Centre to Supreme Court: Some Rohingya Muslims have links with Pak’s ISI, Islamic State

Source – indiatimes.com

NEW DELHI: The Centre told the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday it has intelligence inputs of links between some Rohingya Muslims+ and Pakistan’s ISI and the Islamic State, making them “a serious security threat to the country”.

The Centre further said in its affidavit in the SC that militant elements among the Rohingya are active in Delhi, Hyderabad, Mewar and Jammu. It added that it will place all intelligence inputs in a sealed envelope before SC on October 3 to prove its claim that Rohingyas are a security threat.

It added there is an “organised network of touts operating in Myanmar and West Bengal and Tripura to facilitate the influx of illegal Rohingya” refugees into India. The Centre said many Rohingya have “illegally” got voter identity cards and PAN cards, and some are “using the ‘hawala’ route to raise money for illegal activities”.

In its 15 page affidavit, filed in the SC on a plea by the Rohingya against their deportation, the Centre hinted that the SC shouldn’t interfere in executive policy dealing with illegal Rohingya migrants+ .

Still, there was an impressive line up of eminent lawyers present in the SC who appeared for the Rohingya refugees and against their deportation. They included Fali Nariman, Kapil Sibal, Rajeev Dhawan, Colin Gonsalves, Ashwani Kumar and Prashant Bhushan.

As well, the SC refused a plea to issue a notice to the National Human Rights Commission+ , which publicly supported the Rohingya Muslims and said it would argue against their deportation.

The Centre in its affidavit firmly argued for deporting the Rohingya refugees.

It contended that the organised Rohingya Muslim influx started in 2012 and added that there are around 40,000 such refugees in the country currently. It reiterated the home ministry’s comments that the “presence of illegal Rohingya Muslims in India is not only a drain on India’s resources but also a serious security threat to country.”

A plea filed in the SC by two Rohingya immigrants, Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir, who are registered refugees under the United Nations High Commission of Refugees, stated that their deportation “would be in contradiction with the Principle of Non-Refoulement, which has been widely recognized as a principle of Customary International Law”.

The Centre said on Monday that the right to residence is available to citizens and not illegal migrants like the Rohingya.

Meanwhile, the SC told the Centre to file by October 3 a further response to petitions filed in the top court by Rohingya refugees against their proposed deportation.

The apex court set October 3 as the next date for hearing the case.