Myanmar formerly known as Burma is a country located in southeast and bordered by Bangladesh, Bay of Bengal, China and Thailand. It is a resource-rich country in minerals, petroleum and gas. This land has been under Military Rule for 49 years. Yangon is a famous city where the last Mughal King, Bahadur Shah Zafar was imprisoned and buried. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in 2012, Burmese politician, State Counsellor of Myanmar and Yangon born Aung San Suu Kyi Was ruling the state till last elections. Burmese Military has taken over the country. Recent Elections were held and accusations of rigging were raised. Suu Kyi’s winner political party National League for Democracy was blamed for election riggings. Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar, considered the election rigging and instituted one year emergency in the entire country and all powers transferred to the Military Chief, Min Aung Hlaing.
On this seizer, immediate response came from American and other European countries which demanded the end of coup d’état, release of political prisoners and restoration of democratic government. Biden said that it was a direct assault on the country’s transition to democracy and the rule of law. He also warns that sanctions will again be put if crisis did not end. Suu Kyi has directed her people to come out and rebel the very undemocratic act and if they don’t rebel, a long dictatorship will stay which was earlier removed with much hard work. She had already been in house arrest for 12 years.
UN has shown grave concern over the military coup besides condemnation. This military take-over will do much harm to the Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar. A new Muslim genocide may commence in the country. Around 80 percent people of Myanmar are Buddhist by religion. They believe that they are the most peaceful humans of the world. The Muslims have 4 percent ratio in population and they form 4th largest religion. The Muslims populated the Rohingya coast line of Burma in 12th century through trade. The Ottoman Empire recognized this Muslim populated coastal area and added it in its regime. After the end of the Ottoman Empire, the British made it her colony and then granted independence in 1948. The Muslim majority area of Rohingya were given to Burma on its independence. The Rohingya Muslims were resolute to annex with East Pakistan but nothing was done regarding this.
The Rohingya Muslims became target of Military crackdown for the first time in 1970. The Buddhists of Burma formed an anti-Islam religious organization, 969 Movement. First 9 of this organization stands for 9 qualities of Buddha, 6 for six principles of Buddha and the last 9 represents nine qualities of Buddhist society commonly known as Sangha. Wirathu heads this movement. He has been captioned the Face of Buddhist Terror by Time Magazine. Wirathu is notorious for hatred for Muslims. He avoids Buddhists to trade with Muslims. Hundreds of Muslim homes were set on fire, innumerable killed and thousands unemployed on his call. BBC & CNN published many reports on such inhuman propaganda and organized Muslim genocide. UN has passed paper resolutions over the atrocities of the Buddha extremists. 1 million Muslims of this region have taken refuge in Bangladesh so far. Pakistan hosts 4 hundred thousands of Rohingya Muslims and other Muslim countries have accepted them as refugees too.
OIC has done nothing to be praised in this sense. The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition was created to protect Islam and its interest but sadly it has taken no action against it. This military alliance has actually done nothing for the Muslims of Palestine, Rohingya, Chechnya, Bosnia and Kashmir.
A 1982 Citizenship Law was passed in Burma in order to reject recognition of the Rohingya Muslims as their nationals just like Indian Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). They were called non-state people. Some reluctant laws in Myanmar restrict a Muslim boy to marry a girl unless she reaches the age of 25 and boy 30 to avoid spread of Muslim Race. An administrative permission is also needed for marriage. The Muslims have been deprived of many civil rights like land ownership. Amnesty International has called the Rohingya Muslims the most disturbed people on the globe. They live on aid and refuge. Suu Kyi in one of her speeches has said, "It is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or to abnegate responsibility. We condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence. Human rights violations and all other acts that impair stability and harmony and undermine the rule of law will be addressed in accordance with strict norms of justice. " Dalai Lama also asked Suu Kyi to stop atrocities over Muslims but in vain because the military establishment is more powerful than the civil government. And she has too become a bait of Military coup. Many military operations were conducted on the Muslims under her nose and she remained silent.
While in Opposition, Imran Khan, posted many tweets, issued statements over the Muslim killing in Myanmar and showed serious interest in ending the genocide. The current situation of Myanmar and Rohingya Muslims demands justice. The PTI government should play an active role on this crisis. Like Nagorno-Karabakh issue of Azerbaijan, our diplomatic forums should be activated to help end this seize of power and atrocities on the Muslims. Turkey and Pakistan may stand together and join hands till solution of this problem. An action plan may be introduced in OIC to enact. Diplomatic pressure can be created by all Muslim countries to provide home to homeless Muslims of Rohingya.
