Stranded Pakistanis

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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Bihari Muslims and Biharis (Discuss)

"Biharis"
Total population
600,000 - ?
Regions with significant populations
Bangladesh, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, India, Pakistan
Languages
Urdu
Religions
Islam (Sunni and Shia), Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Jain
Related ethnic groups
Other Dravidian and possibly Indo-Aryan peoples Bengali, Telugu, Dravidian, Tamil

The people known in Bangladesh as "Biharis" or "Stranded Pakistanis" are the descendants of Muslims who lived in the province of Bihar prior to the partition of India in 1947, and then migrated to East Pakistan. Most are now stateless and live in refugee camps in Bangladesh as they remained loyal to Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

1 Partition
2 Independence of Bangladesh
3 Refugee crisis
4 Bangladeshi citizenship
5 See also
6 References
7 Links

[edit] Partition

In pre-independence British India, there was an Urdu-speaking Muslim minority in the Hindu majority state of Bihar^[1]. In 1947, at the time of partition of India, the Bihari Muslims, many of whom were fleeing the violence that took place during partition fled to the newly independent East Pakistan. They held a disproportionate number of positions in the new country due to the fact that Urdu was made the national language of the new state and as such was for many Biharis, their mother tongue. This led to much resentment from the native Bengalis who had to acquire a new language and were at a disadvantage on their own soil.They were also involved in ruthless killing of Bengalis who had given them shelter in 1947 when they migrated to then East Pakistan.

[edit] Independence of Bangladesh

In 1971, the Bangladesh Liberation War broke out between East and West Pakistan, the Biharis, sided with West Pakistan and opposed the Bengali demand of making Bengali an official language and chose to maintain Urdu as the state language as for many Bihari, it was their mother tongue. With covert and later overt Indian support, East Pakistan became the independent state of Bangladesh. During the war there were "many attacks on the Bihari community as they were seen as symbols of Pakistani domination."^[2]

[edit] Refugee crisis

The Biharis were now left behind as the Pakistani army and Pakistani civilians evacuated and found themselves unwelcome in both countries. Pakistan feared a mass influx of Biharis could destabilize a fragile and culturally mixed population which shared no similarity with the Bihari; furthermore, the Pakistani government believed that since Bangladesh was still the successor state of East Pakistan, it had to fulfill its duty in absorbing these refugees just as Pakistan (West) did with the many millions of refugees (incidentally, including Bengali) who fled to West Pakistan. Some groups in Pakistan have urged the Pakistan government to accept the Biharis.^[3]^[4]

In an agreement in 1974 Pakistan accepted 170,000 Bihari refugees, however the repatriation process has since stalled.^[5]

Post independence Bangladesh scorned the Biharis for having supporting the Pakistan army. With neither country offering citizenship, the Biharis have remained stateless for 36 years. Organisations like Refugees International have urged the government of Pakistan and Bangladesh to "grant citizenship to the hundreds of thousands of people who remain without effective nationality".^[6]

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is not addressing the plight of the Biharis.^{[citation needed]} In 2006 a report estimated between 240,000 and 300,000 Biharis live in 66 crowded camps in Dhaka and 13 other regions across Bangladesh.^[7] In 2003, a case came before a high court in which ten Biharis were awarded citizenship according to the court's interpretation of the constitution. So far however, little progress has been made in expanding that ruling to others. Many Pakistanis and international observers believe the plight of the Biharis has been politicized with political parties giving the refugees with false hopes and impracticable expectations. In recent years, several court rulings in Bangladesh have awarded citizenship to Biharis living in Bengali refugee camps as the majority of these refugees were born there. International observers believe that Bangladesh, as the successor state needs to fulfil its international obligations and grant citizenship to this officially stateless ethnic group or arrange for the peaceful repatriation back to their native state of Bihar, over the border in India from where they originally hail from.^{[citation needed]}

In a visit to Bangladesh in 2002 Pakistani president Musharraf said while he had every sympathy for the plight of thousands of people in Bangladesh known as 'stranded Pakistanis', he could not allow them to emigrate to Pakistan as Pakistan was in no position to absorb such a large number of refugees which shared no linguistic, cultural or history with that of Pakistan. He encouraged his Bengali counterpart not to politicize the issue and accept the refugees as citizens being the successor state of East Pakistan. Pakistani government officials have threatened to deport the more than 1.5 million illegal Bengali refugees living in its country if the issue is not resolved acceptably.^[8]

[edit] Bangladeshi citizenship

In May 2003 a high court ruling in Bangladesh allowed 10 Biharis to obtain citizenship and voting rights^[9], the ruling also exposed a generation gap amongst Biharis, with younger Biharis tending to being "elated" with the ruling but with many older people "despair[ing] at the enthusiasm" of the younger generation^[10]. Many Biharis now seek greater civil rights and citizenship in Bangladesh.^[11] On May 19, 2008 Dhaka High court approved citizenship and voting rights for about 150,000 refugees who were minors at the time of Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971 and those who were born after would also gain the right to vote.^[12]