PAKISTAN

4   Daily  STAR,  Dhaka

Dhaka, Friday August 30, 2002

The Forgotten  Citizens

Moonis  Ahmar

“Leave the task to me”. That is what Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf said to a five-member delegation of Stranded Pakistan General Repatriation Committee  (SPGRC) led by its leader M. Nasim Khan when it met him in Dhaka on July 30.  The delegation had apprised President Musharraf of the plight of more than 200,000 stranded Pakistanis holed up in 66 camps all over Bangladesh since the last 31 years and appealed him to at least ensure an early repatriation of 6,000 poor and oppressed stranded Pakistanis living in Adamjee Nagar Camp, Naraynjang.

Will the “forgotten citizens” of Pakistan, who are languishing in 66 camps in Bangladesh, have a chance to go to their home-land in their lifetime ?  Or they will continue to live in a miserable condition and leave a bitter example of their commitment and love for Pakistan ?  The stranded Pakistanis, called as Biharis, are those unfortunate people who after the emergence of Bangladesh on December 16, 1971 had opted for Pakistan because they had  supported Pakistani Army in its drive to suppress the liberation movement and keep the country  united.  Around half a million of them had opted to go to Pakistan and according to the 1973 agreement the government of Pakistan had agreed to take divided families, people with West Pakistan domicile, federal government employees and hardship cases.  As per the repatriation process 160.000 stranded Pakistanis were repatriated to Pakistan in 1973-74 and another 9.000 in 1979 and 1982. Since then, the repatriated process was halted and the remaining 238,414 are still stranded in 66 camps in Bangladesh.

On July 9, 1988 a Deed of Agreement was signed between the Government of Pakistan and Rabita Al-Alam Islami, in Islamabad, which established a trust to bear the expenses related to the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis.  Around 350 million dollars were raised for that purpose but the issue of repatriation remain unresolved. In March 1992, Pakistan  High  Commission   with the joint cooperation of Rabita and the SPGRC conducted a comprehensive survey of stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh but out of only 238,414 people who were listed in that survey  only 325 persons were repatriated to Pakistan on January 10, 1993.  Since then not a single stranded Pakistani from Bangladesh has been repatriated to Pakistan and the issue has not only become a victim of vested political interests but also reflect total apathy of  all the Pakistani governments right from 1972 to the present to that grave humanitarian issue.

A visit to the camps of stranded Pakistanis in Mohammadpur Dhaka, where the office of SPGRC  is located, is not only depressing and heart breaking but also depicts how such people, despite living in a miserable condition since last three decades, still call themselves Pakistanis.  They still cherish the hope that one day they will go to their country.  It may be a dream but is shared by each and every person who is  living in such camps in Bangladesh.

According to SPGRC, the government of Pakistan is bound to take stranded Pakistanis according to March 1992 survey.  Similarly, the government of Bangladesh has also clearly stated that the stranded  Pakistanis should be taken back by Islamabad, a fact which was also narrated by its Foreign Minister Mr. Morshed Khan on the occasion of President Musharraf’s visit to Dhaka.  During  the bilateral talks held between the Pakistan President and the Bangladesh Prime Minister, the latter had raised that issue but got the response that because of the presence of three million Afghan refugees Pakistan cannot take such people now.

The SPGRC’s newspaper “Watan” in its August 2002 issue reported the meeting which took place between a delegation of stranded Pakistanis and President Musharraf in Dhaka.  According to that report, the President gave a positive response to the question of repatriation of stranded Pakistanis.  Giving an interview to Iranian Television after his meeting with President Musharraf,  Mr. Nasim Khan, leader of SPGRC said that the Pakistan President has assured him that soon some solution will be found for stranded Pakistanis.  What will be that solution has not been revealed.  Will the stranded Pakistanis be repatriated to Pakistan in phases and settled in Punjab particularly in Mian Channu where some arrangements were made for them during the first tenure of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ?  Or will they be asked to seek Bangladeshi nationality through some financial package so that they can live better life  ?

