Amid the ongoing debate among political parties about the fate of foreigners living illegally in the highly sensitive Jammu region, a two-member team of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) met Rohingya Muslims in the Kiryanai Talab area of the Narwal of Jammu city.
Reports said that Senior Protection Officer Tomoko Fukumura along with Protection Associate Ragini Trakroo Zutushi met the Rohingya Muslims and some residents in the Kiryani Talab area of Narwal. The head of the team returned to Delhi on Wednesday evening as their attempt to meet some police officials failed.
This visit of the UNHRC team to meet Rohingya Muslims is important because an intense debate has already started in Jammu and Kashmir over the settlement of these foreigners illegally living in some sensitive areas.
The debate started over their settlement when, on the directions of security agencies, the local administration announced to snap the power and water supply in the areas where these foreigners have been living.
On December 7, Jammu and Kashmir Jal Shakti Minister Javed Ahmed Rana said the water supply would not be snapped to the slums housing the immigrants, pending a call from the Centre on their deportation.
J&K BJP leaders call for immediate deportation of Rohingyas
Chief spokesman of J&K BJP Sunil Sethi on Wednesday called for the immediate deportation of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis residing in the Jammu region.
Describing them as “illegal intruders” and “supporters of anti-national elements,” the BJP observed that their presence poses a grave threat to the region’s security, stability, and law and order.
Addressing a press conference at Jammu, Sethi alleged that members of these migrant communities had illegally participated in the Urban Local Bodies elections, thereby compromising the democratic process.
“Evidence has emerged of their involvement in casting votes, which is not only illegal but also a dangerous precedent,” he said. Sethi further accused these groups of engaging in organized criminal activities, including drug trafficking, which he claimed were destabilizing the region.
The BJP leader also criticized Jammu and Kashmir’s former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his humanitarian stance towards the Rohingyas and Bangladeshis.
“A misplaced sense of humanitarianism should not override the safety and security of our people,” Sethi remarked.
Farooq calls for a humane approach to dealing with Rohingyas
On Tuesday, former Chief Minister and National Conference president Dr. Farooq Abdullah called for a humane approach to dealing with Rohingyas. He strongly advocated that the migrants should not be left to suffer from hunger and cold.
He had urged the central government to clarify its stance on the status of these migrants and emphasized that they should either be deported or allowed to stay with proper safeguards to ensure their humane treatment.
Dr. Abdullah said it is the responsibility of the Jammu and Kashmir government to provide basic amenities like water and electricity to Rohingya refugees residing in the region.
“The Government of India brought the refugees here. We did not bring them. They have settled them here, and as long as they are here, it is our duty to provide them with water and electricity. This is our responsibility,” Abdullah told reporters during a visit to Kathua.
Congress calls for dealing with Rohingyas per international conventions
The Congress Party, on the other hand, called for dealing with the Rohingya refugees in Jammu following international conventions and law.
J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra said that curtailing basic amenities to them was tantamount to a criminal act. “There are clear-cut international conventions about the refugee issues that must be followed as far as the Rohingyas residing in Jammu are concerned. The basic amenities for them should not be curtailed, as such a step amounts to a criminal act,” he said.
Over 13,700 foreigners settled in Jammu
According to government data, more than 13,700 foreigners, most of them Rohingyas (illegal immigrants from Myanmar) and Bangladeshi nationals, are settled in Jammu and other districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Their population increased by over 6,000 between 2008 and 2016.
In March 2021, police found over 270 Rohingyas, including women and children, living illegally in Jammu city during a verification drive and lodged them at a holding center inside the Kathua sub-jail.