Editorial Page
Plight of the stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh
By Mahfuzur Rahman
Thu, 3 Mar 2005, 11:37:00

Over 2.5 lakh stranded Pakistanis living in 66 camps across Bangladesh are the world's most forgotten refugees. The plight of the refugees - better known as Biharis worsens each day.

Even though they are without a homeland, neither the United Nations nor the International Red Cross and Crescent Society recognise them as refugees. Bangladesh can ill afford these refugees but yet it has been taking care of these people for nearly three decades. The burden is becoming too much for Bangladesh to bear.

"...the stranded Pakistanis have become a burden for us...our people do not accept them either. Absence of proper initiative from the government is an impediment to the process of solving this longstanding humanitarian problem," former President HM Ershad was quoted by a study conducted by NewsNetwork.

The camps where these stranded people are staying over three decades are the classic examples of subhuman living that has hardly any difference with animal life. Dingy and stinky atmosphere, merger of both water and sewerage lines, lack of latrines and clean water are constant threats to health. Fever, diarrhoea and other diseases are common phenomenona in the camp life.

Malnutrition of children in absence of proper food and medicine threatens their usual physical growth on one hand and absence of education turns them into dark generation on the other. There is no maternity care for mothers and no healthcare for elderly people.

Each family has been given one room -- 6 feet by 6 feet. But who wants to know that these families have grown in size over the years. Sometimes, 10 people live in one room, spanning three generations. The question of privacy never comes. Some of the camps at Mohammadpur and Adamjee have become crime valleys. Theft, mugging, trafficking in drugs and prostitution continue with the placid support of local influential people, police and goons. Outsiders have easy access to these camps and get involved in criminal activities like selling drugs, illegal weapons and prostitution.

Life in the camps is fraught with insecurity, threat of vandalism and physical violence. At Mohammadpur and Mirpur camps, there were some incidents of murders for various reasons. One such murder took place at Mohammadpur Geneva Camp in July 2004 when a video shop owner was slaughtered in broad daylight.

Most of the men from the camps work as rickshaw-pullers, technicians, drivers, tailors, cooks and weavers. Mirpur Banarasi saree is all their contribution to the wedding market. Women work in garment factories and as domestic helps.

Another acute problem being faced by these stranded people is frequent moves of eviction from their camps by vested interest groups, local politicians and musclemen who sometimes enjoy the support of the local administration.

Since the cost of lands in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Narayanganj, Syedpur or Chittagong where these people living has increased manifold, the rich people with the help of musclemen want to grab these lands to make housing plots or build multistoried buildings.

Sometimes the greedy people make arson attacks on the camps in a bid to evict them. Sometimes they apply force to displace them to clear the lands in violation of previous decisions or orders of the government. Consequently, the leaders of stranded Pakistanis are to frequently move to court, seeking justice.

Many cases against the evictions are lying in the higher courts for disposal. However, they keep on living in their camps by getting temporary court injunctions and by overcoming many odds and obstacles. What is the underlying reason behind the stalled repatriation of these stranded Pakistanis?

As per a tripartite agreement signed by India, Bangladesh and Pakistan in 1974, all the remaining Pakistanis staying in camps were to be taken back by Pakistan.

Since the repatriation process got stalled, late President Ziaul Huq, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and incumbent President Pervez Musharraf never declined to accept these Pakistanis. Instead Nawaz and Musharraf made categorical assurances to the governments in Dhaka for initiating the process of repatriation. Some may point their finger to the "Mohajir (Bihari) problem" in Karachi as Sindhis do not accept them in their province. But perceiving this reality, the Pakistan government built tin-shed houses at Mia Chunnu in Punjab for their rehabilitation with financial support from Saudi-based voluntary organisation Rabita-al-Alam-al Islami.

Former Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when he was the Punjab Chief Minister said, "I, on behalf of the people of Punjab, urge to accommodate in Punjab all the Pakistanis presently stranded in Bangladesh. However, for obvious reasons the responsibility to arrange funds for their repatriation and resettlement is of the federal government (of Pakistan)." After assuming office of the Pakistan Prime Minister, Sharif had assured both the Bangladesh government and the SPGRC delegation, led by Nasim Khan, of taking back their citizens.

Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf during his official visit to Bangladesh also gave assurance to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's government to take up this humanitarian issue on priority basis, but no initiative is still in sight.

If the question of fund for repatriation and rehabilitation comes, it is not insoluble. It is understood that already there is some substantial fund raised for this purpose was learnt to have been deposited in a Pakistani bank (perhaps Habib Bank). Initiative could be taken easily to raise required fund from international voluntary organisations that are spending billions of dollars for humanitarian causes across the world. If the problem lies in the mindset of Pakistani politicians, then it needs to be solved by Pakistani politicians themselves. If Pakistan could show its magnanimity by giving shelter to refugees from different countries, including Afghanistan, why it would not take its own people to their homeland and ensure their legitimate rights to end their ordeal in camp life?

Dr Hossain, who signed the India, Bangladesh and Pakistan tripartite agreement in Delhi on April 9, 1974 was quoted by the study as saying, "There should be a meaningful discussion aimed at resolving this humanitarian problem. We had made a framework to repatriate the remaining non-Bengalis. Perhaps, the two governments do not give sufficient priority to solve this problem."


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