We have the right to decide our security policy: Arun Jaitley on Rohingyas

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday defended the government’s stand on Rohingya Muslims, saying every country has the right to decide on its security policy.

Reports quoted the Union Minister as saying that “every country will decide the course of action based on its foreign, security policy and balance of population”.

 Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan also voiced her support to the government over the issue. Speaking to reporters, she said that the country could not afford to give shelter to Rohingya Muslims.

This came hours after sources in the government told Zee Media about possible links between Rohingya Muslims and Pakistan-based terror outfits Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Al Qaeda. According to them, the terror outfits were making attempts to recruit young Rohingyas and train them in militancy.

Meanwhile, the Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that the “Rohingyas are a serious security threat (and are) staying illegally in India”.

Sources further said that the government has proof to link Rohingyas to Pakistan-based terror groups such as LeT, Al-Qaeda and so on.

Terror group Aqamul Mujahideen (AMM) is one of the main factors in establishing the connection between LeT and Rohingyas.

AMM, which allegedly has links with LeT, was the mastermind behind attacks on Myanmar border outposts last year. The group also has ties with Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) cell in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to intelligence agencies, AMM is a breakaway group from the Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami Arakan (HUJI-A), headed by Abdus Qadoos Burmi, a Pakistani national of Rohingya origin.

Reports also suggest that both terror groups have recruited new cadres from the Rohingya youth in Rakhine and refugee camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazaar. They believe that the AMM cadre was trained along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

These factors point towards Pakistan's interest in keeping Rakhine province on the boil to foil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Act East Policy.

The anchor of this policy is the Rs 29-billion Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project connecting Rakhine's capital Sittwe to India's landlocked Northeast region. Many believe that Sittwe has similar significance for India to reach Bay of Bengal, as Gwadar in Baluchistan in Pakistan has for China to connect its mainland to Arabian Sea, says a DNA report.