Dhaka explains Rohingya exodus to New Delhi
Bangladesh's High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali yesterday apprised Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar of the humanitarian situation that followed the exodus of a large number of Rohingyas from Myanmar.
During the hour-long meeting at Jaishankar's office in Delhi, Ali explained how Rohingya refugees who had fled to Bangladesh to escape persecution in Myanmar's Rakhine province put pressure on limited resources of the country, according to diplomatic sources.
Sheltering them in a small geographical area is causing a severe strain on Dhaka, and the situation would worsen if the pace of the exodus increases in the coming days, Ali told Jaishankar.
The meeting, part of Dhaka's international diplomatic campaign on the Rohingya issue, was an effort by Bangladesh to get India by its side in handling the crisis, diplomatic sources said.
It took place a day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned from his first bilateral state visit to Myanmar.
During his stay in Nay Pyi Daw and talks with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Modi backed the Myanmar government in the fight against “extremist” violence in Rakhine.
Meanwhile, Indian Federal Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi yesterday said, "I do not think we will be able to give any relaxation to them [Rohingya] when their nation has refused to keep them."
The matter is pending with the Supreme Court and the government is also looking into it, PTI quoted Naqvi as having said at a “Parliamentarian Conclave” in eastern Indian city of Patna.
The SC on September 4 sought the view of the government on a petition challenging its decision to deport Rohingya migrants to Myanmar. The hearing on the matter will be held tomorrow.
India's Junior Minister for Home Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said the Rohingya people were illegal migrants and so should be deported.
Most of the Rohingya refugees in India have settled in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan states and Delhi and its adjoining areas.
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