PDCK opposes citizenship rights to Hindu Bangladeshis

From our Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR, Feb 3: The People’s Democratic Council of Karbi-Longri (PDCK) has strongly opposed the move of the Government of India to give citizenship rights to the Hindu Bangladeshis in Assam and said the organization would resist the move.

A meeting of the organization was held in an undisclosed location recently to discuss various problems and issues of the party. The meeting reportedly resolved to appoint Mir-ang Shir-ang as home secretary of the party central committee.

As per the statement mailed by JK Lijang, chairman of the PDCK, the meeting strongly condemned the Government of India’s plan to rehabilitate Hindu Bangladeshis in WeSEA region, including Karbi-Longri. It opined that the Government of India had violated the article no. 49 of the Geneva Convention of 1949 on the occupied territory by transferring and settling parts of its own civilian’s population and co-religious foreigners in Karbi-Longri.

Lijang said the article 49 laid down that the occupation power had a duty not to transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory occupied by it. Indian activities of transferring and settling their civilian population in occupied Karbi-Longri was gross violation of Intertiol Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law. He said the Indian Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 would be a threat to the indigenous people of Karbi-Longri as the Act granted Indian citizenship to the Bangladeshi Hindus and would allow them to settle in WeSEA region as well as Karbi-Longri.

The people of Karbi-Longri would be compelled to bear the intolerable burden of foreigners and population explosion, he said, adding that the PDCK was happy with the support they received from the people of Karbi-Longri for their cooperation in boycotting the Republic Day celebration. At the same time, Lijang appealed to the people of Karbi-Longri to protest against the Government of India’s crooked policy of transferring and settling their civilian population in Karbi-Longri. He also said that freedom could not be achieved by sitting quietly with folded hands.