Daily Times

Pakistan has raised the issue of Rohingya Muslims’ plight at the platform of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Besides urging the government of Myanmar to take necessary measures to protect the basic human rights of the Rohingya Muslims, Foreign Affairs’ Adviser Sartaj Aziz said that Muslims must play an active role to help the Rohingya victims in these difficult times. One of the least wanted and most persecuted communities – the Rohingya – see no end to their sufferings in the near future. Settled in Burma during the British colonial rule, they are still considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The discriminatory attitude they have been facing in Myanmar for years has forced them to look for shelter in other parts of the world. In Burma, they face restrictions on movement, family size and jobs. Authorities consider them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, despite many living in ethnically diverse Burma for generations. In order to escape systematic violence and persecution in certain areas particularly Rakhine state of Myanmar, thousands of Rohingyas have tried to migrate to other neigbouring countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand by rickety boats. However, they were trapped by human smugglers and thousands were left stranded in the open sea to starve to death. It is one of the biggest human crises, while the other nations are playing the role of silent spectators. No efforts have been made by any state to force the Myanmar government to end its atrocities against the Rohingyas. The inaction of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) over their plight is condemnable. A lot more needs to be done at the international level to solve this humanitarian crisis.

Pakistan has taken a stand now against this injustice. The government has urged the world community to play its role in resolving this human tragedy. The nature of the crisis is more humanitarian than religious but the government and the legislators are giving it a religious tinge. We need to condemn such crimes on the basis of humanity and not just religion. Along with condemning the Myanmar government’s policies, the government needs to review its own discriminatory policies against various communities and ethnic groups in the country. A large number of citizens hailing from different religions, ethnic and minority communities are facing persecution in Pakistan. The government needs to end its hypocrisy over its treatment meted out to minority communities. It is high time that the government should discard its narrow vision and adopt a broad minded policy. Along with raising a voice and making efforts to end the sufferings of the Rohingya Muslims, the government should eliminate discriminatory policies against minorities living in our own country. *