ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan has expressed concern over the recent ethnic violence in Myanmar, where dozens of people – mostly Muslims – have died.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Moazzam Ali Khan, during the weekly news briefing on Thursday said: “We are concerned about the situation but there are reports that things have improved there.”
The spokesman hoped that the authorities in Myanmar would take necessary steps to control the situation.
Recent clashes in western Myanmar between Buddhist ethnic Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya have left dozens dead and tens of thousands homeless. Last week, Amnesty International said hundreds of people, mostly men and boys, have been detained in sweeps of areas heavily populated by the Rohingya.
Most arrests appear to have been “arbitrary and discriminatory” and Amnesty said there were “credible reports” of abuses, including rape, destruction of property and unlawful killings, by both Rakhine Buddhists and the security forces.
Taliban threaten Myanmar
Meanwhile, the Pakistani Taliban threatened to attack Myanmar to avenge crimes against the Muslim Rohingya, unless Pakistan halts all relations with the government and shuts its embassy in Islamabad.
In a rare statement focused on the plight of Muslims abroad, the umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) group sought to present itself as a defender of Muslim men and women in Myanmar, saying “we will take revenge of your blood”.
Spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan demanded that the Pakistani government halt all relations with Myanmar and close down its embassy in Islamabad.
“Otherwise we will not only attack Burmese interests anywhere but will also attack the Pakistani fellows of Burma one by one,” he said in a statement.
The Myanmar embassy in Islamabad was not immediately reachable for comment.
Lawyers protest
Lawyers across Sindh also took notice of the killings and expressed solidarity with the victims. The Karachi Bar Association has also announced that they will hold a protest because “the killings of Muslims in Myanmar (Burma) are in fact genocide... and lawyers of Pakistan cannot ignore the issue”. (WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM AFP AND OUR CORRESPONDENT IN KARACHI)
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2012.
COMMENTS (29)
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@Hedgefunder: u have no right to insult other countries ? if u r so concern then why dont u led them all be in ur home
plz i request to pakistani government to plz save muslim from the crule burmnese because we are the only hope for them i know that it is very difficult for pakistani government but we can do this for allah for muslim
Always punish a culprits, always safeguard an innocent.
@G. Din: Never let a culprits go unpunished, never punish an innocent.
Ya ok coming from pakistan towards east pakistan. You all know that bangladash was part of pakistan right?East Pakistan was one of the largest provincial states of Pakistan, with the largest population, largest political representation, and sharing the largest economic share. why won't they take the rohingya? because they are ethnically different and they killed bengalis when the country was together. All I hear is hypocrites talking about don't kill other Muslims unless you are a muslim or jihad!!! When pakistan kills other muslims its they are carrying out the law against traitors?
@Danish: "And if this is the case then USA should be the most brutalistic country because it have the highest amount of rappes. " Firstly, how do you know that USA " have the highest amount of rappes"? Secondly, when and where there is sure and expeditious application of law such as in the USA, those who would want to retaliate are content to let the law take its course. In a country like India, where Hindus are being silenced by appeasement policies in the name of communal peace, it is but natural that criminals are encouraged to commit their crime without any fear of the law. It is also perfectly expected that wronged people will not suffer long and will take the law in their own hands to mete out justice. That is why in lieu of 80 Hindu lives that were burnt in Godhra carnage, 2000 Muslim lives were lost in the subsequent Gujrat retaliation. As I said, "No provocation, no retaliation"! Remember also: "Retaliation is always disproportionate to the provocation." It is the same in Burma.
@G. Din: Wow you should be history writer. You make your own history so well. And the way you have supported this brutality is very impressing. By the way anyone with a very bit of common sense will not agree with your point that even if some rohingya muslims tried to rapped a woman (which is very wrong if it really happened) then the monks got the right to kill more than 20,000 muslims for that. And if this is the case then USA should be the most brutalistic country because it have the highest amount of rappes.
@Hedgefunder: I think it will be better if you talk based on facts and figures. So if you really think Pakistan dose not treat the minorities fairly then please quote some examples. In terms of small clashes it happens everywhere whether it is India or even any western country but in large scale minorities in Pakistan are very powerful and what we are talking here is a large scale massacre of a community (Muslims)
@Gestapo: The problem here is that in Pakistan, any crimes or atrocities commited against any minority group goes as a norm. When a minister who raised his voice in support of minorities was killed in broad day light and his culprit was showered with rose petals when brought to Court ! When another minorities minister was killed , then again no actions or conclusions have been achieved ! Why ? Because the Main stream society has been radicalised to the extent, that they have simply lost ability to acknowledge right from wrong ! This is not an Nation that can start protesting to others about anything ! They need to look within themselves first !
There can be no justification of killing fellow humans anywhere in the world.
@umer The ahmadis in PK may not be enjoying royal treatments, but I must tell u that they are not lying in refugee camps either, nor are they being killed like insects. They are real people who have a real place in PK, so whatever dillusions are coming your way, there can not be a comparison between their condition in PK to what is happening in burma. @hegdefunder If no one likes killing is what you really believe then you must understand that be there any maltreatment with the ahmadis in PK you still cannot justify what is happening in burma. The general population of PK will and has never favored killing of fellow human beings anywhere in the world, regardless of their race, religion etc. If a bunchful idiot extremists bring shame to the entire Pakistani nation it should not be taken as a plea to take away the right to defend human race from Pakis. We are a peaceful nation and thanks to bunch of ignorant stupid people who just need reasons to criticise PK are the main cause of all the negative publicity about PK. And by the way, who's payroll are you on?
