Solve Rohingya crisis before end of your tenure

Islami Andolan Bangladesh Assistant Secretary General and President of its Dhaka Metropolitan South Sheikh Fazlul Karim Maruf has called on the government to use Dr Khalilur Rahman’s assumption of the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to pursue a substantive resolution to the protracted Rohingya crisis. 

“The primary objective should be to leverage this opportunity to resolve the Rohingya crisis, which is the most significant issue facing the country,” he said during a party meeting on Wednesday.

He said that the people expected a comprehensive solution to the Rohingya crisis before the end of Dr Khalilur Rahman’s tenure as UNGA president.

Referring to successive influxes of Rohingyas into Bangladesh since 1978, Maruf stated, “Around one million had entered the country over the years to escape persecution and protect their lives.” He asserted that the population had increased further with subsequent generations. 

“The government must make every possible effort to repatriate them to their homeland,” he stated urging Dr Khalilur Rahman to play a leading role in mobilising international support for a sustainable solution.

Maruf also alleged that criminal activities involving Rohingyas had spread beyond Cox’s Bazar to other parts of the country and claimed that the development was contributing to deterioration in law and order. 

At the meeting, Islami Andolan Bangladesh Dhaka Metropolitan South City Secretary KM Shariatullah expressed concern over the continued rise in prices of essential commodities.

He said the escalating cost of basic necessities was placing them beyond the purchasing capacity of ordinary people, while effective government measures to contain the situation remained lacking.