Cabinet passes resolution against Myanmar on Rohingya genocide

ISLAMABAD: The federal Cabinet on Thursday passed a resolution against Myanmar for Rohingya genocide.

The resolution stated that the government of Pakistan condemns the cold-blooded and callous genocide of innocent Rohingya Muslims, including women, children and even infants, under the direct patronage of state institutions of Myanmar.

The brutal and barbaric acts perpetrated against the unarmed civilian population not only constitute state terrorism, but also question the collective human conscience across nations and societies. These atrocities have also revealed the appalling hypocrisy of the democratic leadership of Myanmar.

“We call upon Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to take immediate steps to stop the atrocities being committed in Myanmar, where her party is in power,” the resolution said.

The resolution also called upon the United Nations (UN) to take the lead, which it must under its mandate, in stopping immediately the genocide of Rohingya Muslims by Myanmar.

Islamabad has urged the world to put pressure on Myanmar, where renewed violence has forced out tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims.

Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif says the Rohingyas’ plight is “a challenge to the conscience” of the world and that Pakistan was committed to providing humanitarian aid to them.

The ministry issued a statement containing Asif’s opening remarks at a conference of Pakistani diplomats on Thursday.

JI MOVES RESOLUTIONS IN PARLIAMENT:

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami’s members of the parliament have moved resolutions in the Senate and the National Assembly, condemning the brutalities being committed on the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar in gross violation of human rights.

The resolutions were tabled by JI Ameer Senator Sirajul Haq and JI MNAs Sahibzada Tariqullah, Sahibzada Muhammad Yaqub, Sher Akbar Khan and Aisha Syed, while drawing the attention of the Senate and the National Assembly towards the bloodletting of the Muslims in Myanmar.

It demanded prompt steps by the brother Muslim states and the UN and the human rights bodies for the security of the oppressed Muslims of Burma and provision of shelter for them.

The resolution stated that the issue of the Rohingya Muslims was the issue of the entire Muslim world, and the world community should unite to save them from the oppression of the Burmese army and the extremist Buddhists of the country.

Political parties and clerics have organised rallies across Pakistan to express their solidarity with Rohingyas and to condemn Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the reported massacres of Rohingya Muslims.

The government of Myanmar has counted 400 deaths and says most were “terrorists”.

The latest violence began on Aug 25 after insurgent attacks on police. The government forces retaliated with what they called “clearance operations”.

The United Nations says some 146,000 people have fled Myanmar into Bangladesh since August 25.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday that the World Food Programme is appealing for $11.3 million to support the influx of people and those already living in camps.

The UN agency has provided food to tens of thousands of people, with Dujarric describing women and children arriving there as “hungry and malnourished.”

Dujarric also said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “is continuing his diplomatic contacts regarding the situation in Myanmar.”

‘MYANMAR MUST ALLOW HUMANITARIAN GROUPS TO DISTRIBUTE AID IN RAKHINE’

Norway’s foreign minister called on Myanmar’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and her government to allow humanitarian groups to distribute aid in violence-wracked Rakhine state, deeming limits on their work “extremely serious.”

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende said on Wednesday that the Norwegian government is deeply concerned about escalating violence and the deteriorating humanitarian situation of the Rohingya. He said “all groups must show restraint,” but stressed that “authorities, under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi, have a particular responsibility to protect civilians from abuses, to stop the violence and to ensure humanitarian access.”

‘TURKEY WANTS A LASTING SOLUTION TO THE PLIGHT OF ROHINGYA’

According to officials, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s wife is heading to Bangladesh to oversee the distribution of aid to Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and to highlight the crisis.

Erdogan’s office said on Wednesday that Emine Erdogan will be accompanied by her son, Bilal Erdogan, the family and social affairs minister, and senior Turkish aid officials during her visit to Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is also scheduled to depart for Bangladesh and is expected to visit a refugee camp and oversee the delivery of aid. He said on Wednesday that Turkey wants a lasting solution to the plight of the Rohingya.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says his country wants a lasting solution to the plight of Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar. Cavusoglu spoke on Wednesday in Baku, Azerbaijan, before travelling to Bangladesh where he’s expected to visit a refugee camp for Rohingya and oversee the delivery of humanitarian aid.

He says Turkey will also deliver ambulances to Bangladesh to help it cope with the refugee flows, Cavusoglu said. Cavusoglu said Turkey was determined not to “abandon” Rohingya and said his visit would help determine steps that can be taken to improve their conditions.

He says: “God willing, together with the international community, a lasting solution can be found.”

BANGLADESHI PM ASKS OFFICIALS TO PREPARE A DATABASE WITH FINGERPRINTS FOR NEW ARRIVALS:

A Bangladeshi disaster management official says the country will set up a new camp to accommodate Rohingya Muslims who have arrived from Myanmar since August 25.

But Shah Kamal of the Ministry of Disaster Management did not say when the new camp would be ready. He said on Wednesday that the camp would be established in Tyingkhali, south of Cox’s Bazar district and near the established camp in Balukhali where more than 50,000 Rohingya have been sheltering since October.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked officials to prepare a database with fingerprints for the new arrivals.

Cox’s Bazar official Ali Hossain said the plans were still under discussion, and the government was coordinating with international agencies to handle the “very complicated” situation.

He said officials were visiting the area and, “if necessary, we will take 400 acres or more land for the new establishment. The Bangladesh government will take responsibility.”