The Forsaken; Plight of the Biharis.
By Maham Javed • Aug 20th, 2008 • Category: Politics • 30 CommentsStench seeps out from the very core of the camps. Inhabited by 160, 000 people, the place is a picture of a small despicable and dilapidated colony. The word ‘slums’ does no proper justice to it. Tightly packed with flea-infested surroundings, the whole area is best by severe over-crowding, poor sanitation and lack basic facilities. Apparently no place for a person to live in. And yet, 160,000 people do live there and have been doing so for over 36 years. Why? I’ll tell you why.
The plight of the Bihari’s has been a long one. One might say it started with the partition of Pakistan and Bangladesh. At the partition of the subcontinent, many Muslims from the Indian state of Bihar, the Urdu-speaking ‘Biharis’, migrated to what was then East Bengal, which later on became East Pakistan. In 1971, when war broke out between the two wings of Pakistan; East and West Pakistan, many Biharis sided up with West Pakistan. However, after the emergence of East Pakistan by the name of a new country Bangladesh in December 1971, the Biharis found themselves unwanted and unwelcome in both countries.
Bangladesh was adamant that she would not at any cost accept the traitors who had sided-up so willingly with Pakistan. Pakistan, herself wouldn’t allow the Biharis a place to live. Not knowing where to go, the Biharis set up camps in the urban areas of Bangladesh where they have been dwelling since 1971, in dire conditions which have worsened each year due to the ever-growing population.
The Biharis also known as “Stranded Pakistanis’ by politically biased Bangladeshi politicians, have neither citizenship nor any facilities that go with it. They suffer discrimination due to their status in the country and are offered no jobs or any chance of a better lifestyle. Their children are not educated. Diseases and death rate is common amidst them and most of them do not even cross the age of 30.
The camps, set on temporary basis 36 years back have until now been the permanent hide-out for the Biharis. One camp dweller, explaining his plight to the researchers said: “I work hard in this country but however hard we work we are always paid less. Whatever is expected of me here I will do, but in return I expect the State to do the same for me”. Recent research has showed that contrary to the people’s prediction that the Biharis wanted Pakistani citizenship, 90% of the camp-dwellers voted for Bangladeshi nationality.
On 5th September 2007, the Bangladeshi government decided to award citizenship rights to the nameless Biharis. In doing so, they will have the right to vote, the right to a better lifestyle and even the rights for better jobs and education. It’s good to know that after so many years the camp-dwellers will see the beauties of life too.
The point to be considered in all this is that after Pakistan’s denial of their accommodation, the Biharis lost all their sympathies and loyalties to the country. And who can blame them? Even after helping West Pakistan, they were shunned to the sidelines when the time came for West Pakistan to help them. Ofcourse the charge goes not to the country as to the leaders and the nation. However, it’s the name of Pakistan which has been lowered in the eyes of the Biharis.
Now, we need to ask ourselves this: How many people, who so lovingly stood by the country will be forced to turn against it, just because of our misdeeds? Just look at the tribal areas of Pakistan. How are they being bombarded by our military? How long will it take them to turn against us? Those tribes, to which the Quaid referred to as the ‘main protection’ of Pakistan?
May Allah give us the insight and the right to stand up for our people. Long live Pakistan!
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Ms. Maham Javed:
Ms. Maham Javed:
Very nice post indeed. No words left to add as such because you have covered this issue with full justice. It is an irony that who ever suffered for Pakistan is kicked back with full force. There are so many examples all around us that if I will start writing…limit of comment characters will finish but list will not end.
What happened to those, who came to Pakistan as refugees? Who fought for Pakistan and supported Pak Army in 1971 in Bangladesh (same Biharis), FATA tribes, Baluchistan people, Who participated in battles against British Army before partition, who started project of Nuclear in Pakistan, who supported Nuclear project, Who started Missile Program, Who not considered Int’l pressure for Nuclear tests, who did best for social welfare, who did best in medicine field, who did best in aeronautical field, who did best in Wars…and so on?
There are so many people all around us who did all their best for the country but in last got kick from one group, who is holding this country since Pakistan birth. Quaid e Azam got this idea in early months of independence. This group not consists of few people. It is a mentality and every decade new people joins it and takes their agenda forward.
