Northeast has been very bad as over 30% people are immigrants and as a result the Indigenous people are losing their identities. Local monasteries and temples have been encroached upon. So drawing from our experience in North East, we shall not grant asylum or refugee status to anymore immigrants in India.

Last but not the least, in case of Jammu, complete registration of Rohingyas shall be set in motion to ascertain exact number of these refugees in each province separately. Most of them do not even have UNHRC cards & who so ever had, is already expired. Govt. of J&K shall advise all District Magistrates in a time bound manner, submission of details regarding all Illegal migrants in each district so that all can be deported safely back to Myanmar, once uncertainty clears up. New Delhi should develop a more comprehensive approach, which would enable the safe return of Rohingya from both India and Bangladesh. At the same time, India, Myanmar and Bangladesh join hands to see that radical Islamic groups are prevented from Infiltrating through Bangladesh to Rakhine.

India’s successful story of diplomacy in the present regime has been that regionally we have been able to isolate an obdurate and obstructive Pakistan through organisations like BIMSTEC. Resolving Rohingyas crisis with Myanmar, Bangaldesh will give boost to our “Act East” policy. Even though SAARC languishes, BIMSTEC should remain focus of India’s efforts for regional economic integration.