BJP in dilemma over Jammu’s ‘demographic shift’;Kashmiri politicians, separatists sympathetic to Rohingayas; averse to WPRs

Aaryan Sharma
JAMMU: Despite remaining vocal in its opposition towards changing demography of the winter capital of Jammu at the behest of Kashmir based mainstream and separatist leaders the state unit of the BJP remains a divided house over the issue of rehabilitating Rohingaya/Bangladeshis.
In the past two years, the BJP, which is running an alliance government in the State with PDP, no such action has been initiated against the illegal refugees from distant land to repatriate them back.
Interestingly, the State Government is acting as mute spectator to the mushrooming growth of refugee population.
The situation is growing alarming with every passing day as Kashmir based political parties are deliberately extending them an olive branch in the name of rehabilitating them as they belong to the same religion as that of the majority population in the State.
On the other hand, the security experts are a worried lot as they see mushrooming growth of their temporary colonies on the outskirts of Jammu city might pose a security threat and the same may be exploited by the anti national elements to use as safe shelter points to carry out their nefarious designs.
In November, when a densely populated slum dwellings in Narwal were gutted in fire they turned out to be shelters of Rohingaya refugees settled in the State.
To take political mileage out of the fire tragedy, local politicians and sympathisers of these refugees pressurised the State Government to arrange safe shelter and ration for these victims of fire tragedy.
Though the State unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad slammed the government and the administration for providing all help to these nationals despite their ”illegal” occupancy at various locations in the winter capital the alliance partners remained aloof.
Ironically police and other security agencies do not seem much alarmed over increase in population of Bangladeshis and Myanmar nationals in the winter capital of the State.
Ground reports suggested that these refugees are even sending their children to study in local Madarassas run by clergy from their own land.
Young lawyer from Jammu Ankur Sharma while raising the issue of growing number of Rohingayas and Bangladeshi nationals claimed that the most unfortunate part is no one is aware about their credentials and policing is adversely affected as no one is sure how to frame them when they have been protected by the politicians sitting at the helm of affairs. He alleged that Kashmir based separatist leaders who are reluctant in case of extending rights to West Pak Refugees (WPRs) running the campaign through their proxies to shield these refugees and local BJP leaders are keeping their eyes shut and not doing enough leg work to relocate them to their native country