Photo Credit: Refugees International/ Maureen Lynch
02/25/2006

This stateless Bihari man lives with his family of eight in a curtained off corner in a dark, overcrowded, and crumbling brick building. At least 240,000, and as many as 500,000, stateless Biharis live in Bangladesh. The Biharis, many of whom consider themselves Pakistanis, sided with West Pakistan when war broke out between East and West Pakistan. Then in 1971, when East Pakistan became the independent Bangladesh, the Biharis found themselves unwelcome in both countries. With neither country offering citizenship, the Biharis (also called stranded Pakistanis) have remained stateless for over three decades. They live throughout the country in 70 severely congested camp settlements and in nearby areas.