Rohingyas weren’t security threat before 2014, says Omar Abdullah
JAMMU: Reacting to the Centre’s submission before the Supreme Court that it sees Rohingya refugees as a potential security threat for the country, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, on Monday said that the Centre’s stand is a post-2014 phenomenon.
On his Twitter handle Omar wrote: “This threat, at least in J&K, is a post 2014 development. No such intelligence reports ever came up for discussion in Unified HQ meetings.”
On Monday, the Centre claimed before the apex court that many Rohingya refugees have links with the global terror outfit Islamic State as well as Pakistan’s spy agency ISI.
It further argued that allowing them to stay in India will pose a security threat to the country.
It is estimated that there are approximately 7,000 Rohingyas in Jammu and Kashmir. to Omar’s tweet, Union minister Jitendra Singh said, “We have every reason to trust the home minister of India (on Rohingyas) rather than pay attention to some stray tweet.”
He added that after the Union home minister Rajnath Singh has spoken about Rohingyas, “there is nothing left to add to it”.
“There is no need to pay any attention or heed to some stray voices or stray tweets which neither carry authentication, nor accountability,” Singh said.
He added that if we trace the chronology of events, the Rohingyas began settling in Jammu region nearly a decade ago.
“back then, the state was ruled by the Congress-national Conference coalition. Many people in J&K believe that these parties conveniently facilitated the illegal settlement of Rohingyas, in the hope that they will obtain voter ID and vote for them.”
WEST PAKISTAN REFUGEES UNHAPPY However, Omar’s concerns about the Rohingyas has not gone down well with refugees from West Pakistan who, despite having settled in J&K since 1947, have been denied citizenship rights.
They argue that parties based in Kashmir have never voiced their concerns appropriately.
Labha Ram Gandhi, chairman of West Pakistan Refugees Action Committee 1947, alleged that Rohingyas are being settled in the region to change its demographic profile.