For example, Who is against true Justice???? Mushararf, Zardari, Nawaz Sharif, Army, Bureaucracy, civil society, lawyers or some one else….No, you can’t differentiate in a minute. There are some hidden powers behind this resistance and these personalities are like puppets in front of them. If some one tries to cross their limits then it results in Murder, loosing seat etc etc. This hidden power is not under control of any one person. It is mutual and equally shared at all levels of our society. It is spreading like a cancer and for the treatment of cancer, we need sincere effort and dedication. We can’t heal this problem forever but can keep it at minimum by making strong systems like ANTI VIRUS, WINDOWS DEFENDER, ANTI SPYWARE ETC ETC. If the system will not remain updated then their probability of attacks will again increase and it will worsen the situation more bad… Like we lost country, lost our leaders in 61 years.
Keep writing and commenting.
Regards,
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
The Bihari Refugees
By South Asia Forum for Refugee Rights
The history of the Bihari refugees goes back to the partition of India in 1947. Their displacement occurred in the wake of communal violence during and in the aftermath of the partition (for example, 30,000 Muslims were killed in the ‘Great Bihar Killing’ in October-November 1947). About a million of them migrated to the eastern wing of Pakistan (East Pakistan), (Minority Rights Group, The Biharis in Bangladesh, Report 11, 4th edition, January 1982, p. 7.) mostly from the eastern Indian states of Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Orissa, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura and Sikkim.
During the period of united Pakistan (1947-1971), the Urdu-speaking Biharis were not assimilated with in the society of East Pakistan and remained as a distinct cultural-linguistic group. They generally associated and identified themselves with the West Pakistani society primarily based on a shared linguistic heritage and supported the West Pakistani governing elite in the process of capturing the economic and political power in East Pakistan. The Biharis, consequently, enjoyed government patronage and preferential treatment in various sectors of the East Pakistan economy.
Initially the arrival of Biharis and the positive discrimination of the Pakistan Government in terms of refugee rehabilitation were not resented by the Bengalis. However, the euphoria of the formation of Pakistan and the positive attitude of the Bengalis towards the Biharis was short-lived. It was over as early as March 1948 when Mohammad Ali Jinnah announced in Dhaka that “Urdu and Urdu alone shall be the State language of Pakistan.” During the Language Movement, the Biharis instead of supporting the Bengalis, sided with the West Pakistani ruling elite. Further, in the 1954 provincial elections and in the 1970 general elections, they extended their support to the Muslim League, which symbolized and championed the domination of the West Pakistanis over the Bengalis. They also supported the West Pakistani ruling elite and many of them actively participated in the military actions against the Bengalis in the 1971 Bangladesh Independence War. The exclusive attitude of the Biharis and their pro-West Pakistani political activities culminated with the growth of an anti-Bihari sentiment among the Bengalis.
Against the above backdrop and, more importantly, because of their active anti-independence role (for example, their participation in the East Pakistan Civil Armed Forces, i.e. Razakars and Al-Shams, raised by the Pakistani authorities to carry out atrocities over the East Pakistanis), the Biharis became subject to widespread political persecution preceding and during the Independence War, as well as in the aftermath of liberation.2 Following independence, the Bihari political persecution continued and their properties and houses were taken over by the Bengalis. Several government promulgations [for example, the Acting President Order I of 1972, the Bangladesh Abandoned Property (Control, Management and Disposal) Order, 1972, President’s Order 16 etc.] did facilitate the dispossession of Bihari properties. As a result, by the middle of 1972, a total of 1,008,680 Biharis were domiciled in various shanty camps spreading all over Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Government announced the Presidential Order-149 in 1972 as a step towards offering the Bangladeshi citizenship to the Biharis. According to Bangladesh Government sources, 600,000 Biharis accepted the offer,3 (Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh (Dhaka: Government of Bangladesh, 1982, p. 3.) while 539,669 registered with the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) opting to return to their ‘country of nationality’ - Pakistan. Islamabad, however, was less interested and showed a lax attitude about the repatriation of the Biharis except those who joined the East Pakistan Civil Armed Forces and surrendered with the Pakistan Army. According to a Pakistani Foreign Ministry official: “What are we supposed to do with them (the Biharis)? We have enough problems already. Besides, you must remember that they are really Indian refugees.” Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the first post-1971 civilian president of Pakistan, was even unwilling to admit any sizeable number of ‘Bihari refugees’ to be repatriated to Pakistan.
