A file photo of released Pakistani prisoners. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the government’s top attorney more time to submit a reply regarding the repatriation of 300,000 Pakistanis stranded in some 70 camps in Bangladesh.
Hearing a petition filed by the Stranded Pakistanis General Repatriation Committee of Bangladesh, a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk, gave Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Salman Aslam Butt till February 18 to submit a reply.
In a previous hearing, the chief justice had questioned whether the top court had the jurisdiction for asking concerned parties about the implementation of the 1974 Tripartite Agreement between India, Bangladesh and Pakistan on Normalisation of Relations in the Subcontinent. “Who is restraining them [stranded Pakistanis] from coming to Pakistan?” he had asked.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, AGP Butt sought more time from the court to file a reply saying he was unaware of the notice issued in this regard.
On the other hand, counsel for the petitioner Rashidul Qazi highlighted the conditions the stranded Pakistanis, most of who are of Bihari descent, were facing in Bangladesh. “They were thrown out of employment and their properties and assets were either frozen by the [Bangladeshi] government or looted by miscreants,” he said.
He added that the conditions in the camps they now live in are ‘wretched’. “Most of them live with their entire families in rooms no larger than six feet by six feet. They have no privacy at all.”
Qazi said “the attitude of Pakistani rulers, political stalwarts and army generals has been deplorable towards the issue of stranded Pakistanis.” He stressed that they were still citizens of Pakistan and despite the ‘sub-human’ conditions they had been subjected to, still proudly hoisted the Pakistani flag. “They were offered Bangladeshi citizenship, but they refused to accept it,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 22nd, 2015.
COMMENTS (21)
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Chachoo & Gul, to me having a country means something. It was that ideal of Pakistan which these people fought for (right or wrong), for which they are still suffering. It is up to them to decide which country they wish to live in. I lived with them for several years. They are good people who really believed in Pakistan. Sorry for the "inconvenience" of bringing up this issue.
@ Chachoo and @ Gul Notice you have 2 and 0/1 recommendations respectively. An idea of what most people think of your narrow minded views.
@M. Ahmed: They are hard working ethnic group, so go to their ancestral homeland from where they came and work hard on their own homeland with their fellow ethnic people.
The so called ''Stranded Pakistanis'' are Bangladeshis as they left their home country at the time of partitions and choose to live in Bengal. If they do not like to be citizen of Bangladesh, they should return to their ancestral homeland in Bihar. They can't be Pakistanis or Stranded Pakistanis. They never belonged to what is present day Pakistan. They should be loyal to their adopted country Bangladesh or return back from where they came. They have not gone from present day Pakistan, they have never been here, they are not welcomed here.
Only the stranded Pakistanis have the right to decide where they wish tio live. No one else. Govt of Pakistan may ask their option to end the misery. Just like the British-India optees of 1947. They are a hard working ethnic group and will be able to stand on their feet without government support.
@ chachoo, not sure why locals will be uneasy. All of these stranded People are Pakistani and Muslim. Pakistan was created for the Muslims of the sub-continent just as Bangladesh was created for Bengalis. The rightful place of these stranded Pakistani patriots is Pakistan irrespective of whether they are 0.3 million or 30 million.
@RHS: I have a question to all the emotional Pakistanis that if these Bihari migrants will come to Pakistan then will you open your own house for them?. Will you share the house with them?. Also which city they will choose to live in Pakistan?. Kindly open your eyes. Be realistic. They are now Bangladeshi citizens and just tell them to be a Bangladeshi right now. Just imagine that government will decide to give them accomodation in some city of Punjab and Internal Sindh where they will suddenly become 30-40 percent of the total population and they will never share any characteristics of locals and never ever speak the local languages at all then will it create harmony or differences?. I have many Bihari friends. Believe me culturally they are very different than West Pakistanis.
Most of these 300,000 migrated from Indian Bihar region to Bangladesh and now they have already got the Bangladeshi citizenship. So they should now integrate within the fabric of Bengali society in my view. These 300,000 Never migrated from the existing Pakistan to Bangladesh.
We cannot accommodate another 300,000 citizen when our economy is already toiling away. Also where they will settle in Pakistan.? Karachi is already over-crowded and migration to Punjab or KP will only create the problems with the locals as such a massive migration creates the unease with the locals. To accommodate 300,000 we need to create almost another city and that is not possible at all.
