Missing: the Bihari narrative in Pakistan-Bangladesh ties ….Dr Rakhshinda Perveen
The current political shift – characterised by the forced departure of pro-India Sheikh Hasina and reported public sentiments favouring Pakistan in Bangladesh, our former East Pakistan – has sparked renewed confidence in diplomatic media and engagements.
What is remarkable is the sudden interest of Pakistani media and academia in Bangladesh. It is important to emphasise that Pakistan has historically been a country where there has been either silence or hostility towards those who advocated for a united country and supported the Pakistan Army. While recognising the sensitivities of foreign relations and the limitations of our Foreign Office, I, as a member of the Bihari community – a community that has always demonstrated unconditional love for Pakistan despite being treated unfairly, to put it politely – cannot pretend to remain unaffected by the latest surge of goodwill toward Bengalis, especially while there continues to be total amnesia regarding the issue of stranded Pakistani Biharis in the ghettos of Bangladesh.
In my various Urdu and English blogs, columns and podcasts, I have provided specific examples and data to highlight the plight of the Bihari community, their loss of self-esteem due to thoughtlessly publicised acts of charity and PR, and their reduction to mere subjects in podcasts, films and theatre as key informants rather than protagonists, among other issues. In my earlier writings, I used to cite personal anecdotes or stories from affected Biharis. However, I am now tired and disheartened after observing the perpetual apathy and failure to enhance emotional resonance.
Stories and thought pieces from many professional journalists and esteemed academics made me a little sad, though not shocked, to see the insistence on “burying the past” without urging the relevant stakeholders to undertake difficult dialogues and admit embarrassing realities. The past cannot be buried when it continues to haunt the derailed lives of thousands of members of my community. Please do not mistake me or others like me for hawks who are unable to let go of the past. Certainly not. Rather, I am once again highlighting the need to face the facts and take steps toward healing old wounds, as all of us concerned in both countries require it, without oversimplifying the issue, unlike many expert journalists and academics who cannot wait for warmer ties with Bangladesh or veterans cherishing good old memories.
What could be the process – the painful and complex process? We, the Biharis of Pakistan, are deeply hurt and lost. I am sure many of our Bengali brothers and sisters are equally hurt. The only difference between us is the land. While Bengalis gained their liberation and their new homeland, Bangladesh, we Biharis are enduring a third migration in one lifetime. The most unfortunate among us are stateless in Bangladesh. They are Urdu speakers – stranded Pakistanis who were ruthlessly denationalised by the military dictator, General Zia-ul Haq. Their elders waited endlessly after the surrender for planes from this part of Pakistan to arrive and take them away, but it never happened. Those who somehow made it to Pakistan have had their stories largely stolen or silenced. Nobody in the media has the time to engage with Qutbuddin Aziz’s Blood and Tears published in 1974. It seems that even accomplished news anchors, TV hosts, shrewd politicians, and brilliant diplomats have not read it. Had they read and understood it, their ethics would probably not permit them to abandon my community and support Sheikh Hasina.
The ethnic cleansing and war crimes – including rape – against our group in former East Pakistan are not even highlighted by the PPP, who justifiably take credit for their founder’s efforts to bring back the POWs.
It is important to provide a disclaimer before proceeding further. As an honest community with large hearts, we Biharis from former East Pakistan, now settled in Pakistan or any developed country, never forget to acknowledge the support of those Bengalis who helped us survive or flee from our homes while leaving our butchered loved ones, hard-earned money, and businesses built with sweat and blood. However, this does not mean that the Bengali Mukti Bahinis who did all this must never be mentioned while narrating the tales of deprivation experienced by Bengalis due to entrenched elitism in Western Pakistan, which sadly persists even today, causing suffering for many other ethnicities.
Many of us who still think freely and are attached to Pakistan as single passport holders are struggling to understand how long we will continue to be mocked, traumatised, and humiliated by our erasure in mainstream media, academia, and political advocacy. The most significant sign of this annihilation is the total absence of mention of the stranded community of Pakistani Biharis. Let me add another disclaimer: the MQM does not represent us, or at least not the perspectives of individuals like me who are trying in vain to draw attention to the legitimate issues of our identity, heritage, and the acknowledgment of our unending sacrifices.
While the current political climate presents a unique opportunity for Pakistan to strengthen ties with Bangladesh, making real headway will require more than symbolic gestures and meetings without people-centred outcomes from clueless foreign office representatives on both sides of the table. Reconciliation is incomplete and meaningless without acknowledging our historical truths. Thus, any progress intended to build genuine friendship – distinct from superficial gestures and propaganda – must prioritise addressing long-standing injustices, especially those affecting the Urdu-speaking Biharis, while also promoting accountability. Only through such a comprehensive approach can both countries move forward on a foundation of mutual respect and shared humanity.
Islamabad cannot reset its relations with Dhaka without revisiting the moral foundations of its political and military stance. Any willingness to move beyond the bitterness of the 1971 war would be hollow if this moment of diplomatic opportunity is not handled with empathetic care. Addressing unresolved historical grievances and the marginalised status of stranded Pakistani Biharis, who remain in limbo after decades of statelessness, should be at the core of all conversations.
Courtesy Express Tribune