Bangladesh in its formative phase insisted that it would establish formal diplomatic relations with Pakistan only if that country agreed to expeditious repatriation of the non-Bengalis including Biharis from Bangladesh. This insistence forced the Pakistan Government to move back from its original stance and agreed to receive a sizeable number of Biharis in the 1973 New Delhi Agreement as well as in the Tripartite Agreement of 1974 in exchange for the return of the Bengalis from Pakistan. As the first step towards implementing these agreements, the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) registered 539,639 Biharis who intended to return to Pakistan. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) facilitated the return of 108,750 Bihari refugees by June 1974. After that date, the UNHCR had to suspend the repatriation process due to exhaustion of funds. The Bangladesh Government complained to Islamabad about the slow repatriation of the Biharis and raised the issue during the 1974 Mujib-Bhutto summit. The Pakistani side, as it was earlier, showed little interest in the matter.
The post-Mujib Government undertook new diplomatic initiatives to persuade Islamabad to resume the repatriation of the Biharis. It approached the Islamic countries to exert pressure on Pakistan as well as to provide assistance to resolve the matter. Despite initial reluctance, President Zia-ul Haq subsequently, however, desired a solution to the Bihari issue on humanitarian ground. He asserted during a visit to Dhaka in December 1985 that Pakistan was ready to accept the Bihari refugees if sufficient financial resources could be raised for their transfer and rehabilitation. In 1988, a trust agreement was signed between Pakistan and Rabita Al-Alam Al-Islami (an Islamic charity organization, hereafter Rabita) to expedite the process of Bihari resettlement in Pakistan. A repatriation and resettlement plan was drawn up which included the construction of 36,000 houses spread over 80 sites costing about $278 million and with approximately $30 million for community services and $10 million for the transportation of the refugees. Despite elaborate preparations, the repatriation process could not get off the ground.
Benazir Bhutto was traditionally opposed to the idea of transferring the Biharis to Pakistan and followed the party politics (Pakistan Peoples Party or PPP) and the state policy of her father (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) after she came to power in 1988. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, it is noteworthy, introduced the restrictive entry regulations for the Bihari refugees in the early 1970s. During her tenure as Prime Minister, Benazir did not grant the citizenship rights either to the refugees in Bangladesh or to the 100,000 Biharis who moved to Pakistan illegally since 1977. During a visit to Bangladesh in October 1989, Benazir asserted that the Biharis should be permanently settled in Bangladesh and Pakistan would help to raise funds from the Muslim world for their settlement Prime Minister Newaz Sharif, was generally supportive to the repatriation of the Bihari refugees from Bangladesh. He undertook meaningful initiatives for the return of the Biharis. He was ready to rehabilitate them in his home province (Punjab) and officially domiciled them issuing identity cards. Although definite steps were taken for repatriation and a symbolic return of 235 Biharis did occur on 10 January 1993, it was subsequently shelved for ‘logistical and practical’ problems. All subsequent Pakistani governments showed disinterest in ending the Bihari issue that. It is indeed a political question rather than an economic problem.
[taken from "Bangladesh State and Refugee Phenomenon"]
Maham,
Very nice article and good timing to remind us of the plight of Biharis. Not to long ago BBC News also was reporting of this problem but I have not seen any mention of this in the Pakistani newspapers. The condition these Biharis have been living in is totally unacceptable and as Pakistanis, we must strive to help them, even if they do not wish to come to Pakistan.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention and I sincerely pray that this issue is not ignored.
Regards
Dear Brother,
Thanks for your kind words. I really like this forum. I came on this forum while searching some information on google. Found it very change. Bookmarked it for future reading and from very next day… I’m regular visitor of this blog and now some time I even writes.
