Courts boycotted, protests staged to draw attention to plight of Myanmar’s Rohingyas

KARACHI: The city’s legal fraternity representing the Karachi Bar Association (KBA), the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) and other lawyers’ bodies boycotted court proceedings on Tuesday as a mark of protest against the killings of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and demanded of the Pakistani government to play an effective role to stop the state-sponsored persecution.

The KBA lawyers also held their general body meeting and passed a resolution condemning the brutal killings of Muslims in Myanmar. The meeting decided to send the resolution to the United Nations, the Myanmar government and other international human rights organisations.

The KBA lawyers also organised a protest rally from the City Courts building to MA Jinnah Road. The rally participants chanted slogans against the killings and demanded of the Myanmar government to treat the violators of human rights with iron hand.

Addressing the rally, KBA President Naim Qureshi and SHCBA President Shahab Sarki lamented that Muslim rulers all over the world were largely silent and unmoved over the killings of Rohingya Muslims.

Qureshi said there was a time when Muslim rulers had a sincere and humanist approach towards the victims of injustices but today’s rulers had lost that commitment to help the oppressed. 

SHCBA leader Shahab Sarki in his speech demanded of the Pakistani government to use its good offices to immediately help stop the atrocities being committed against Rohingya Muslims.

Sarki said the lawyers’ bodies would take every step to create awareness about the violence against a civilian population and would also approach the United Nations and other international bodies for assistance.  

PA resolution 

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday submitted a resolution in the Sindh Assembly condemning the state-sponsored persecution and killings of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

The resolution was signed by all three PTI lawmakers in the provincial assembly, namely Khurrum Sher Zaman, Samar Ali Khan and Dr Seema Zia.

“This house condemns the Myanmar government for its persecution and oppression of Rohingya Muslims,” the resolution read.

“The oppression and tyranny against the Rohingya Muslims by the Myanmar government has been going on for decades. The 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims have lived for centuries in Myanmar but are currently the world’s largest persecuted minority.”

The resolution said Rohingya Muslims were considered one of Myanmar’s 135 official ethnic groups but they had been denied the citizenship since 1982 and, therefore, they had been stateless for years.

“This house demands that the Government of Pakistan, as a minimum, raise and highlight the issue of the persecution of Rohingya Muslims by the Myanmar government in all available international forums, such as the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Conference.”  

JI press conference 

At a presser held at the Idara Noor-e-Haq, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) city chief Engineer Hafiz Naeem lambasted rulers of the Muslim world for their silence over atrocities against Rohingya Muslims and raised questions over role of the Islamic Military Alliance. 

“What was the purpose of the joint military force if it is unable to protect Muslim children and women from systematic genocide in Myanmar,” he remarked.

Hafiz Naeem said the local Muslim populace was facing the 14th army operation in Myanmar but the entire world, except Turkey and few other countries, had been maintaining a criminal silence. 

He also demanded of the government to make all out efforts on diplomatic level to provide relief and rescue to oppressed Muslims in Myanmar. The JI city chief demanded of the government to take up the issue on regional and international forums.

The party has also announced holding a march on Sunday from Numaish Chowrangi to Tibet Center against the Myanmar government.  JI chief Senator Siraj ul Haq will address the rally. Hafiz Naeem said his party had also decided to march towards the Myanmar embassy in Islamabad. He said the JI had already set up a fund to support the affected people who managed to flee from Myanmar.

He lashed out at Myanmar's state councillor and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi for her total failure in reducing the influence of the country’s army in civil affairs as well as her silence over the genocide of Rohingya Muslims.

He demanded of the Pakistani government to take up the matter on regional and international level to ensure financial restrictions against the Myanmar government in view of its support for the crimes against humanity.