Thatcher Hullerman Cook
12/13/2004

The situation for Biharis in Bangladesh, like these women in Chittagong, is critical and requires immediate attention. However, a permanent solution is possible if the governments of Pakistan and Bangladesh offer citizenship to this group.

When civil war broke out between East and West Pakistan, the Biharis, who consider themselves Pakistani, sided with West Pakistan. In 1971, however, East Pakistan became the independent state of Bangladesh. The Biharis were left behind as the Pakistani army and civilians evacuated and found themselves unwelcome in both countries. Pakistan feared a mass influx of Biharis could destabilize a fragile and culturally mixed population, and Bangladesh scorned the Biharis for having supported the enemy. With neither country offering citizenship, the Biharis (also called stranded Pakistanis) have remained stateless for 33 years.

In 2004 the already desperate living conditions of the stateless Biharis have continued to worsen. This year alone, they have lost their government-subsidized food aid, and many families have lost their homes to tornado, fire, and eviction. They continue to eke out an inhuman existence in their camps of decaying squalor.