Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri announces protest in 100 cities against oppression on Rohingya Muslims

Addressing a hurriedly called press conference in connection with the genocide of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, PAT Chairman Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has strongly condemned the ethnic cleansing of the Muslims of Myanmar and the worst oppression being committed on them. He said that he has written a letter to the UN Secretary General Mr. Antonio Gutterres to send a peacekeeping mission to Myanmar to stop the genocide of the Muslims. He said that the UN passed a law by the name of R2P in 2005, stating that if a government fails to protect people and stop the human rights violations, then the international community will have a right to intervene.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri lauded the courageous stance of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the violent attitude of the government of Myanmar and asked the Pakistan government to fight a case for the oppressed Burmese Muslims, adding that mere expression of condemnation is not enough. He announced that PAT will hold protest demonstrations in 100 cities of Pakistan on Friday to express solidarity with the Burmese Muslims and to wake the international conscience up.

Dr Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri, Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Noorullah Siddiqui, Ahmad Nawaz Anjum, Sajid Bhatti and others were present on the occasion.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri asked the government of Myanmar to do away with laws including Citizenship Act 1982 that are based on racial profiling and discrimination and grant citizen rights to the Muslims as a minority community. He said that Rohingya community is being massacred as goats and sheep; the children are being killed and the women raped and put to death like animals and their homes are being put on fire. He said that reign of torture and violence has been perpetrated on the Muslims since 1984 that have been living there for last 500 years. He said that over two million Burmese Muslims have been forced to migrate in last 70 years, adding that around 90,000 people were compelled to migrate during the past one week. He asked if the Burmese Muslims migrated to Myanmar and settled there, then the date of their arrival should be shared.

The PAT Chairman said that the Nobel Laureate ruler of Myanmar says that the phenomenon of violence is two-way, stating that if that is the case, why does she not allow the international media and human rights organizations to visit the affected areas? He said that the countries of the Muslim world should set up a fund for rehabilitation and support of the Burmese Muslims and all Parliaments of Muslim countries should pass condemnatory statements against the oppression; the ambassadors of Burma should be summoned and handed over strong protest letters and if the government of Myanmar does not do anything, then diplomatic relations with it should be cut. He said that it is through extraordinary actions that the path to violence will be stopped.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri asked the UN Secretary General to send a peacekeeping army under the UN mandate and R2P law to restore peace and bring situation to normalcy, adding that the government of Myanmar is involved in the crimes against humanity.

Replying to a question of journalist, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that if the elections are held without any electoral reforms, they will be a farce and an exercise in futility. He said that since the long march staged by PAT to demand electoral reforms, vindictive action was taken against PAT and so much so that even letters were written to the governments around the world but not even a single allegation was proven. He said that Raiwind is also a branch of the Burmese government. He said that he is not satisfied with the judgment in the BB murder case, adding that those who committed the crime have been freed but it was not told as to who the killers are. He said that the PAT is waging legal struggle for justice in Model Town case. In a reply to another question, he said that no comment can be passed on the performance of NAB.