Time india framed a refugee policy

Time india framed a refugee policy

The government needs to put its proposed plan to “identify, arrest and deport” Rohingyas on hold. Blanket national security considerations cannot be the reason for deporting some 40,000 people who have escaped persecution.
India, with its long tradition of providing a safe haven for the persecuted, whether Tibetans or minorities from neighbouring nations, must put in place a legal framework for refugees that is transparent and compassionate while being alive to national security concerns.
As Europe accepts a flood of refugees, does would-be United Nations Security Council member India want to present the counter-example?
The Rohingyas, an ethnic Muslim minority in Myanmar, are among the world’s worst persecuted. They have been systematically disenfranchised, many of them physically attacked and driven out of their homeland. Their plight is no better than that of minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, whose have found safe haven in India. As a country that abides by the principles of democracy, New Delhi cannot differentiate between persecuted groups on the basis of religion.
Since India does not have a refugee policy, the government must respond to their humanitarian crisis, and respond on the basis of a determination of the persecution that surely awaits the Rohingyas once deported to Burma.
It is time for India to move away from its ad-hoc approach to the refugee question. The government must codify the rights and duties of refugees, the services that the state will provide, and a process that takes on board considerations of national security.
India must sign the 1951 UN Refugee Convention on the Status of Refugees and ensuing 1967 protocol. India is the beacon of democratic hope and a rule-based nation in the region. Stable government and institutions, a growing economy and adherence to the rule of law makes India a land of hope and safety for the persecuted. India, which sees itself as a global power, needs to acknowledge its place in the region, and ensure that it has the institutions and legal framework to deal with refugees, who look to India for safety.