Shehbaz terms Rohingya persecution ‘genocide’

Urges world to take action against human rights violation in Myanmar

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar represents the most ruthless genocide of a minority community in recent history.

Before leaving for the United Kingdom to visit Kalsoom Nawaz, his ailing sister-in-law who recently underwent surgery, Shehbaz urged the international community, the Muslim world and United Nations to take notice of the atrocities being committed against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and pressurise its government to act fast.

According to an official statement issued on Tuesday, the Punjab CM termed the crisis a “planned cleansing of Muslims” and wondered how the world can turn a blind eye to the plight of the Rohingyas.

Nearly 90,000 Rohingyas have flooded into Bangladesh in the past 10 days following an uptick in fighting between militants and Myanmar’s military in strife-torn western Rakhine state.

Massacres, communal violence and the systematic torching of villages by security forces, as well as by militants, have further amplified tensions, raising fears that the situation is spinning out of control.

Shehbaz, in his statement, called for renewed diplomatic efforts to pressure the Myanmar government to take action to protect the minority Muslims.

He further said that the condition of the Rohingya Muslims is a test case for international human rights organisations as well as religious leaders who should make sure that a massacre is not justified in the name of religion.

“No religion of the world sanctions violence and it is about time that the whole civilised world got together to protect their core values of humanity and interfaith harmony,” he concluded.

According to the CM Office, Shehbaz is likely to return in three days in London.  During his stay in London he will also meet with the local party leadership.

LCCI BEMOANS:

The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), while strongly condemning the massacre of Muslims in Myanmar, urged the government to convene an urgent meeting of all political parties to send out a strong message.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, LCCI President Abdul Basit and others said that Muslims in Myanmar were being burnt alive and beheaded. They termed all these acts heinous crimes, not only against the Muslims of Myanmar but against humanity.