The Rohingya Issue: India needs to act firm and fast

NewsBharati    17-Oct-2017
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Lt Gen Raj Kadyan (Retd)
Former Deputy Chief of Army Staff

 
'Rohingya' today is a household word in India. Who exactly are the Rohingyas? They are a minority community living in the western Rakhine State of Myanmar. Majority of Rohingyas are Muslims. The Myanmar nationality law of 1982 does not recognize them as one of the eight "national races". Despite being able to trace Rohingya history to the 8th century, they are denied a chance of acquiring citizenship in Myanmar. This has rendered the Rohingyas 'stateless'. They are restricted from freedom of movement, state education, and civil service jobs. Besides, there are reports of the heightened level of military crackdowns against them. 'The UN Human Rights Watch' describes it as ethnic cleansing, calling it a 'crime against humanity' and even likening it to Apartheid. The Rohingyas have raised 'Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) as a Rohingya insurgent group in the northern Rakhine State.

Thus, persecuted and reportedly hounded by Myanmar's security forces, many Rohingyas are leaving the country. More than 9, 00,000 are known to have fled to other countries. Some 40,000 are reportedly in India, spread over several States. The number may be even larger and more are trying to sneak through. Most of them have come to India through Bangla Desh. The Rohingyas in India have no designated status. They are not considered as refugees by the internationally accepted norms. As of now, therefore, the Rohingyas in India are illegal migrants.

There are reports of some Rohingyas having links with Pakistan's ISI. According to a December 2016 report by the International Crisis Group, the ARSA is led by Ata Ullah, a Rohingya man who was born in Karachi, Pakistan. Considering the present Indo-Pak relations, where the ISI is known to be the key player in sponsoring terror attacks within India, this poses a serious threat. There are also media reports that many agents of Lashkar-e-Taeba, Al Qaida, and some other terrorist groups are mixed up as relief aid workers. They are reportedly planning to launch attacks inside Nagaland in northeast India. This is disturbing news. India is already grappling with the Pakistan-backed militancy along the western front. Having to confront a similar problem on the north-eastern front will add to the country's woes.

So, what should India do to resolve or tackle the Rohingyas' problem? There are two issues.

One is preventing more Rohingyas from entering the country. The second and more complex problem is dealing with those already in India. There has been considerable debate in the country and views seem polarised. There are those invoking humanitarian grounds and wanting India to help the displaced Rohingyas by allowing them to remain within the country. The opposite view is expressed by others who say no to Rohingyas on Indian soil because of security concerns.

Even the Supreme Court has been brought in through the PIL route. The issue is still sub-judice. No one can disagree that for a country, national security always occupies, and should occupy a pole position. Everything else becomes secondary when weighed against the needs of the country's security. Reliable intelligence inputs of Rohingyas' links with terror groups and particularly with the Pak ISI leave little wriggle room with the government to deal with the problem. India has a proud record on the humanitarian front and we need not look anyone with a guilty or a sheepish eye. Even in the present context, India is providing aid to Bangla Desh in view of the latter's additional economic burden in looking after Rohingya refugees. However, India is and should not be a parking ground for all displaced people, particularly those with potential for being a threat to the nation's security.

One respects the well-meaning intervention of the Hon'ble Supreme Court. However, while not questioning the sincerity of their intent, their concern in this context seems misplaced. Since provision of security to its nationals is a function of the executive, the latter must also have full, unshackled authority to decide on the action to be taken in the case of Rohingyas. Conceptually, responsibility and authority must always rest in one agency. Prima facie, our constitution is meant to safeguard the rights of the Indian nationals. Rohingyas being illegal migrants, and not having even a refugee status cannot invoke the Indian Constitution and claim any relief on this account. In fact, by having links with terror organisations their activities are likely to infringe on the rights of other Indians.

Even if not relevant to the context, we should learn from the experience of European countries that are suffering the consequences of their liberal immigration policies. There is no gainsaying that in the next few decades original European culture will make way for an alien way of life. The latter would literally swamp and control their entire policy-making and implementation functions. It will be colonisation in reverse.

India needs to act firm and fast. All border checks must be strengthened to ensure no fresh migration takes place into the country. In addition, those Rohingyas already inside our borders must be identified and deported back to Myanmar, or any other country willing to accept them. Let us remember India is for Indians and their safety and well-being must remain our prime concern. There will undoubtedly be voices from within and without, appealing to our innate humanitarian instincts and advising an empathetic view of the Rohingyas' problem. But our policies must be guided by our national interests in a pragmatic manner.