On 1st Oct , the Centre approved the setting up of two immigration checkpoints along India’s borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh in order to check the influx of Rohingya refugees into the country. Intelligence units welcomed the move, citing the mushrooming of Rohingya camps in areas close to Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the these camps if allowed to flourish would become the hunting ground for terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). They have also been trying to make their way to Jammu and that is extremely dangerous because there is a huge risk of them being inducted into terror camps in Kashmir, which will only worsen the Kashmir problem. The separatists in Kashmir, officials added, have already agreed to granting asylum and financial support to the Rohingya Muslims. The separatists in Kashmir have already pledged financial support to the Rohingyas. This already has intelligence units on tenterhooks because this kind of support is incentive enough for the Rohingyas to want to make their way to Kashmir because the northeast insurgent groups will not allow them to flourish in the north-eastern region,” the officer added.

Viewpoint

The Rohingya crisis is unfolding at a time when militant outfits in J&K are repeatedly facing defeat at the hands of security forces. Since it is unlikely that Rohingyas, would find asylum in the northeast, as insurgencies in the region are based on tribal alliances they would therefore be directed to J&K were they are being lured for own vested interests by Separatists.  The possibility of Rohingya's  being exploited by terror groups of Pakistan and Separatists in J&K cannot be overruled and intelligence reports suggest the same.   Indian government’s is still reeling from issues like smuggling of drugs, human trafficking, illegal vote bank and other criminal and terrorist activities (in its eastern borders) from its past experience of having permitted Bangladeshi migrants into the country. The possible Rohingya - Kashmiri nexus is envisaged as a bigger threat, which has the potential to de stabilize the present calm in the state. Therefore measures adopted by the Indian government to tackle this issue deliberately (pressurising Myanmar to recall, providing relief supplies - Op Insaniyat) keeping the humanitarian angle in mind are in favour of the local populace of  J&K.