A woman walks among debris after fire destroyed shelters at a camp for internally displaced Rohingya Muslims in the western Rakhine State near Sittwe, Myanmar. PHOTO: REUTERS
PESHAWAR: Hundreds of workers, belonging to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), took to the streets of Peshawar to condemn the violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
The protesters called on Muslim countries to play their role in putting an end to the violence in Myanmar. They also protested against a recent statement from US President Donald Trump in which he accused Pakistan of harbouring terrorists.
The protesters were holding placards inscribed with slogans against Myanmar and the United States. JUI-F Peshawar chief Maulana Khairul Bashar said that hundreds of Rohingya Muslims had been killed by the security forces in the Rakhine state so far.
“They are getting punished for being Muslims,” Bashar claimed, adding that Muslim countries should raise their voice against the state-backed persecution of the community.
He said that the military alliance, comprising Muslim countries, should intervene in the matter and pressurise Myanmar to stop the brutality.
“The Pakistani government should immediately expel all diplomats [of Myanmar] and break ties with the government in Yangon,” he added.
Turning their attention towards the US, JUI-F leader Maulana Jalil Jan pointed out how Pakistan had lost over 70,000 people in its war against terrorism.
“Despite having suffered such huge losses, the US is accusing Pakistan of harbouring militants,” Jan said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2017.
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