@Ram Narayana: "@Hedgefunder: It seems you are in support of this massacre..." What massacre? Whole affair started with Rohingyas gang-raping a Buddhist woman. Buddhists retaliated and with good reason and in ample measure. Retaliation is always disproportionate to original provocation. If you don't like that, do not provoke! This is a familiar story now. You burn a bogeyful of Hindu men, women and children after locking them in and when the retaliation comes, you loudly cry foul!
@Hegdefunder: second you totally.
@Ram Narayana:
Let's get one thing straight, no one likes killings of any people at all, regardless of circumstances, but what i do object to is the very fact that an Nation which is at centre of so much mayham, duplicity and blatant persecution of its own minorities, is not in position to even raise a protest, as common sense prevails that they should get their own house in order first !
@Hedgefunder: It seems you are in support of this massacre and trying to divert the persons who are having sympathy for those brutally killed innocent kids, raped ladies, killed elders and youngers.
@someone:
You are delusional. Take the "royal" treatment that you are giving to Ahmadis for yourself and then if you are happy then we’ll accept that it is in fact a royal treatment. How about swapping their state with your own and then tell us if you are really getting a royal treatment? I doubt you’ll take up my offer.
THE CHIEF PROSECUTOR, INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT MUST ISSUE AN ARREST WARRANT OF THE REAL KILLERS; THOSE ORDERED KILLING. EVERY KILLER MUST BE PUNISHED. BURMESE PRESIDENT & GENERALS MUST BE BROUGHT TO THE HAGUE. BASHAR AL ASAD DESERVES SAME TREATMENT & SO ALL THE KILLERS KILLING INNOCENT NON COMBATANT MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN. For permanent peace in the world please adopt & enforce 1 child policy particularly in 3rd world and the whole world will be a paradise.
If you love humanity and mankind, save it, save it by adopting 1 child policy. No delay please.
...so adhoc, inaccurate, off the cuff remarks coupled with a lack of intellectual understanding of the matters in hand (at best), or deliberate misrepresentation of the facts cannot hold strong for any length of time.
What is worse, the utter contempt of disgust of anything (and possibly) everything Pakistani becomes clearly visible to all to see.
I'm sure everyone in Pakistan knows not everything works 100% - what is needed is constructive criticism and not negativism and taking cheap shots...
@Hedgefunder When have Ahmedis been refused passports? The only exception made is when they had refused to sign the "Muslim Declaration", obviously if you fail to sign the appropriately named section, you could not be classed as Muslim (!!) This hardly constitutes refusal of issuance of passport :@ Re the Promise of the Father, no one individual grouping in Pakistan is actively being witch hunted! As @someone said, they are no better than the majority Muslims. What is unfortunate is that our young, immature media has a way of sensationalising all negative news and fails to focus on the positive - but that will change in due course, else people's reading habits change and they'll find something else worthwhile. What is interesting is despite all the negative hum drum of the world's media, the Pak youth has gradually become far more nationalistic and proud of their land than anyone could have expected and almost to the detriment of the doomsday prophets. So ad hoc, inaccurate, off the cu
Yes, Rohingyas are worst of the worst victims. They must be saved from evil hands no matter what religion they worship or what they are.
@someone: Yes there sould be nothing comparable to Pakistan, as simply they are Unique, in every form of society and its evolution ! That's why they have progressed so far in last 60 odd years ! Try reading the actual promise of the Father of the Nation way back in 47, first ! Then come and lecture others about your selective vision of Pakistan ! Why are the Ahmedis denied even the basic Passports, f they are well settled in main frame of Pakistani society ?
There is no comparison between the admadis and the rohingyas!...the ahmadis (and other minorities) in pak are not in refugee camps nor have they been turned out of the country nor have their children or women been massacred, but on the contrary they occupy high profile positions in pak. Stop this blind hatred and absurd comparisons!!
@Hedgefunder
you need to analyse man! The Ahmadis in Pakistan (or any other minority) are not in refugee camps, they occupy high profile positions in the public and private sectors, judiciary and army in Pak. In fact they are even treated more royally than the majority muslims, and have become so used to of royal treatment that even a small event against them is portrayed as being like a holocaust. No entire minority in Pak has been exterminated like the Rohingyas! The rohingya muslims are actually in refugee camps being exterminated mercilessly with the blessings of the burmese govt!! Dont you dare even remotely compare pakistani minorities to the deplorable conditions of the Rohingya muslims!
@someone: What is the difference between the Ahmedis and Rohingyas ? They are both stateless people and both practice Islam, except that Ahmedis are in your house, while the Rohingya are good distance away and do not really affect your Country. So why not sort out the very people, within the country before making noises about others, after all the Land of Pure is not an recognised leader of the Muslim world, as that title to some degree belong to the Custodians of the Holy Places, namely Saudis !
@someone: Whose payroll are you on ? Perhaps the price of that is higher than your abilty to face facts and see clearly as to the type of Legal Ethnic Cleansing taking place in Pakistan !
@Hedgefunder
I challenge you and every other fanatic, that in Pakistan minorities are doing well. A few isolated instances are blown out of proportion. The percentage of minority members killed to their total population in Pakistan is much less than the percentage of muslims killed to their total popuation in Pakistan. Moreover unlike Burma, the govt of pakistan has always been pro minority.
The massacre in myanmar is shameful because it is supported and blessed by the government. They are doing exactly what the Nazis did in Germany.
protect and develop Pakistan first
Finally
Why don't Pakistan simply invite them to settle in Pakistan ! This will speak volumes in Muslim World, and also help Pakistan's image as true bastian of Islam ! First learn to treat the minorities within your Country with some degree of respect and fairness, and then go lecturing others !