Rohingyas settling in Jammu Can create an Assam-like situation

 

The demography of Jammu is changing in a big way. It seems that the city is fast losing the status of  being called the city of Temples, under a mischievous strategy of Kashmir-centric politicians, abated and supported by the government. If it will continue unabated like this it will not be far off when an Assam-like situation may, also, develop in Jammu because many times in the past concern about the vulnerability of the presence of Rohingyas in our state has been voiced. The base is already there and is being strengthened and nurtured by the government, headed by PDP All this is done under the nose of their coalition partner BJP which was once considered the caretakers and well wishers of the Jammu region, and which virtue they have lost now.

The influx of other people in Jammu has made the locals insecure. The illegal settlements of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis at various strategic locations like near army installations, railway stations, airports are under a well-planned strategy and the worst part is that everything is supported by the government and other NGOS which are hell bent upon changing the demography of Jammu.

People across the Jammu region, including lawyers of the Jammu Bar Association and civil society, are agitating. They had called a bandh recently over various issues. They demand deportation of Rohingyas from Jammu and besides other issues ranging from handing over of the Kathua rape-and-murder case to the CBI and BJP and urging Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for taking back her order on the tribal issue The Rohingya issue is now a national issue because these Rohingyas are spread all over India, mostly in NCR J&K Hyderabad, Haryana, UP and various other states across India and some NGOs are fighting for their nights in the Supreme Court They want facilities like education, health care etc for them and want the govemment to direct the forces at the borders not to stop or create problems when they come to the border for coming over to this side. It simply means that they should be allowed to enter India without any resistance. Rather, facilities should be provided to them to come to this side .

Now, about the trouble of Assam and how it started. At the heart of that trouble is an "infiltration by outsiders which has led to ethnic tension between the state's indigenous population and Bengali migrants. Changing demography, loss of land and livelihood and intensified competition for political power has added a deadly potency to the issue of who has a right to Assam. After the 1983 elections, India's government tried to placate local sentiments by signing an accord with the All Assam Students Union (AASU) in 1985 which was leading the campaign against the migrants. The accord promised to disenfranchise migrants who came after 1966 for a period of 10 years, after which they would be included in electoral rolls. Assamese described the 1985 accord as a "betrayal and decided to wage an armed campaign against India. The migrants and their descendants have also become more assertive with the formation of the Assam United Democratic Front which seeks to protect the rights of minorities and their periodic ousting from settlements through violence The Front, led by a religious leader Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, has increased its tally in the state legislature over the last two state elections In 2011, it emerged as the main opposition to Assam's ruling Congress party, winning three times the number of seats won by the regional Assamese parties.

In this light it appears that such type of things are getting shaped in Jammu also. Time may come soon when it will be a vote bank and political parties will promise them proper rehabilitation. They will find a place in legislatures and will claim rights and facilities equal to state subjects which are not even applicable to those who are living in J&K for more than 70 years.

Police do not have a complete list of these illegal Rohingyas and have tried hit-and-trial methods. Whenever there is an illegal activity taking place in these areas, they wake up and punch the wrong keys. They have some genuine problems as these illegal immigrants are seems to be much stronger than the national bond enjoying the local support of a particular community and all Kashmir-based parties, including PDP a ruling party which extends all the support, impossible as well as possible, for their rehabilitation with the ulterior motive which makes the job of police a difficult one.

Earlier, the Central Government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that the Rohingyas are illegal immigrants and not refugees Now, it is clear that these Rohingyas are to be deported outside India as early as possible People and leaders, who advocate their case on international human rights conventions and norms, forget that they become hypersensitive on selective basis and ignore when their own people in their country face human rights violation. When the Rohingya issue came up, the entire Muslim world stood by them. On the one Muslim State hand they show solidarity with them on the basis of religion, but they close their doors for them. This is hypocrisy. These leaders should understand that nobody did talk about Kashmiri Pandits when they were thrown out of their homes by the radicalised Islamists in a secular and democratic country.

Now the question is why there is so much noise on Rohingyas and silence for other communities Why do other people living as refugees in India remain unheard by their own people? Why does the blood of these so-called human right activists boil for selective people who are not even the residents of our country whereas they remain silent spectators to the agony and sufferings of their own countrymen? It seems that the religious bond seems to be much stronger than the national bond.

The plea filed by Rohingyas that they had taken refuge in India after being persecuted in their own country is baseless. There are two aspects of the Rohingya problem: First, it is not true that they have been discriminated or persecuted. Secondly, why should we bear the brunt of refugees from Myanmar?

Rohingyas are people from the Rakhine State of Myanmar who reside mainly in northern Arakan Township During the Pakistan movement in the 1940s. Rohingyas, in western Myanmar, organised a separate movement to merge the state with East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh) Rohingyas founded the Mujahid Party as a Jihadi Movement in Northern Awaken in 1947 The aim of the Mujtahids Party was to make Arakan an autonomous

A strange feature is that Kashmir-centric politicians and separatists are extending all the help to these refugees and it was recently reported that these Rohingyas are now in a position to form groups and approach the local politicians who extend their support of all kinds including people. The PDP party is ready to raise their issue and accompany them to DIG police to see that their people are protected and no action, as per law of the land, is taken against them.

It is high time for the Government to tackle this issue on priority without wasting any time before it escalates to a point at which there is no return.

(The writer is a social activist and political analyst)

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Courtesy:-  Ravinder Jalali  and Koshur Samachar 2018, July