Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi

 

THE Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) recently organized a seminar to mark the celebrations of Saudi Arabia’s National Day. Several prominent figures from the Pakistani community of Jeddah spoke on the occasion. The function started with recitation of a few verses from the Holy Qur’an and it was followed by recitation of some poems and songs.



The speakers highlighted mainly the glorious history and remarkable achievements of Saudi Arabia for over eight decades ever since its foundation. They praised King Abdul Aziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, for the historic role he had played in unifying various parts of the Kingdom, which makes up major part of the Arabian Peninsula. The speakers lauded the efforts of his sons  — Saud, Faisal, Khaled, Fahd and Abdullah — who succeeded him until Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman ascension to the throne. All of them have contributed immensely in making the Kingdom one of the powerful countries in the world. They also expressed their happiness to be given an opportunity to be part of the Kingdom’s workforce so as to contribute their endeavor and expertise in the nation building process after considering the Kingdom as their second homeland. 



The dismal condition of the stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh was also drawn to the attention of the attendees at the seminar. The speakers demanded the government of Pakistan to take urgent steps for the repatriation and rehabilitation of these hapless people who are leading miserable life in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh for about 44 years. They also pointed out that two Pakistani parliamentarians have raised the issue of stranded Pakistanis in Senate, the upper house of parliament. Subsequently, the deputy chairman of the house, ordered the formation of a parliamentary committee to carry out studies about the issue of stranded Pakistanis.



In the presidential speech at the seminar, I thanked the PRC and its office bearers for holding such an event on the occasion of the National Day, saying that this could be considered as a national day for all Muslims while taking into account the fact that the Kingdom is the place of origin of Islam and the birthplace of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This is not only a day of pride for Saudis but for all Muslims as the Kingdom is home to the two holy mosques and the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.



While praying for forgiveness of King Abdul Aziz, I paid tribute to him for his extraordinary caliber and statesmanship in the unification of several emirates and sheikhdoms into a vast Kingdom and then restoring peace and security. King Abdul Aziz had turned fear into security, weakness into strength and disunity into unity. His sons who succeeded him have made tremendous contributions in making the Kingdom a major political and economic power in the region. The Kingdom has now become a member of G-20, which is a group of the most powerful economic powers in the world.



I also drew attention to the factors that contributed to the Kingdom’s elevation to this global position, and these included the oil wealth and the leadership’s capability to utilize these resources to the development of nation to the maximum, in addition to opening doors for the expatriate workers to come and play their role in the nation building programs and projects in various sectors. There is no doubt that Pakistanis are playing a major role in this regard. Pakistanis are among those who arrived in the Kingdom in the early stages of the mass migration of expatriates. They included people in all strata of life such as doctors, engineers, technicians and construction workers. One of the major driving forces behind their migration is their love of the Kingdom with which they maintain strong bonds of Islamic brotherhood.



I also spoke about the plight of the stranded Pakistanis who are still hopeful that the government of Pakistan would fulfill its promises in regards to their repatriation and rehabilitation. The successive governments in Pakistan had done nothing concrete to redress the grievances of these people. With the exception of the stranded Pakistanis, almost all other Pakistanis — both civilians and the armed personnel — managed to get repatriated to Pakistan following the secession of East Pakistan and creation of the new state of Bangladesh. The stranded Pakistanis found no place in the new state mainly because of their position to stand by the Pakistan Army for safeguarding a United Pakistan. Subsequently, these isolated people were forced to lead a miserable life in squalid camps where they do not even have the basic necessities of life.



I was very happy to see a report published by Urdu News with regard to the latest development on the issue of stranded Pakistanis. The report was about the initiative of the Pakistan Senate members — Sartaj Aziz, who is also Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs, and Kamil Ali Agha. The deputy chairman of Senate ordered the constitution of a parliamentary committee to carry out studies on the issue and take appropriate decision accordingly. I expressed hope that the parliament would take soon a decisive and positive decision on this burning issue so as to end the suffering of more than quarter of a million people who continue to make great sacrifices simply because they opted for a country of their choice.



Before concluding this article, I would like to shed light on a comment by one doctor called F.M. Kamal about one of my previous articles about the stranded Pakistanis. He blamed me for having been writing repeatedly about these people. He claimed that the situation of stranded Pakistanis is not miserable and that they are engaged in trades such as barbers, fishermen and meat sellers. He also pointed out that the government of Bangladesh has made available tents for them to live in.



I was very much surprised to read this comment, and I also felt sad for having such a comment from none other than a doctor (if he is really a doctor!). How does his conscience allowed him to consider that the condition of these people is not miserable? I don’t know what is his concept of a decent living, and is it acceptable for him to live without an ID at least for one month or two months?



Here, I also want to remind the Saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “He who believes in Allah and the Last Day must either speak good or remain silent.”





— Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at algham@hotmail.com