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Where do the stranded Pakistani's belong? Bihari Muslims and their cry for help

A crucial point of discussion in regard to the Bihari Muslims has been the measures taken to cater to them since the 1970’s, especially since the Biharis talked about how the planes that were supposed to take them to Pakistan never arrived and the 300,000-minority community was stranded in one-room houses as stateless refugees. In 1981, at a conference of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, twelve international and national organizations decided to form a working group to assist Bangladesh and Pakistan in the resettlement – they resolved to create a working group to aid both countries in the transfer of Biharis. In the very same year, the Stranded Pakistanis General Repatriation Committee warned to hold mass protests including the boycott of wheat rations donated by the government of Bangladesh until and unless their repatriation was expedited. At the end of 1982, almost 4600 Biharis were resettled in Pakistan. It’s also interesting to observe that the airlift worth $1.5 million was sponsored by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other Persian Gulf states. By 1974, the Pakistani government had transferred 108,000 Biharis to Pakistan. By 1981, the number rose to 163,000.

However, despite all these measures it's absolutely imperative for us to delve deeper into how we feel about this segment of our population living in these situations and being honest with ourselves in how we would want to accommodate them, because chances are that we as a nation won't be as willing to give them the life they deserve, even if they return.

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