Pakistanis hold rallies in support of Rohingya Muslims

Hundreds of people in Pakistan have staged protests across the country in support of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim community in Myanmar.

People from all walks of life, including those from different religious organizations, took to the streets on Sunday, calling on the Pakistani government to help protect the Rohingya Muslims being mistreated in Myanmar.

The latest and biggest rally was held in Karachi, the largest and most populated city located in southwest Pakistan.

Demonstrators carried placards and chanted slogans in support of the oppressed Muslims in Myanmar.

They called on the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar to take stronger action to stop the continuing persecution of the over 1.3 million Rohingyas living in western Myanmar.

Pakistani human rights activists carry placards during a protest in support of Rohingya Muslims at a rally in Lahore, June 3, 2015. (AFP photo)

Similar rallies were held in the capital, Islamabad, criticizing the international community, including Muslim countries, for turning a blind eye to the plight of the oppressed minority group.

In another demonstration in the city of Lahore in Punjab Province, protesters expressed their anger over what they called the inhumane killing of the innocent Rohingya Muslims by Buddhist extremists.

A wave of violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State has triggered an influx of refugees into neighboring countries.

Rohingyas in Myanmar face daily discrimination, including controls on their movements, family size and access to jobs.

In this picture, taken on May 29, 2015, a Rohingya migrant child from Myanmar plays on a pile of clothes donated by residents at a confinement camp for rescued Rohingya migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh in Indonesia. (© AFP)

The discriminatory policies adopted by the authorities in Myanmar have forced tens of thousands to flee overseas – usually to Malaysia and Indonesia.

In recent years, a large number of Rohingyas have been killed and thousands displaced in attacks by extremist Buddhists.

Myanmar denies citizenship to most of Rohingya population in the country, placing restrictions.

According to the United Nations (UN), Rohingya Muslims are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.