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The lingering ordeal of stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh
Jun 29, 2016
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Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi
I was recently invited to attend an iftar party organized by Abu Farhan Siddiqui at a Pakistani restaurant in Jeddah. Siddiqui is a Pakistani citizen who worked in the Kingdom and then returned to his country and established with some of his friends an NGO called the Muslim Welfare & Development Organization (MW&DO). The NGO, which was registered in Bangladesh, is working for the welfare of stranded Pakistanis living in Bangladeshi camps.
MW&DO is carrying out humanitarian work in the fields of education, health and provision of food for stranded Pakistanis who have been languishing in tents without having the basic amenities of life since the secession of East Pakistan and creation of the new state of Bangladesh 45 years ago. There are also several other NGOs which are rendering similar services to these hapless people.
I was asked to deliver a speech at the iftar party. At the very outset, I thanked Siddiqui and his organization as well as similar organizations for their commendable work in alleviating the suffering of stranded Pakistanis. I drew attention to the miserable living conditions of these people who are battling with poverty and diseases in their overcrowded camps located in various regions of Bangladesh.
I recalled my visit to one of the largest camps in Dhaka while I was serving as charge de affaires at the Saudi embassy there. I saw these people living like animals and, hence, realized that it was the duty of every Muslim, in general, and Pakistanis, in particular, to extend all possible assistance to these people in alleviating their miseries. My visit to the camp two decades ago was organized by Mir Quasem Ali, who was then the director of the office of the Muslim World League (Rabita) in Bangladesh. He exerted great efforts to support stranded Pakistanis as well as the Burmese refugees in their camps in Cox’s Bazar. Ali is now behind bars after being sentenced to death for war crimes. He was sentenced to death at the end of an unjust farcical trial that lacked even the basic judicial standards and norms as pointed out by many international human rights organizations.
In my speech, I expressed my astonishment and dismay over the position of the Bangladeshi government toward a quarter of a million stranded Pakistanis, saying: “Keeping silent and pretending ignorance at the ordeal of these Pakistanis will not change the reality that they are Pakistanis and have been ever since they had left their native land in the Indian state of Bihar at the time of the partition of the subcontinent. They migrated to the new state of Pakistan like millions of other Muslims who migrated to either the western or eastern parts of Pakistan. When the Bengalis wanted to secede from United Pakistan, a civil war in East Pakistan resulted in the creation of the new state of Bangladesh. During the civil war, Biharis stood by the Pakistan army so as to safeguard the unity of Pakistan, and subsequent to the defeat of the Pakistan army in the war, it was evident that these people might not be welcome in the new state. Thus, stranded Pakistanis were the first victims of the secession of East Pakistan.
When Pakistani soldiers were taken into India as prisoners of war, these Biharis were left to meet the worst fate in their live. Those, who escaped from death were forced to seek shelter in camps that sprung up in various parts of Bangladesh. They are still languishing in these camps with the hope that they will one day be repatriated to Pakistan.
However, successive governments in Pakistan have failed to fulfill their promises in this regard. President Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was an exception. He took keen interest in the repatriation of these people and initiated the setting up of the Rabita Endowment, which was meant to take steps to ensure the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis and put an end to their suffering. However, the unexpected death of Gen. Zia had a negative impact on the functioning of the Endowment. It became inactive though it did not cease to exist.
Later, there were serious attempts to revive it when Nawaz Sharif became prime minister for the first time. Sharif took over the chairmanship of the Endowment and was instrumental in repatriating a number of families. They were accommodated in houses built on land donated by the Punjab provincial government. But the activities of the Endowment came to a halt with the end of his first tenure. When Sharif came to power for the second time, he made some efforts to revive the Endowment again but the military coup staged by Gen. Pervez Musharraf shattered the plan. Musharraf shut down the Endowment and paid no heed to the demand of the stranded Pakistanis.
The stranded Pakistanis still hope that Sharif will take the initiative to address their problem during his current third tenure as prime minister of Pakistan. There are several people, including myself, who also hope that this issue will be one of the top priorities of the Sharif government.
However, unfortunately, he seems to be preoccupied with some political issues and has so far not taken any steps to address the pressing issue of these hapless people. I once again appeal to Prime Minister Sharif to give top priority to finding a permanent solution to the problem of the stranded Pakistanis through taking initiatives for their repatriation and rehabilitation in Pakistan.
— Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at algham@hotmail.com
http://saudigazette.com.sa/opinion/lingering-ordeal-stranded-pakistanis-bangladesh/
