Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi

 

In my previous article, I dealt with the issue of Pakistanis who have been stranded in Bangladesh since the separation of East Pakistan from West Pakistan and the creation of the new state of Bangladesh four decades ago. The article shed light on the promises and commitments offered to these people and the efforts made to alleviate the suffering and ordeal of more than a quarter of a million people who have been languishing in squalid camps across Bangladesh. These people stood by the Pakistan army against Bengali insurgents during the nine-month civil war that ended with the intervention of the Indian army to support the Bengali side. In the ensuing war, the Pakistan army suffered a crushing defeat and several soldiers were taken by India as prisoners of war. These soldiers were able to return to Pakistan after a series of talks and the signing of an agreement.



The Pakistan government was supposed to repatriate all the stranded Pakistanis (Biharis) to Pakistan, the nation for which they had made great sacrifices. It was the right of Biharis to return to Pakistan not simply because of their all-out support for the Pakistan army during the civil war but also because of the fact that they had been keen in maintaining their Pakistani identity intact ever since the creation of Pakistan. But, unfortunately, successive governments in Pakistan failed to discharge their responsibility toward these people. Some rulers made promises and exerted efforts to ensure the repatriation of the Biharis to Pakistan. The endowment set up by Gen. Zia ul-Haq, in cooperation with the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL) and Abdullah Omar Naseef, who was then MWL Secretary General, was one such initiative.



It is also worth noting that a group of Pakistani citizens rose to the occasion by realizing their responsibilities toward their brothers stranded in Bangladesh by setting up the Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) so as to exert effort to support these people. The Council’s efforts included making contacts with prominent figures and organizations besides holding seminars and conferences, in addition to extending material and moral support to the stranded Pakistanis.



The PRC managed to bring together some international figures such as Dr. Francis Lamont and a number of Saudi personalities who were aware of the injustice being meted out to these miserable people. Expressing solidarity with the PRC, these personalities supported the efforts being made by PRC members to find a solution to the problems of the stranded Pakistanis. They also voiced their readiness to actively participate in any initiatives being made by the Council members in this regard.



The initiatives made by the PRC toward this objective included a rehabilitation package presented by the Jeddah PRC Convener Syed Ehsan-ul-Haque. The package was part of a serious attempt to look into the issue of the stranded Pakistanis from a different angle.



The following are some of the salient features of this package.



1. Bangladesh should be included in the Rabita Trust, for it can play an important role in protecting the lives and security of the stranded Pakistanis in their camps. This will also allow people who are willing to settle in Bangladesh to secure legal status and to have their property, which was confiscated in 1972, returned to them.



2. The UN Human Rights Council should be contacted in a bid to secure the status of refugees for the stranded Pakistanis so that they can enjoy the benefits that refugees are normally supposed to receive.



3. Priority should be given to the repatriation of those families which  secured IDs in 1992, while allotting vacant houses that were built in 1993, and repatriation expenses should be met from the endowment.



4. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) should be contacted with the objective of including the issue of the repatriation and rehabilitation of the stranded Pakistanis as one item on its agenda so as to facilitate the flow of donations from  OIC member countries. Contacts should be made with local and international relief organizations to ensure their contributions in extending support to these people.



5. A. The governments of Saudi Arabia and other GCC states should be contacted to grant visas for those stranded Pakistanis who are qualified to work so that they can earn money to finance the construction of their homes.



B. The Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and  Pakistani banks should be contacted to finance the construction of houses on plots which have been donated by the Punjab provincial government. Those who have been granted visas should repay the amount that they received as financing within a period of 10 years.



C. The estimates for the construction of houses in townships should be reviewed and standards and specifications should be reduced so that the construction cost can be brought down. Eventually, this will reduce the burden on those stranded Pakistanis who get employment in the Gulf.



This is a summary of the package prepared by PRC official Syed Ehsan-ul-Haque 10 years ago. Dr. Francis Lamont presented this plan to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in 2003 and then it was again sent to him by Abdullah Omar Naseef in 2004. The package was delivered to Pakistan Overseas Minister Farouk Sattar in 2010 and Federal Minister Khurshid Sha on 18 April 2010 and then to the secretary general of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party when he visited Saudi Arabia. But, unfortunately, no step has ever been taken on this issue.



I would like to state that first and foremost the issue of the stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh is a Pakistani issue. The government of Pakistan should bear its responsibility to these people on national, moral and humanitarian grounds. The government should not abandon the stranded Pakistanis as they have made sacrifices for the foundation of Pakistan and for maintaining its unity. They stood by the Pakistan army and paid a heavy price for doing so. It is incumbent on the government of Pakistan, which was able to secure the release of prisoners of war, to repatriate these people who stood firmly by the army.



I urge Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who previously worked hard to repatriate these citizens, to give priority to this issue. He is the only leader who can revive the Rabita Endowment by taking over its presidency and by inviting all its members to play their role.



Everyone should realize that God may reward those who do such a righteous deed.  

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