I must congratulate TPS team because their efforts are making it successful blog of Pakistan. People across the world visits it and comments. It is like a family now. If some body gets absent, other gets worried. One reader is still absent and will join soon. Busy is some personal problems right now. I pray that we all keep putting our efforts to address all kind of problems, our people are facing. InshAllah small small efforts will bring change in our mentality and approach. If our mentality and approach will be in right direction then every thing will start getting ok.
Thanks a lot.
Kind regards.
Dear Saleem and Dr. Alshaer.
I cannot find words to express how happy I am to see such people like you. I try to write and express my feelings on topics which i deem to be neglected or reguarding our beautiful country, Pakistan. We are all interested in Politics and why we won’t be? We all love to gad about. After all we, Pakistanis, find nothing more delicious than a piece of a good, juicy gossip reguarding politcial affiars. And history has been kind enough to bestow us with loads to keep us nice and happy.
Saleem is right. How many people are there who don’t give a damn about what’s happening? Millions. They are just happy to sit back and slouch around, going about their activities while caring not even a tuppence for what’s happening and trying to inculcate stuff in people by doing something about it; even if it is writing.
Writing about Musharraf and what he did seems to me a waste of time. Everyone knows what he did. But writing about Musharraf from the perspective of what our own actions should be and then trying to contrast them with various others and making people REALIZE what we should do is very very important.
We all know that Musharraf did wrong. Have we ever looked at ourselves? What we do at every individual level? Allah, himself says in the Quran that he put forward those type of leaders who are in accordance with the people. If people are good, they’ll get good rulers and if they are bad they’ll get bad rulers.
Between, Saleem I am MOST encouraged by your and Dr. Alshaer’s kind comments about my articles highly stimulating for another and another and so on. I am glad we still have people who think like you. Once again I am most grateful to you for your kind words. Seems like I have stumbled upon kindred spirits. *smiles*
Regards.
Maham Javed Saheba
I don’t feel comfortable, giving my opinion, on a subject, I don’t have any knowledge,
but aftrer reading ” The Forsaken; Plight of Biharis ” and comments above, and it’s aproval by my Gurus,
I am glad to nominate you for Honorary Degree ” Ijazat Attadir ” ( Phd )
without qualifying any of it’s requirement:
The origin of the doctorate dates back to the ijazat attadris wa ‘l-ifttd (”license to teach and issue legal opinions”) in the medieval Madrasahs which taught Islamic law. It was equivalent to the Doctor of Laws qualification and was developed during the 9th century after the formation of the Madh’hab legal schools. To obtain a doctorate, a student “had to study in a guild school of law, usually four years for the basic undergraduate course” and at least ten years for a post-graduate course. The “doctorate was obtained after an oral examination to determine the originality of the candidate’s theses,” and to test the student’s “ability to defend them against all objections, in disputations set up for the purpose”
After dozen of books, and hundreds of articles written on this subject. Efforts of Pakistan to help settle
hundred of thousands Pakistani Biharis, legally and illegally.Continious Emotional sympathy, concern, debates, solutions on part of millions of Pakistani and all levels of Govt. officials for last 37 years, Unofficial, unannounced political complications, limitations,and it’s fallouts, if constitutionally accept all Biharis as Pakistani, then what about millions of Bangladeshi Muslims still consider themselves.
Pakistani. I don’t have a solution.
Because as you said, ” who don’t give a damn about what’s happening?
so I talk about, as you said
” Our beautiful country, Pakistan. We are all interested in Politics and why we won’t be? We all love to gad about. After all we, Pakistanis, find nothing more delicious than a piece of a good, juicy gossip reguarding politcial affiars. And history has been kind enough to bestow us with loads to keep us nice and happy.
Saleem is right. How many people are there who don’t give a damn about what’s happening? Millions. They are just happy to sit back and slouch around, going about their activities while caring not even a tuppence for what’s happening and trying to inculcate stuff in people by doing something about it; even if it is writing.
Writing about Musharraf and what he did seems to me a waste of time. Everyone knows what he did. But writing about Musharraf from the perspective of what our own actions should be and then trying to contrast them with various others and making people REALIZE what we should do is very very important.
