Zahid Hussain, 45, and his family were the first Rohingya Muslims to make Jammu their home in 2009. They were followed by others, who came to escape persecution in Myanmar. Today there are over 1,500 registered Rohingya Muslim families in Jammu who are neither citizens of India, nor permanent residents of the state. Zahid, like most of the Rohingya refugees settled in Jammu, said that he has nothing to do with politics and moved purely for economic reasons. Most of the community are labourers and they get better wages in Jammu compared to other parts of the country.