Visas for workers

The fact that Bangladesh has tackled many floods could make the help of activists from the country invaluable.

Experienced Bangladeshi flood relief workers have, it is reported, been unable to come to carry out work here because of bureaucratic hurdles that have led them to being unable to obtain visas. The problem is not new. For some time Bangladeshi citizens – some with friends and family in Pakistan – have reported many issues with obtaining visit visas. The fact that Bangladesh has tackled many floods as well as other natural disasters could make the help of activists from the country invaluable. What is more, they understand the cultural, social and religious realities of South Asia far better than most. There is indeed every reason why the Bangladeshis should be welcomed and efforts made to facilitate, rather than hold up, their arrival. We need in fact a review of visa policy as it applies across the region. South Asians should be free to visit each others’ countries with minimum hurdles. This could do a great deal to build better ties between nations.

Beyond the floods and the potential for sound advice from Bangladeshi experts, there is another reason too why they should be welcomed. The tragic history we share with Bangladesh is barely known to the generations born in Pakistan after 1971. While forgiveness for wrongs committed at the time may have value, it is unwise to forget what happened. Sharing perceptions about events can allow younger people in both countries work out ways to ensure a similar chain of events is never repeated. Friendships almost always come in handy. Certainly, right now, we need friends as do the flood victims who await aid in relief camps across the country. It seems especially foolish then to spurn assistance. The issue of the visas should be investigated and relief workers from South Asia invited in rather than being turned away at the door.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2010.