Pakistan deeply concerned over killing, displacement of Rohingya Muslims

ISLAMABAD:  Pakistan has expressed its deep concerned over reports of growing number of deaths and forced displacement of Rohingya Muslims.

In the statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan has urged authorities in Myanmar to investigate reports of massacre, hold those involved accountable and take necessary measures to protect the rights of Rohingya Muslims.

The statement says such reports, if confirmed, are a source of ‘serious concern and anguish’.

“In line with its consistent position on protecting the rights of Muslim minorities worldwide, Pakistan will work with the international community in particular the OIC to express solidarity with the Rohingya Muslims and to work towards safeguarding their rights,” it further reads.

More than 73,000 Rohingya Muslims have crossed into Bangladesh in the last 10 days desperately trying to escape spiralling communal violence in Myanmar´s Rakhine state and bringing with them harrowing tales of rape and murder at the hands of the military and Buddhist mobs.

More than 2,600 houses have been burned down in Rohingya-majority areas of Myanmar’s northwest in the last week, the government said on Saturday.

The clashes and army crackdown have killed nearly 400 people.

The Rohingya are denied citizenship in Myanmar and regarded as illegal immigrants, despite claiming roots that date back centuries. Bangladesh is also growing increasingly hostile to Rohingya, more than 400,000 of whom live in the poor South Asian country after fleeing Myanmar since the early 1990s.