As the Rohingya Muslims flee brutal attacks and persecution in Myanmar, Pakistan has called for a \u201cholistic and inclusive approach\u201d in the South East Asian country to create conditions for their safe, dignified, and voluntary return from Bangladesh.
\n\u201cThe plight of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar remains one of the most urgent humanitarian and human rights challenges,\u201d Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told a high-level conference during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.
\nThe conference on the crisis facing Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar \u2014 convened pursuant to the 193-member Assembly resolution in 2024 \u2014 seeks to sustain international attention, assess conditions on the ground and discuss a concrete, time-bound plan for a sustainable resolution, including steps to ensure the voluntary, safe and dignified return of displaced persons.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese deliberations provide an opportunity to reaffirm our collective resolve to pursue a balanced and pragmatic way forward, seeking solutions anchored in compassion and shared responsibility, through dialogue and engagement, all while respecting Myanmar\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity,\u201d the Pakistani envoy said.
\n\u201cFor too long, the Rohingya have endured displacement and limited access to rights and services,\u201d Ambassador Asim Ahmad said, noting that the recent upsurge of violence in Rakhine State has further intensified their suffering, forcing many to flee, and worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.
\nPakistan, he said, commended Bangladesh and other host countries for their generosity in sheltering displaced Rohingyas, pointing out that Islamabad understand their situation having hosted millions of refugees for decades.
\n\u201cFor a lasting solution, it is essential to address the root causes of this crisis. Full implementation of the Advisory Commission\u2019s recommendations, particularly on pathways to citizenship, would enable safe and dignified return,\u201d the Pakistani envoy said, calling it vital for durable peace and reconciliation, thus creating the conditions for the early return of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities.
\n\u201cPakistan stands ready to work with all partners, including the UN, ASEAN and OIC to meet the humanitarian needs and promote lasting stability in Myanmar.\u201d
\nIn her opening remarks, the President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, recalled that over the past eight years, millions of Rohingya have been violently displaced from what they once knew as home.
\n\u201cThey fled with children on their backs, with nothing but the money in their pockets,\u201d she said, noting that many have been forced to live in refugee camps, with boys and girls spending their entire childhood in tattered tents. Over 3.5 million Rohingya inside Myanmar desperately need humanitarian assistance. Bangladesh, already hosting 1.1 million Rohingya, \u201ccannot shoulder this burden indefinitely\u201d, she warned.
\nOn the dire situation in Cox\u2019s Bazar \u2014 location of the world\u2019s largest refugee camp \u2014 she described how even access to water is scarce. One young refugee put it starkly: \u201cIf water is life, then life here is on hold \u2014 because it doesn\u2019t flow where it should.\u201d Yet, the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Myanmar is only 12 per cent funded.<\/p>\n
\u201cRohingya men, women and children have not chosen to live in refugee camps,\u201d she stressed. \u201cOur response must match [their extraordinary resilience].\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As the Rohingya Muslims flee brutal attacks and persecution in Myanmar, Pakistan has called for a \u201cholistic and inclusive approach\u201d in the South East Asian country to create conditions for their safe, dignified, and voluntary return from Bangladesh. \u201cThe plight of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar remains one of the most urgent humanitarian …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":87560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87545"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87561,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87545\/revisions\/87561"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}