WORLD BRIDGE BLOG

Seven years ago a group of young Urdu-speakers claiming to be citizens of Bangladesh filed a petition to demand enrollment in the country’s list of voters.  The government challenged their request, but the High Court determined they are "citizens of Bangladesh and their residence in the Geneva Camp, Mohammedpur, is not a bar to be enrolled as voters."  Five years later, in May 2008, a landmark decision in the Supreme Court restored the citizenship rights of the so-called Urdu-speaking refugees and stateless people (also known as Biharis, or stranded Pakistanis) who had languished in camps and ghettos since the emergence of Bangladesh in 1971. Since then, changes substantiating citizenship status have been few and far between. The goal now must be to make ready and steady progress toward fully integrating the population into the larger society.

In pre-independence India, the Biharis were an Urdu-speaking Muslim minority who resided in the Hindu region of Bihar. At the time of partition in 1947, some of them chose to move to East Pakistan and others to West Pakistan. When civil war broke out in 1970, the Biharis sided with West Pakistan. After the war and the independence of Bangladesh, they were unwelcome in either country. Bangladesh, (formerly East Pakistan,) scorned them for supporting the enemy, and Pakistan feared that a mass influx of Biharis would destabilize an already fragile and culturally mixed population, particularly in the Sindh region, where most Bihari wished to migrate. With neither country offering citizenship, the Biharis have been stateless for over three decades.

Since 1971, Biharis have existed at the fringes of society, with their most fundamental human rights denied. They live in camp-like settlements throughout the country. Living conditions are harsh due to high population density, aging accommodations, poor sanitation and hygiene, lack of education and health care facilities, and limited access to livelihoods, with most employable individuals consigned as day labor, barbers, or rickshaw drivers.

Over the years, Refugees International along side other organizations and individuals called for action by the governments of Bangladesh and Pakistan to end this serious human rights abuse by granting citizenship and/or permitting repatriation. RI has continued to encourage the government of Bangladesh to move as expediently as possible so that individuals can truly benefit from the decision and has urged rapid development of a comprehensive strategy to help integrate the young Biharis as citizens. RI also urged Pakistan to offer the possibility of resettlement and citizenship for Biharis who wish to live there, particularly those seeking family reunification. 

Instead, recent press reports about plans for rehabilitation and replacement accommodation in Dhaka, have generated a substantial degree of confusion and concern. For a community of several hundred thousand people, property rights and the matter of obtaining a permanent residence is no small issue. Media stories surfaced about new housing units but details could not be substantiated.  As a result, the community is unsure if it should  be pleased at the prospect of permanent residence or concerned that they are being tricked into vacating prime real estate.  The government of Bangladesh and municipal authorities should clarify their plans, including budget and schedule.

One of the efforts aimed at highlighting the human rights issue of the Urdu-speaking minority is an Ummid photo competition to mark the landmark judgment of 2008 and draw attention to the social integration problems that remain. The contest opened March 1 and runs to May 1, 2010. Al-Falah, Ummid and their co-sponsors hope “those who love human values and work for the causes of humanity will take part by sending their photographs on the subject of Bihari's human rights.” For more information or to submit images, please visit http://ummid.info/.