The Rohingya people, historically also termed Arakanese Indians, are a stateless Indo-Aryan people from the 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 a population of 51.4 million (2014 census) in Myanmar. The major religion is Buddhism followed by Christianity. In 1.2 million Rohingyas, Hindu Rohingyas are around 0.1 million.
Links with Terrorist Organizations
Rohingyas’ relationship with terrorist organizations goes back more than five decades. It has links with Al Qaeda and other networks in Afghanistan, as well as seminaries in Pakistan to feed its armed wing, the Rohingya National Army (RNA).
After the 9/11 attacks, U.S. troops found multiple videos of Al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan. Myanmar Jihadists were training with other militant organizations — this is well proven. Harakah al-Yakin (aka Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) has strong links with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which go 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 the attack, Nurul Avsar, was involved in methamphetamine smuggling at Shah Porir Dwip.
In 2013, Delhi Police interrogation of alleged RSO operative Khalid Mehmood, from the village of Yethwenkyawyng, revealed evidence that many Rohingya volunteers were trained in Pakistan to make ammonium nitrate–based explosives at Nakhpura.
Violence and Atrocities
Recently, a mass grave was discovered containing the bodies of 28 Hindus, including women and children, in violence-affected Rakhine State, killed by Muslim Rohingya militants. It was 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 that they cannot adjust with a one-lakh 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 that believes in mutual coexistence?
Pakistan’s Role and Security Concerns
Pakistan is, as usual, infamous for promoting such groups (Rohingyas) to destabilize SAARC countries. Disclosures have confirmed India’s worst fears that Pakistan-based terror groups have infiltrated the Rohingya and pose a grave threat to national security.
Inputs from security agencies indicate Rohingya involvement in illegal activities, including fund mobilisation through hawala channels, human trafficking, and procurement of fake Indian identity documents.
Rohingyas with militant backgrounds have been found active as far as Jammu, Delhi, Mewat, and Hyderabad.
Why Jammu? A Serious Question
A big surprise — and an element we all need to ponder — is that Rohingyas travelled almost 2,500 kms to reach Jammu. Who guided them to such a destination? They may not even have known where Jammu exists on the map of India before migrating — a big question we must ask ourselves and thoroughly investigate.
It’s a sure-shot conspiracy to derail the 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 hunting grounds for terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen, and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).
“There are intelligence reports to prove that the Rohingyas have links to the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda. They have also been trying to make their way to Jammu, which 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.”
Legal and Demographic Issues
Official registration of Rohingyas in Jammu is 5,700, but the unregistered number seems to be more than 15,000.
Jammu and Kashmir’s special status clearly says that they have no place in Jammu. Articles 370 and 35A bar land ownership and state voting rights; no one can be allowed to settle here — not even Indian citizens — but Rohingyas are staying.
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, there is a war cry among Kashmiri separatists and Kashmir-centric organizations in Jammu who always oppose granting them citizenship — yet these same people now say, “we will not let go Rohingyas from Jammu.”
What a double and dubious standard! And who are they to challenge the **