We all know that Musharraf did wrong. Have we ever looked at ourselves? What we do at every individual level? Allah, himself says in the Quran that he put forward those type of leaders who are in accordance with the people. If people are good, they’ll get good rulers and if they are bad they’ll get bad rulers.”
Thanks
With regards to all of you.
Maham,
You are most welcome and continue this journey of expressing yourself. I look forward to your upcoming articles.
Saeed Khan,
You are my guru sir! I am just a humble servant in the search of knowledge. I must say, you have a great sense of humor (humour for your Brit educated folks). Keep enlightening us with your words and wisdom.
Regards
Attention: # 9 / Saeed Khan, Toronto.
Khan Sahib, I am less than impressed by your reasoning regarding the Pakistanis (Bihari ethnic background) left back in Bangladesh. Anyone with any respect for their sense of belonging to Pakistan and their stand to defend its sovereignity and the treatment it received at the end of that struggle would or should be burdend with accute sense of betrayal. They were and are children of Pakistan; their mother abandoned them and their sibblings wish to disown them. Proud states and nations do not abandon their citizen and their compatriots. It is sad and it’s shameful for us all.
Of course, they are helpless and at the mercy of Bangladeshi generosity (37 years of Refugee Camps!!!), which is still show of ‘large heartedness’ compare to our attitude !
Maham
I don’t mean to discourage you, you are a 2% minotity, you must respect 65%, I hope you can do better than this.
Dr. alshaer,
You got it wrong, my sense of humor is harsher, than my criticism.
with respect
Saeed Khan,
No wonder I do not understand Pakistani thinking anymore.
Regards
Aftab Bhai Salam Alaikum
Honestly, I agree with you, what you said, and it’s sad, shamefull, like killing thousands of Pakistanies in East Pakistan, killing our own citizens, allowing India to murder over 80 thousnds Kashmiris or more, for love of Pakistan, the list is one thousand miles long, ” almost about the distance between Pakistan & Bangladesh ”
It’s almost history. What the concerned Pakistani like Maham, and all of us going to do about it. We must do something, now after 37 years of long wait. With RIGHT ATTITUDE.
With great respect to all of you
Dr. alshaer
Too bad, you just declared youself non Pakistani.
Americano?
Aftab
and what is my reasoning about Biharis you are not impressed?
all I said what Pakistan has done so for for Biharis, and it’s position on this issue.
and I don’t have a solution. If you have any, please let me know
Saeed Khan,
No, I am not “Americano”. Just because I do not understand Pakistanis does not imply, I am not Pakistani. I am just surprised by your quick judgment. What have I done or said to you to warrant this?
Please continue whatever you are doing and I will not interfere. You need not be concerned with how much of a Pakistani I am.
If Pakistan can be so generous, with those of us who left it, that it allows a status of dual citizenship (and in absence of this option) creates another instrument to treat them as equal citizens (which is fine and admireable and I don’t grudge it), however in the case of people left behind after the debacle of East Pakistan why this proverbial ’step-motherly’ attitude? I guess I can allow me frankness in the family, because they don’t have any chance of sending all those ‘Foreign Currencies” that we all love so greatly.
If I upset you then - well, I am impresed by this. I intended a provocation and some serious introspection on our part and if you feel, like I do, that they have been victims of our indifferent attitude then you might wish to let your friends know this and they to their friends and perhaps we will have voice of reason to plead for the abandoned Pakistanis in once East Pakistan. In case you do not agree, well they have survived without our help so far.
I am from Punjab
Any Punjabi lines I added to my comments, were never intended humer.
any one is free to laugh, and may promote as TPS Write up Comedy.
Bhai Bhai
I am Saeed Khan, a Pakistani Canadian
Doctor Sahib, Doctor Sahib! Bhai, aap ki zood ranji iski shahid hai keh aap hamaaray hai_n ! ! Al- Hamdo_lillah!
Dr. alshaer
I swear to God I love you, you are like my brother, you are too proud,You mind Quick. I tease you intentionally, to get used to it I wish WE STAY friends.
I am Saeed Khan
Friend to everyone, enemy to none
and sometimes I am pain in the neck for my friends ONLY
Bhai Bhai
Loosen up brother, bad for health, life is short
True friend are HARD to find
such bolo such likho