ISLAMABAD: Senate on Monday strongly condemned grave crimes against Rohingya Muslims by groups of religious extremists at the behest of the government of Myanmar and urged the government of Pakistan to immediately take up the matter with UN Secretary General besides actively pursuing at OIC and other forums .
In a unanimous resolution moved by leader of the house Raja Zafarul Haq, the Senate termed these crimes and killings genocide against a peaceful community, who are being persecuted on grounds of race and religion.
“The Rohingya Muslims are being literally pushed into the seas, their houses burnt and demolished, their women being raped, their children, women and men butchered as part of an organized campaign of ethnic cleansing. Moreover, they are being denied their fundamental rights as nationals of a country where they have resided for centuries,”, the resolution said.
It further said, “The House is of the view that this is an issue of humanity, not merely one religion or ethnic group, and the international community as a whole must take firm and urgent notice of these serious and unprecedented violations of human rights since these are also a violation of the United Nations Charter, the UN Declaration of Human Rights, all international laws and covenants including the Convention of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), and Convention against the Torture (CAT).
The actions of the Myanmar government are a gross violation of established human rights norms since these violations exhibit a consistent and persistent pattern”.
International law considers these activities as a violation of fundamental human rights obligation, as the State of Myanmar is not merely failing to protect the Rohingya Muslims but promoting deliberate policies of ethnic cleansing, mass deportation and socio-economic deprivation of this beleaguered community.
The Senate urged the government of Pakistan to coordinate with other governments in the region and elsewhere for the protection of the rights of Rohingya Muslims including directly approaching the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The Senate also called for dispatching of relief provisions and financial support to the affectees.
