36 years ago, on December 16, 1971, then East Pakistan became Bangladesh.
Last year Adil Najam had a very touching post on the same topic and I’ll strongly recommend a revisit to it here. Raza Rumi had also written a post after revisiting Dhaka recently.
I belong to a generation which did not see those times. My knowledge about this significant event of our history comes from the books I’ve read, things I have heard on the media and from elders, and from Pakistani and Bengali friends I’ve talked to.
A lot of water has passed under the bridges since then. Both nations have gone through a lot in these 36 tumultuous years. Whatever the past may have been – the good times and the bad – we at ATP pray for a bright future for both Pakistan and Bangladesh. We want to wish good luck to Bangladesh and its citizens for a bright future.
This December 16 is also time to seriously think about those Pakistanis who remain stranded in Bangladesh living in camps.
These are people who consider themselves Pakistanis, want to live in Pakistan, and whom we have ignored and forgotten. It is time to welcome them. If Pakistan can give refuge to millions of people from its western bordering country, we can welcome the few thousand who are our own, who remain stranded and stateless in Bangladesh, and who want to return to Pakistan.
Its time to bring them home!
its a crying shame that they are still living like refugees, no one in 36 years made a serious effort to bring them home.
shame on all of us.
There are a lot of misleading information about the whole affairs of the Bangladesh liberation war. According to a Pakistani Newspaper:
“Only foreign media aired the news of the Fall of Dhaka on December 16, 1971. Radio Pakistan kept airing usual transmission and giving a picture of
I feel ashamed of these 36 years that passed and more passing yet they are stranded.
The festering injustice continues to cause rift between one section of the Pakistani population and the rest. I have faith that one day they will be brought back to where they belong.
I think they are real ‘wadday and sachay’ Pakistanis. We are living in their country. I think they are 30,000 in number. I feel grief that no political party ever talk about their return in Pakistan, except some poets and authors arranging meetings and seminars and keep it alive.
I am again optimistic that might time came that they see their real home. The rehabilitation is not a big issue, as it was came into talks in Zia period. Iran gave commitment to provide transportation facilities and other Muslim countries also promised to gave their services. We will welcome and join hands with them.
What my other fellows say about it??