Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh
Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 300,000–500,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Bangladesh | |
| Languages | |
| Urdu and Bihari languages | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Indo-Aryan |
The Urdu-speaking community living in Bangladesh, popularly known as Biharis, does not refer to a distinct group of people easily identifiable by race, religion or physical characteristics. The case of Bihari community in Bangladesh is different from the other minority groups. This community primarily focuses on a geographical location of Indian state of Bihar.
Biharis are non-Bengalees, who are waiting to repatriate to Pakistan. Those stateless people are living in refugee camps in Bangladesh without proper nutrition, poor drainage and sanitation systems, education and health care facilities. Usually Bihari community in Bangladesh falls under no conventional identity or category of international standard. The 1951 Refugee Convention declares that everybody has national identity; so the United Nations really needs to work hard to make it true.
Biharis were stateless until 2008 when a judgment by the Dhaka High Court gave them right to Bangladeshi citizenship. The judgment does not cover refugees who were adults at the time of Bangladesh Liberation War
In 2003, in the landmark decision of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in Abid Khan and others v Bangladesh held that the ten Urdu-speaking petitioners born both before and after 1971, were Bangladeshi nationals pursuant to the Citizenship Act of 1951 and the Bangladesh Citizenship Order of 1972, and thereby the court directed the Government to register them as voters.Subsequently, however, little progress was made in expanding that ruling to others..the ruling also exposed a generation gap amongst Biharis, with younger Biharis tending to being "elated" with the ruling but with many older people "despair[ing] at the enthusiasm" of the younger generation.Many Biharis now seek greater civil rights and citizenship in Bangladesh.In March 2015, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan said that more than 170,000 Biharis had been repatriated to Pakistan and the remaining 'stranded Pakistanis' are not its responsibility but rather the responsibility of Bangladesh.
Not only there are Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh but also there are Stranded bangladeshi's in pakistan.In a visit to Bangladesh in 2002 Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf said while he had every sympathy for the plight of thousands of people in Bangladesh known as 'stranded Pakistanis', he could not allow them to emigrate to Pakistan as Pakistan was in no position to absorb such a large number of refugees. He encouraged his Bengali counterpart not to politicize the issue and accept the refugees as citizens being the successor state of East Pakistan. Pakistani government officials have threatened to deport the more than 1.5 million illegal Bengali refugees living in its country if the issue is not resolved acceptably. According to Shaikh Muhammad Feroze, chairman of the Pakistani Bengali Action Committee, over 200 settlements of Bengali-speaking people exist in Pakistan (mainly in Sindh) of which 132 are in Karachi while other smaller communities exist in Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Tando Adam and Lahore.There are numerous Bengali colonies in Karachi, often called "Mini Bangladesh" (or East Pakistan Colony in memorandum),[such as Machar Colony, Musa Colony and Chittagong Colony. Colorful Bengali signboards, Bhashani caps, lungis and kurtas are often seen in these areas of Karachi and remain unique. The Chittagong Colony has a bazaar, which is famous throughout Pakistan as the center for Dhaka cloth. In more recent times, the Bengali population has seen a decline as the perilous journey from Bangladesh has been fraught with danger and tense borders. Furthermore, given the tense ethnic rivalries and lack of social welcome in Pakistan, Bengalis have now been traveling elsewhere.pakistan govt also thinking to give citizenship to remaining bangladeshi people.
so sustainable solution does not lie in repatriation.people should stay where they are staying and the governments should give citizenship to these people who are now in an identity crisis and living a miserable life without the basic needs like food, education, job , housing, sanitation, medical needs.
source-wikipedia ,
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