Consequent to eruption of militancy in Kashmir in late eighties and its extension to Doda District and Rajouri– Poonch in nineties migration of Hindu families to Jammu began. This was soon followed by migration of Muslims belonging to the militancy infected areas. Large number of Gujjar settlements also erupted all of a sudden close to International Border and around Jammu City.
Jammu is predominantly Hindu region but in the last decade or so, there has been a spike in the number of Muslims in the region, a majority being migrants and refugees. Jammu has now become the refugee capital of not only refugees from within the country but also International refugees. Illegal foreign migrants belong to Bangladesh and Myanmar first came into Jammu during the period 1998-2012 and have since then settled down in regularised colonies around the Hindu neighbourhoods. Many of them have even managed to acquire Citizenship and Voter Cards. Since these are illegal migrants, their figures are not included in the Census-2011. If their numbers are also added to the official figures, the increase in Muslim population will be even higher upsetting the demographic balance. As per government version 13,400 Myanmari and Bangladeshi migrants are living in Camps in Jammu. The actual figures are much more than the official figures.
As per official estimates there are 36,000 Rohingya refugees (from Myanmar) settled in seven states in India namely, UP, West Bengal, Andhra, Kerala, Assam, J&K and Delhi. Jammu and its adjoining areas have also become safe haven for illegal Bangladeshi migrants who were brought here in the nineties by unscrupulous contractors with the promise of migrating to Pakistan through the Jammu border. After repeated failed attempts to cross over to Pakistan, they gradually started to settle in Jammu. As per the government of India figures given in Rajya Sabha in November 2016, there were around 2 crore illegal Bangladeshi immigrants staying in India. Their exact number in J&K is not known but is guessed to be approximately 10,000. Since they have not been granted a refugee status and are not registered with UNHCR, they are all illegal. Majority of the male members work as skilled labour like electricians, plumbers, welders, guards, gardeners, black smith etc., while the female members work as domestic help generally with Muslim families. They speak Hindi fluently and have merged well with local population. They even migrate in summers to the Valley with well to do Muslim families, bureaucrats and police officers. Many of them have managed to obtain ration cards, voter cards, Adhar cards and Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC). They are suspected to be involved in crime as well as anti-national activities.
Implications of demographic change are manifold:
a. it will lead to increased influence of Hurriyat and other pro-separatist and pro-Pakistan elements in the communally sensitive Jammu region which has so far displayed maturity and tolerance;
b. assist in Pakistan’s design of portraying the entire state of J&K as disturbed and disputed; provide a trigger for communal violence;
c. Provide logistics assistance and rest and recoupment base for terrorists;
d. create a dormant terror network to be activated at an opportune moment.
Demographic shift in favour of a particular community having record of supporting anti-national elements can have an adverse impact on national security interests. One of the two foreign terrorists killed in South Kashmir in October last year was identified as a native of Myanmar; make the area vulnerable to “radicalisation”. A few notorious families also indulge in smuggling of bovines thus hurting the local sentiments and creating a sense of fear and panic among the locals through crimes and mafia like activities.
It is evident from the foregoing that silence of those who oppose any move of honourable return of Kashmiri Pundits to Valley, Sainik Colonies for veterans and issue of Domicile Certificate to West Pakistani refugees on the pretext of attempt to change the demography is not only perplexing but smells of communalism. If not addressed well in time it could become a communal flash point in the hitherto peaceful region. Jammu is fast emerging as a ‘Ticking Time Bomb’.
The writer is a Jammu based political commentator, columnist, strategic and security analyst. He can be contacted at [email protected].