This story seems totally out-dated. The so-called 'biharis' of 1971, who had fortified themselves in small padas (neighbourhoods) at that time, are long gone. It is their third generation now living, most of whom have assimilated into the Bengali culture. It is almost impossible to say from looks and lingo of the residents of these padas, who is a bihari, who a bengali-Muslim and who a bengali-Hindu. Other than creating divisive politics, this law suit and/or this news item does not serve any purpose. Furthermore, these biharis of 1971 were members of the far-right al-badr and al-sams groups, who later assimilated into Jamat-i-Islami of Bangladesh. This party was in power (along with BNP) for a considerable length of time and had a good bit of bonhomie with the Govt. of Pakistan. Why did they not then sort out this issue with their Pakistani counterparts? Now that the present BD Government has gone after war criminals of al-badr, there is a sudden rush to migrate to Pakistan. Well, well, not a bad idea! The problem, though, is somewhere else. Pakistan would not be interested in taking back people who, once inside the country, could spill the beans and cause furore and endless embarrassment.
Pakistan will NEVER accept these so-called "Stranded Pakistanis". The Pakistani Military Government in 1971 used them during Bangladesh's War of Liberation in their genocidal campaign against Bengali civilians and have conveniently forgotten them after Pakistan lost the war and consequently lost erstwhile East Pakistan which became the independent state of Bangladesh. The "Stranded Pakistanis" who have collaborated with the Pakistani Military in the torture, killing, and rape of Bengali men, women and children in 1971 deserve to suffer. What goes around, comes around. We reap what we sow.
If Pakistan can bear the burden of 300,000 Afghans who hate Pakistan as much as Indian hate Pakistan then why Pakistan cannot bear the burden of these stranded Pakistanis, I think the only difference is that these stranded Pakistanis cannot help Pakistani royal families in $300,000,000,000 trade.
You have a deseased mentality Mr. mishra.@Kartikey mishra: Instead of writing on the topic you are letting your venom flow. Far as we are concerned you may go to he....! Those folks in Bangladesh are suffering because your country created Bangladesh and stupid Pakistani politicians had no guts to accept those stranded there.
@Kartikey mishra: Here comes another arm chair analyst & expert.. Its u ppl who abuse even kill ur own country men who come to work in diff states jus bcoz they don't speak the same lingo, U ppl don't fail to amuse
Afghans r welcome, who have been staying in Pak for ages using our resources & still hate Pak, on the other hands these true patriotic Pakistani s r still called bihari & r left in camps.. Sad
AGP is out out of his element here. His experience is in giving Opinions (already drafted by UK\US lawyers) in International Loan Agreements signed by Corporate entities. Not in fighting cases of stranded people in Bangladesh. Just like rest of the Cabinet of Incompetents.
@wb
Bangladesh was born out of the ribs of Pakistan. Otherwise they should have called the shots in 1947. That was not to be!
Stranded Pakistanis have been punished for being patriotic and loyal to Pakistan till today. Proof is the hoisting of Pakistan flags in those wretched camps.
A recent video of RT is available on youtube on how Pakistan controls its stray dogs.
It sends trained men with shotguns in civilian areas, recklessly shooting down dogs.
Perhaps Pakistan can employ a similar tactic to deal with these people. Problem solved. 300,000 just need 300,000 shells. Perhaps if you use grenades, you may not need more than 10,000.
I mean, what's another 300,000 when you've already killed 3,000,000.
Everyone from the fiasco of 1971 to date responsible for this atrocity should be brought to task. And these people should be immediately granted Pakistani passports and a handsome fund allocated for their rehabilitation and assimilation into our society. Active care should be taken that religious fanatics be kept away from them for exploitation of their poverty for their devious schemes of let's save Islam from the boogie man.
File photo of Pakistani prisoners ? Unless the prison is located at an airport !
This is another litmus test for Pakistan, the country that these people fought for and for that still suffer immensely. It is past time that these people came to Pakistan, a country which allowed 3 million Afghan refugees but did not allow 300,000 of these people now conveniently called "Biharis" to come to the country they defended, right or wrong..