As far as the first possibility is concerned, even if  Musharraf wants the stranded Pakistanis to be repatriated it will not be an easy task for him.  He has clearly said that although the stranded Pakistanis should go to Pakistan but because of  the existing pressure of around 3 million Afgan refugees, it will not be possible to start the repatriation of stranded process at this stage.  Unfortunately, every Pakistani Government has given various reasons to justify the non-repatriation of stranded Pakistanis.  Sometimes there is the excuse of floods in Punjab or the hostile feelings among native Sindhis or the lack of funds which as so far prevented such people to go to Pakistan.  Moreover, a section of politicians and others in Pakistan argue that  the claim of stranded Pakistanis is not genuine and  given the fact   that they  have been living in that part of the  world since decades they are Bangladeshis and not Pakistanis.  Moreover, according to such people, the government of Pakistan has fulfilled its task of repatriating stranded Pakistanis according to 1973  agreement and it is not   bound  to  take the rest.

The second possibility of seeking Bangladeshi nationality may be the only plausible option for the stranded Pakistanis but the government of Bangladesh and also a wide section of people of that country don’t consider them Bangladeshis.  For them, they are loyal to Pakistan and because of that reason they should leave Bangladesh and go to their country. What should such unfortunate people do now ? Their two generations have lived  in camps in Bangladesh in an inhuman condition and their earlier generation became a victim of atrocities committed against them in 1971.  Pakistan is not willing to take them and Bangladesh is not ready to grant them citizenship.  Where should  they  go? Are they stateless persons living in unbearable condition since last three decades or they have deliberately chosen a path which can only cause more miseries and destruction to themselves and to their future generations ?

It has been feared in Pakistan, particularly in Sindh, that if stranded Pakistanis (Biharis) are repatriated, it will give an impetus to the slogan of “Mohagir nationalism” and  cause more ethnic polarization in the province of Sindh.  However, such fears were dispelled by the leader of SPGRC, Mr. M. Nasim  Khan in a press conference at the National Press Club, Dhaka, on July 9, 1995.  In that press conference he made it clear that, “we   are   convinced that  the  division  of  Sindh  is  no  solution  to  the  problems  of Mohajirs.   Any  such  demand  is  sure  to   lead to civil war.  We  are firmly opposed to the new-fangled concept of Mohajir nationalism and we refuse to admit that the Mohajirs are a nation different from the Singhis, Baluchis, Punjabis and Pathans, altogether constitute one single Pakistani nation.” Perhaps  the only true Pakistanis who are now without a state are the stranded Pakistanis living in 66 camps in Bangladesh.  They are honorable people who despite all such hardships have remained firm and not compromised on principles.

One will not find a single beggar belonging to that community and they earn their livelihood by doing either odd jobs or small business.  They don’t get any financial support from either the Government of Pakistan,  Government of Bangladesh  or from any international referred  interest. It is strange that when in Pakistan  there is no dearth of people who want to migrate to the Western countries for better future, there are people who despite all hardships want to come to Pakistan because they still owe their allegiance to the ideology and flag of  that country.  Perhaps, the Government of Pakistan and the Pakistani intelligentsia should ponder on why such people, who are called as Biharis (although  not  all  of  them  have  an  origin  from  Bihar)  and who since December 16, 1971 have burnt all their boats just to go to their homeland are still single minded in their conviction.  As far as the legality of their claim is concerned, it is not the issue because successive Pakistani governments,  while evading the issue, have not disputed their claim.

The solution to the plight of stranded Pakistanis is not an uphill task provided there is will and determination on the part of Islamabad to resolve that humanitarian issue.  When more than three Afgan refugees, around one millon Bengalese and hundreds of thousands of people from other countries  can live in Pakistan,  why cannot the most patriotic and genuine Pakistanis get their right to go to their country?  Fears and concerns which are held by a section of Pakistani elite and people about the return of stranded Pakistanis are uncalled for. Because of their technical expertise, they will not be a burden on the national exchequer and will not become a fuel for any ethnic based organization. If  the repatriation issue is resolved in a fair and a just manner without wasting any more time, such  unfortunate  people  who have given enormous sacrifice for their country will be an asset and not a liability.  The SPGRC has requested that  one  way  to  resolve  the issue  of  stranded Pakistanis is by seriously discussing the matter by the Government of Bangladesh, Pakistan and the leaders of stranded Pakistanis so that a respectable and fair solution could be found.   It is time that people with conscious and fear of  God  rise  and  allow  the  repatriation process  to begin with proper transparency  and assistance from various sources.  There is no  dearth of resources required for the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis in Pakistan.  What is required is generosity,  political will and determination.

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Moonis Ahmar is Professor, Department of International Relations, University of Karachi, Pakistan   and   is  Asia Fellow, at the Department of International  Relations, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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