Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday questioned the Centre what the position of Rohingya refugees in India was and demanded to know why the Union home ministry changed its position after Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted that Rohingya refugees would be relocated to flats constructed for the economically weaker sections (EWS) in Delhi.
Speaking to the media on Thursday in New Delhi, the MP from Hyderabad noted that although India has approved the Convention Against Torture, it has not yet accepted the non-refoulment policy, which ensures that no refugee or asylum seeker will be forced to return to a country where they would face torture or other cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment.
Owaisi said it was about time Prime Minister Narendra Modi developed a policy on Rohingya and other refugees, citing data from the UN Human Rights Council from August 2020 that indicated there were 18,114 Rohingya living as refugees in the nation.
However, Union Minister had stated that the Rohingya would receive basic necessities, UNHCR identification cards, and 24-hour police protection.
“The Union Minister, who has served as a decorated officer in the Indian Foreign Service and has represented the country at the United Nations, had clear-cut concurrence with his government when he made the announcement. What invisible hand later forced the Ministry of Home Affairs to issue a contradictory statement?” Owaisi questioned.
