Rohingyas in India and terror threat: How jihadi forces may have infiltrated persecuted Muslims of Myanmar

According to the central government estimates, around 40,000 Rohingyas may be living in India illegally. They have arrived in the country through porous India-Myanmar and India-Bangladesh borders in separate batches since 2012-13.

Rohingyas are an ethnic group of Rakhine province of Myanmar. The Myanmar government does not recognise them as original inhabitants of the country and have declared a large section of Rohingyas as non-citizens. The Rohingyas started fleeing their country following clashes with Buddhist population and persecution by the police and military.

Depending on differing estimates of the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Centre, there could be 6,000 to 10,000 Rohingyas living in Jammu, where their presence has become the subject of hot debate.

SUPPORT FROM SEPARATISTS, MILITANTS

While the central government has stated categorically that it is in favour of deporting Rohingyas living in the country illegally, the separatist leaders of the Kashmir Valley today called a protest march against alleged "persecution" of Rohingya Muslims to show solidarity with them. The protests turned violent at several places.

Earlier, Head of Al-Qaeda's offshoot Ansar Gazawat-ul-Hind in Kashmir, Zakir Musa expressed solidarity with Rohingyas living in Jammu. In a 10-minute-long audio clip, Zakir Musa warned the Narendra Modi government against deporting Rohingyas from India.

The support for Rohingyas from separatists and Al-Qaeda offshoot's has made the government's case of deportation of the illegal refugees stronger. The government has already said that the presence of such a vulnerable population in the country poses security risks to the country.

Yesterday, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi said that it was a problem for her government to sifting terrorist from innocent citizens. Likening terrorism in Kashmir with Rohingyas problem, Suu Kyi said, "Because (there is) a large Muslim community in India and in places like Kashmir, you had this trouble of sorting out the terrorists from the innocent citizens and all those who are not involved in the terrorist movement at all. So we have the same problem."

TERROR LINKS OF ROHINGYAS

Around October last year, reports surfaced that a Rohingya terror group, known as Aqa Mul Mujahideen (AMM) was in touch with terrorist outfits active in Jammu and Kashmir including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

It was reported that AMM emerged from Harkat-ul Jihad Islami-Arakan (HuJI-A) in Myanmar. The terrorists of the AMM were said to be trained in Pakistan. The AMM had been held responsible for bombing in border regions of Myanmar.

There were also reports that Rohingya terrorists were being sent to Kashmir Valley along with Pakistani mercenaries. One Chotta Burmi of Rohingya ethnic group was killed in an encounter Kashmir in 2015. Burmi was said to have received patronage of Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan.

Myanmar government, on its part, has maintained that jihadi elements caused conflicts between Rohingyas and Buddhists in Rakhine province. Some reports blamed a terror attack on Myanmar border police last year on a militant group called Harakah al-Yakin, better known as the Faith Movement.

The Faith Movement was formed by Mecca-based Ata Ullah after 2012 riots between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists. The Faith Movement is said to be working in coordination with the AMM led by Havistoohar, who is said to have received a six-month training by the Taliban in Pakistan.

THE AL-QAEDA CONNECTION

In 2013, Al-Qaeda was reported to be setting eyes on the northeast India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka to expand its base. Interestingly, Al-Qaeda is said to have been founded by the Inter-Services Intelligence at Peshawar in 1988 after the USSR withdrew from Afghanistan and the Kashmir insurgency plan had been given shape by it.

Al-Qaeda terrorist Ustad Farooq, a Pakistani national was entrusted to job to recruit from Rohingya Muslims, who were by that time fleeing their country following clashes and police action. Around that time, Assam intelligence reports said that jehadi forces including ISIS were attracting Assamese and Myanmarese youths.

HAFIZ SAEED AND ROHINGYAS

While Rohingyas started to flee from Myanmar, they went in several directions. A large number of Rohingyas landed in Indonesia, where hundreds of refugee camps cropped up. Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) - the other name of the LeT - has been active in those camps for about five years.

JuD carried out humanitarian work by distributing food, clothes, blankets and medicines in the Rohingya camps. But, its humanitarian work is said to be its "talent hunt" for potential jihadis. It is suspected that Hafiz Saeed has recruited tens of jihadis from among the displaced Rohingyas.

The intelligence agencies suspect that increasing concentration of Rohingyas in Jammu and Kashmir could be part of JuD and Kashmiri militant groups to keep them in "their area of influence". Some of Rohingya militants are suspected to be active in the Kashmir Valley.

OTHER REFUGEES IN INDIA

Traditionally, India has been lenient with refugees fleeing their countries in the times of crisis. More than 1,20,000 Tibetan refugees live in India. When they started fleeing Tibet in late 1950s and early 1960s, the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru promised all assistance during their stay in India.

A Tibetan government in-exile operated from McLeodganj in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. Karnataka also allotted land for Tibetan refugees. Around 60,000 Afghan refugees came to India after Russian invasion. Govt allowed UNHCR to continue its programme.

The largest number of foreigners illegally living in India is those of Bangladeshi nationals. There is no correct estimate about the exact number of Bangladeshi nationals living in India. Since 2001, varying estimates have been given by the government ranging from 30 lakh to 2 crores.

There are about 10,000 Sri Lankan refugees living in India. Even though, the government does not have a law to provide protection or shelter to refugees, there are 107 camps in Tamil Nadu and one in Odisha for Sri Lanka refugees.

In 2015, government granted citizenship to about 4,300 Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Around 400 Hindus from Pakistan are still living in India as refugees.

But, with Rohingyas, the Narendra Modi government senses bigger security risk than presented by the earlier refugees.

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