Rohingya Muslims endorse Pak-Saudi resolution in UNHRC

ISLAMABAD: The Rohingya Muslims on Tuesday unanimously endorsed the adoption of a resolution, jointly proposed by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on the behalf of Islamic countries, in the UN Human Rights Council in which the Myanmar government had been urged to protect the rights of all people in its territory, including the Rohingya Muslims.
The joint move once again had proven the positive role of closest-ever Muslim allies, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, for solving the humanitarian crises peacefully that Muslims of today were facing in the Arakan region of Myanmar, said a ‘Statement of Appreciation’ issued by the GRC and ARU, the umbrella group for Rohingya organisations around the world.
“On the behalf of Rohingya Muslims, the Arakan Rohingya Union (ARU) and the Global Rohingya Center (GRC) warmly welcome with deep gratitude to the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Government of Pakistan and members of the United Nations Human Rights Council on their tireless efforts for this noble cause,” Director General of ARU, Dr Wakar Uddin and President of GRC, Shiekh Abdullah Salamat Maruf, said in their joint message while endorsing the resolution.
The international community must take urgent steps for the protection of the rights of stateless Rohingya Muslims as due to the refusal of the Myanmar government to grant the citizenship, their freedom of movement and other basic human rights, including food andand health care, were being violated at a larger scale, they regretted.
Rohingya leaders voiced hope that the resolution would put diplomatic pressure on the Myanmar government to review the nationality law, which denied the right to citizenship of the Rohingya community since 1982 and to ensure that refugees and displaced persons would be able to return to their homes in cooperation with the international community.
“The positive role of Pakistan and the Kingdom could never be forgotten by the Rohingya Muslims struggling for their rights,” the statement, which was signed jointly by the President GRC and the Director General ARU, said.