|
|
|
| July 8, 2005 | Friday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 30, 1426 |
‘Government bound to repatriate Biharis’
LAHORE, July 7: Advocate M. D. Tahir on Thursday submitted before a division bench of the Lahore High Court that Biharis in Bangladesh were ‘natural’ Pakistanis and the government was under obligation to repatriate them. Arguing on his intra-court appeal, he contended that the government was showing a cold shoulder to some 240,000 Biharis living in 66 camps in Bangladesh by refusing to accept them back on the plea that the third generation of Biharis was no longer interested in Pakistan and that some of them had applied for registration in the voters’ lists.
Advocate Tahir, who submitted his rejoinder to a reply by the Foreign Office on the issue, stated that the governments in the past made arrangements for their settlement in Pakistan. The National Assembly, the Senate and the Punjab Assembly adopted resolutions to the effect.
He said Gen Ziaul Haq constituted the Rabita Alam-i-Islami for the purpose and the governments of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE contributed about Rs1.13 billion for their repatriation. An amount of Rs480 million was still lying with the East Pakistan Cell of the federal government.
He submitted that the Saudi government also committed to meet the expenses of their transportation. The Punjab government built 1,000 houses in Mian Channu at a cost of Rs170 million. Only 63 of them were being used by Bihari families who were repatriated from Bangladesh. Houses were also constructed at Pind Dadan Khan.
He rebutted the Foreign Office reply saying it was based on 10 Biharis securing the voting right in Bangladesh. The act of 10 people could hardly prejudice the interest of others, he added.
It was unfortunate that the government was not prepared to accept them as Pakistanis. If Afghan refugees could be given citizenship, there was no reason why Biharis could not be given the same status, he continued.
The appellant submitted that the governments in past delayed their repatriation on one ground or the other. Now it appeared as if the government had discarded the Biharis. Islamabad could seek an opinion poll in camps in Bangladesh to know how many of them were still interested in settling in Pakistan.
He was of the view that this was an international political obligation which the government must meet.
|
|
|
|
