Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi
The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) recently organized a symposium titled “Stranded Pakistanis and the role of welfare organizations” in Jeddah as a mark of honor to Syed Jalaluddin Azimabadi for his humane services for the cause of the hapless stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh. Azimabadi arrived in the Kingdom as a representative of OBAT Helpers, a US based non-profit NGO, founded by Anwar Khan to work for the welfare, support and rehabilitation of indigent, stateless and displaced people, especially stranded Pakistanis. These Pakistanis have been living in appalling conditions in their squalid camps in Bangladesh for the last 43 years.
The stranded Pakistanis are those who migrated to East Pakistan from the Indian state of Bihar at the time of the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. When East Pakistan seceded from West Pakistan and founded the new state of Bangladesh, these people preferred to be Pakistanis and wanted to migrate to Pakistan. Successive governments in Pakistan vowed to repatriate and rehabilitate them but these promises were never fulfilled. Driven out of their homes and deprived of their property, the stranded Pakistanis have been forced to live in some 66 camps in various regions of Bangladesh. They have been languishing in these camps with the hope that one day they will be repatriated to their country of choice - Pakistan.
In his speech, Azimabadi dealt with the miserable conditions of the stranded Pakistanis, saying that their conditions have gone from bad to worse, and that they are facing major issues of housing and an identity crisis as they cannot leave their camps. OBAT Helpers, in cooperation with Friends of Humanity (FoH) in Dhaka, is exerting great efforts to help these hapless people and to offer them support especially in the field of education. During the past 10 years, FoH has implemented a number of projects in the field of education, health and self-empowerment. The organization currently runs more than 43 educational programs and projects, including seven elementary and intermediate schools, three computer centers, four educational centers, 20 pre-school programs, and 10 educational programs for women and child workers. In the health sector, the organization established and runs two clinics, which serve thousands of patients, and more than 2,000 people have benefited from micro-finance projects.
Addressing the gathering, Abu Farhan Siddiqui, representative of the Muslim Welfare and Development Organization (MWDO), said that his organization, in cooperation with other organizations such as FoH and OBAT Helpers, is working in the camps to organize charity projects for these poor people. A number of other prominent community leaders also spoke on the occasion. All of them lauded the noble charity work being carried out by these organizations to help the abandoned Pakistanis.
When my turn came, I seized the opportunity to welcome Azimabadi and praised the noble work being undertaken by his organization and other organizations to help the stranded Pakistanis. I also congratulated PRC for its programs and activities, such as organizing conferences and symposia, as well as the efforts being exerted to highlight the suffering of a quarter of a million people who are languishing in overcrowded camps with no basic amenities of life, and who suffer from hunger, poverty, ignorance and disease. I voiced my dismay and surprise over the silence of the Pakistani government with regard to the problem of Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh, and its inaction in restoring the Muslim World League (MWL-Rabita) endowment. The endowment, which was established during the period of President Zia-ul-Haq, was created by Rabita and the Pakistani government in order to repatriate and rehabilitate the stranded Pakistanis. I pinned great hope on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resume the work that he initiated during his previous tenure to resolve the pressing problem of these people.
In his speech, PRC Convener Ehsanul Haque said that OBAT Helpers, FoH and MWDO are extending help to the stranded Pakistanis at a time when some major Pakistani NGOs have not come forward to help them. He thanked the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) which at the request of the PRC has sent 10,000 refrigerated sacrificial sheep to the stranded Pakistanis every year since 1998. He also extended thanks to MWL Secretary General Dr. Abdullah Al-Turki for directing the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) to help these people by establishing schools and clinics in their camps.
Finally, I would like to thank all the charity and welfare organizations for their noble work in attempting to alleviate the suffering of these people. I also pray for forgiveness for Majid Nizami, a veteran journalist and editor-in-chief of the Nawaiwaqt Group of publications, who died a few months ago. Nizami used to collect donations for the stranded Pakistanis. May Allah shower on him His mercy and forgiveness. I hope that his heirs will follow in his footsteps and continue to support these people. I also hope that Islamic organizations, such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), IDB and MWL will not forget these people and will strive to have them included in the list of refugees so that they can receive financial assistance.
— Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at algham@hotmail.com
