Skip to main content

Rohingya have links with terror outfits, ISI: India

Rohingya have links with terror outfits, ISI: India

NEW DELHI: The Indian government told the country’s top court on Monday that the Muslim Rohingyas who have fled Myanmar are a serious security threat as they have links with terrorist organisations in Pakistan and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The Indian government sought to justify moves to deport up to 40,000 of the refugees. Mukesh Mittal, a senior home ministry official, said the Supreme Court must let the government to take a decision in Indian interests because of Rohingyas’ links to extremist groups.
The case is being heard as Bangladesh struggles with more than 410,000 Rohingyas who have flooded across the border since August 25 when the military in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim group.
Countries across the region fear they will feel the fallout from the crisis. "Some of the Rohingyas with militant background are also found to be very active in Jammu, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mewat and have been identified as having a very serious and potential threat to the national security of India," Mittal said in a written submission to the Supreme Court.
The statement highlighted the "serious potential" for an "eruption of violence against the Buddhists who are Indian citizens staying on Indian soil". It also said the government had intelligence indicating links between Rohingya refugees and Islamic State and other extremist groups.
Rohingya community leaders have denied any link with Islamist extremism. The statement came in response to a petition filed at the Supreme Court challenging a government decision to deport the Rohingyas, many of whom have been in India for the past decade.
Many experts have questioned where India could send the Rohingyas. Human Rights Watch urged India, the world´s biggest democracy, to follow the international principle of non-refoulement which prohibits sending back refugees to a place where their lives are in danger.
"India should not be behaving like the abusive Myanmar government," said HRW’s South Asia Director Meenakshi Ganguly. "There should be no collective punishment. If there is credible evidence of militancy against individuals that should be brought before the court," she said.
The United Nations says there are 16,000 registered Rohingya in India, but many more are undocumented. The government puts the figure at 40,000. About 7,000 of them live in shanties in India’s Jammu region in the Himalayas where they say they have faced hostility from the majority Hindu community there.
The government of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi said last month it had asked state authorities to identify and deport Rohingya living in their territory. It says the Rohingya cannot use the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees since India was not a signatory to either.
Lawyer Prashant Bhushan, representing the Rohingya at the Supreme Court hearing, said the Indian constitution "provides equal rights and liberty to every person" including non-citizens. Myanmar claims the community is illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship.
The stateless Rohingya have been fleeing Myanmar for decades. The latest exodus began after Rohingya militants attacked police posts in Rakhine state on August 25 triggering a military backlash. The UN has said the army action could amount to ethnic cleansing.
Mohammad Salimullah, one of the two Rohingya petitioners, said the authorities in New Delhi had always been helpful so he was hopeful the court would support the refugees. "In the five or six years that we have been here, we have never felt that we are foreigners here nor have we ever felt any kind of fear," Salimullah said ahead of the case.
While Bangladesh has been the main destination for Rohingya over the years, some have ended up in India and Nepal. There are also some in Pakistan. The hearing will continue next month.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Unique home that sits on US-Canada border

Unique home that sits on US-Canada border TORONTO: Selling a home in two countries is proving to be a challenge for the owners as it requires security clearance from both Canada and the United States. A 1782 fixer-upper with thick granite walls, 1950s decor, and armed 24-hour security provided by both two big countries are one of the major attractions for the buyers. The almost 7,000-square-foot house, cut into five currently vacant apartments, is on a lot of less than a quarter-acre that, along with the building itself, straddles the border between Beebe Plain, Vermont, and Stanstead, Quebec. The structure that has an estimated rebuild cost of about $600,000, is on the market for $109,000. It's structurally sound but needs lots of work. An inside view shows tape on the floor upstairs to indicate which side belongs to Canada and the United States. The house was originally built by a merchant in order to facilitate sales to farmers in both Vermont and Quebec. It ...

Here is why PM Abbasi won’t go skydiving

Here is why PM Abbasi won’t go  skydiving   NEW YORK: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi says he was fond of skydiving but now he is too old to undertake the adventure.  Prime Minister who is currently in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly gave his first international media interview to the CNN. The interview was primarily based on Pakistan and US strained relations; however it ended on a rather amusing note when PM was asked about his interest in skydiving. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told that he is a pilot and stayed in the profession for over 40 years. PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi sitting in the rear cockpit of F-16 aircraft in full flying gear The prime minister talked about his love for adventures and skydiving in particular. Asked whether he would want to do it in future holidays or not, the premier answered that he has become old for this adventure. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi who also owns a private airline ‘Air Blue’, become the prime...

Baloch nationalist leader Ghazeen Marri ends self exile, arrested in Quetta

Baloch nationalist leader Ghazeen Marri ends self exile, arrested in Quetta QUETTA: Baloch nationalist leader Nawabzada Ghazeen Marri was arrested from Quetta Airport as he arrived in  Pakistan ending his 17  self-exile. Ghazeen Marri, son of veteran Baloch nationalist leader Kharbakhsh Marri, returned home from the United Arab Emirates through private airline and was taken into custody at the airport upon his arrival. Balochistan Home Minister  Sarfaraz Bugti dispelled the notion that the return of Nawabzada Ghadeen Marri was part of any deal, saying the Baloch leader would be presented before a court to get remand.  According to police officials, Marri was arrested in the murder case of Justice Nawaz Marri who was killed on January 7, 2000. Strict security arrangements were made in the provincial capital ahead of his arrival. Arbab Tahir, lawyer for Ghazeen Marri, termed the arrest as illegal since  his client was granted protective bai...