South Kashmir simmers against killing of Rohingya Muslims
Anger mounts in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district over killing of Rohingya Muslim minorities in Burma with people from different walks of life carrying out protest against the killings.
Scores of students from Degree college Pulwama took out a protest rally on Tuesday afternoon in solidarity with Rohingya Muslims of Burma, the world’s most persecuted minority.
The protest rally was carried out from Degree College Pulwama (GDC) and culminated near the main market.
The students were carrying placards inscribed with message ‘save Rohingya Muslims’ in Burma.
The students also criticized international community for maintaining a silence over what they called as ethnic cleansing of Rohingya minority by Burmese army.
Shahzad Ahmad, a first year student at GDC Pulwama, who was a part of the protests said that through the demonstration rally they want to convey their anger against the killing innocent civilians belonging to Rohingya minority.
“We appeal the international community to stop Burma from prosecuting innocent civilians. The UN must intervene to put pressure on Burmese government to ensure protection of Rohingya minority,” he said, adding that if Rohingya were living in Burma for so many years then they can’t be denied the citizenship of the country.
Earlier on Tuesday morning working advocates under Bar Association Pulwama held a meeting wherein the members expressed serious concern over the plight of Burma Muslims.
“We condemn the brutal killings of Burma Muslims and gross human rights violations,” a spokesperson of the association said, adding that they appeal to world bodies to play their role in mitigating the sufferings of Myanmar Muslims.
Rohingya are ethnic group of about 1.1 million Muslims, who have lived for centuries in the majority Buddhist Burma which is also named Myanmar.
The minority is not officially recognized by Burmese government. They live in ghetto like camps in Rakhine state without citizenship. The group has faced decades of prosecution and for this reason is known as world’s most prosecuted minority in the world with 100,000 people already fleeing to Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and other countries. Some 140,000 have been internally displaced and living in refugee camps.
The fresh spat of violence begun after The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), formerly known as the Al-Yaqeen Faith Movement attacked several security posts in Burma in August this year.
In retaliation Myanmar state security forces and local armed-residents unleashed a brutal attack against Rohingya Muslim burning many villages and killings around 400 Rohingya.
KV Correspondent
