THE ROHINGYA ISSUE NEEDS A BALANCED APPROACH
The human rights abuses by Myanmar’s authorities have forced tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee the country in the last five years. Given the contiguity of land borders, the majority of them entered Bangladesh. Some also fled to Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand in boats. Porous Indian borders were exploited to enter India as well. As per government figures, some 40,000 Rohingya are in India. While about 20,000 have settled down in the Jammu and Ladakh regions, the others have migrated to various parts of the country, including the National Capital Region (NCR).
Having been bled for almost three decades by Pakistansponsored terror groups, the government has understandably called the Rohingya presence a ‘security threat’. Intelligence agencies say they have credible evidence to prove that efforts are already on by the Islamic
State, Al Qaeda, ISI and Pakistanbased terror outfits to subvert members of this displaced community. The threat may be real even now—the arrest of
British national Samiun Rahman by Delhi Police on September
17 and his confessions reinforce the government’s claims that the Rohingya refugees have the potential to seriously vitiate our internal security canvas.
The Indian stand on deporting the
Rohingya is justified in the backdrop of its national security concerns. A stable and peaceful internal security environment is of ‘vital interest’ to all nations. However, as an emerging regional power, India is also expected to shoulder additional responsibilities and lead various initiatives of common interest. India’s approach, therefore, has to be multidimensional and balanced, one that allows us to not just safeguard our security interests but also showcase us as a responsible international player. It is imperative that—given the internal and external ramifications—there is greater coordination between the ministry of external affairs and the home ministry to effectively deal with the issue and ensure it does not acquire communal dimensions.
While national interests and security objectives are nonnegotiable, the fate of the 40,000 Rohingya in India should be decided based on the apex court verdict. The government’s decision to airlift relief material to help Bangladesh deal with the 400,000 refugees there augurs well for us and should continue with greater visibility. Meanwhile, there is a need to build international pressure on Myanmar to refrain from the use of excessive force. The international community should also collectively urge Myanmar to set up ‘safe zones’ for the Rohingya in the Rakhine state. Since the Myanmarese army still retains sweeping powers there, existing mechanisms for defence cooperation should also be optimally leveraged by all countries to further diplomatic initiatives on the issue. It’s about time the ‘Free Movement Regime’ along the IndiaMyanmar border, which allows free transborder movement of people from both sides up to a depth of 15 km, is revisited. This has been exploited by terrorists and other inimical elements to carry out illegal activities like gunrunning, currency racketeering, and drug and human trafficking. A fence, duly supplemented by effective surveillance and interception capabilities, must come up at the earliest to plug the porous border. As a nation, we citizens also have to become more security conscious. Isn’t it intriguing that Rohingya settlements have come up with impunity in and around the sensitive township of Jammu? It could well be a part of a sinister design, and as such needs to be investigated.
It is disheartening to note here that a national security interest is being politicised. There are other issues on which political parties can lock horns with the government, if necessary. Article 51 A of our Constitution, while laying down the fundamental duties, calls upon all citizens of India to ‘uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India and defend the country... when called upon to do so’. The greatest service any citizen can render is to remain wedded to the idea of national security interests. A nation that is on an upward trajectory cannot afford to ignore the nefarious designs of the ISI or terrorist groups in India. Therefore, while showing our humanitarian concern towards the displaced community, we would do well to ensure that our approach retains the primacy of national security interests.