ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Senator Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday said that Pakistan should avoid championing the issue of Muslims in Myanmar, DawnNews reported.

He said Pakistan was already confronting sectarianism and killings targeting Shias, adding that, if the country highlighted the Myanmar issue instead of tackling internal problems, the international community would increase its criticism of Pakistan.

The lawmaker was speaking during a session of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs at the Parliament House.

Today’s meeting was chaired by Awami National Party (ANP) lawmaker Haji Adeel. He was irked at the absence of the Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani from the session.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Malik Amad Ahmed Khan informed the meeting that Pakistan was morally supporting the Muslims in Myanmar. He added that at the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) summit in Makkah, Bangladesh did not bring up the issue of Myanmar’s Muslims or the issue of providing aid to them.

Mustafa Kamal moreover said that 20 per cent of the diplomats were being appointed on non-career and political basis. He recommended that the quota for such appointments should be decreased. He also said that career-based diplomats should be encouraged more.