Rohingya Muslims expressed gratitude to Pakistan

Lahore: Global Rohingya Center (GRC), a representative body of Rohingya Muslims, which recently announced to open its Secretariat in Pakistan, has expressed gratitude to the Pakistan’s Permanent Representative in the UN, Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, saying that it is a matter of great satisfaction for Burma Muslims that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has unanimously approved a Pakistani proposal, presented by her, to solve the Rohingya crises.

In a thanking letter to her, Abdullah Salamat Maruf, President of Global Rohingya Center, has said that the approval which was given at the UN Headquarters in New York during the ambassadorial-level meeting on Rohingya community on the request of Pakistan’s Ambassador to UN, truly shows Pakistan’s leadership role and commitment for resolving this humanitarian crises.

“The Global Rohingya Center assures full cooperation to the proposed delegation of the OIC group at the UN for meeting Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and to express serious concern over the oppression of Rohingya Muslims,” theRohingya leader said, mentioning the plight of Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar, who are being literally pushed into the sea, their houses burnt and demolished, their women being raped, and their children and elders being killed as part of organized campaign of ethnic cleansing.

Shiekh Abdullah Maruf recommended that the OIC delegation must discuss with the UN Secretary General to provide unrestricted access to Rakhine State for the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, and representatives from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), humanitarian organizations and independent observers, and means of national and international media.

“Global Rohingya Center supports the statement of Ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, in which she has said that the root cause of the Rohingya problem lay in the persistent denial of their fundamental human rights and liberties, including the right to citizenship,” he said, adding that Global Rohingya Center appeals for implementing the UN Resolution No. 238/64 and the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2012 to provide equal protection under the law for all ethnic nationalities in Myanmar, including the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State.

Global Rohingya Center also appeals to the Government of Pakistan for keep urging the international community to put diplomatic pressure on Myanmar Government for amending the 1982 Citizenship Law to reduce statelessness and ensure that Rohingya Muslims have equal access to citizenship rights, and applying Nationality Act of 1982 in accordance with Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to acquire a nationality.

“We believe that Pakistan would play more proactive role to motivate the international community for increasing all forms of assistance to the Rohingya migrants on humanitarian bases; including: enacting a coordinated international action plan to put an end to the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and trafficking of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, ensuring the impartial delivery of humanitarian aid, and providing financial and technical support, and advocacy to human rights defenders in Myanmar in order to strengthen local responses to human rights violations,” Rohingya leader Abdullah Maruf concluded.