According to the last count a few years ago their number in various camps in Bangladesh was about two hundred and fifty thousand. However, the present Bangladesh government has declared that it would grant citizenship to those Biharis who were born after Bangladesh was liberated from Pakistan. If they take advantage of this concession, then the number of the "stranded Pakistanis" would shrink to less than half.
But the question is not of numbers, because, 250,000 is a drop in the ocean of 170 million. Even for Karachi it is not a big number. The question is of intent. Moreover, the repatriation of these people to Pakistan also remains one of the outstanding irritants between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
However, the fact remains that people of this territory that now comprises Pakistan never looked kindly at the Muslims of the minority provinces of India. They were useful only for the purpose of swelling the numbers at Muslim League's meetings and raising "Muslim League zindabad" and "Pakistan zindabad" slogans to bolster the Pakistan struggle. The purpose achieved, they were cast away like a used pair of socks.
Punjab accepted only people from Eastern Punjab with the same ethnic and linguistic roots. It diverted trains carrying refugees from other parts of India to Karachi. After the initial wave, the doors were closed and those left behind were advised to switch loyalty to where they were. They acted on that advice and are facing the consequences till today.
Z.A. Bhutto allowed a number of Biharis to enter the "residual" Pakistan. The first category comprised employees of the federal government, banks and other institutions based in Pakistan. "Divided families" was another category under which members of the same family separated by the new situation, were allowed in.
It was to the credit of Bhutto government that some employees of the provincial government of East Pakistan who had either voluntarily entered the POW camp or could otherwise make it to Pakistan were absorbed in the service of the federal government or the government of Sindh.
During Ziaul Haq's rule there were some moves for their repatriation. There were two issues; one was location, the other was funds. About location, there were some feeble indications to settle them in Punjab, but they never took any practical shape. Sindhi nationalists, headed by Rasul Baksh Palejo were vehemently opposed to their repatriation altogether, on the ground that, even if they were settled in Punjab, they would finally, end up in Karachi. And they were not going to allow the number of Urdu-speakers in Sindh to swell further.
The issue of funds was taken up by the Motamar-e-‘Alam-e-Islami and other philanthropists, prominent among whom were Lord David Ennals and Yusuf E.H. Jaffer. It was aired through the press that funds for their repatriation and rehabilitation would pose no problem. But, the plan could not take off due to the sheer callousness of the government of Pakistan. And there they remain as a living stain on the good name of the Pakistan army, because it was the latter who they gave total support for which they were punished as collaborators.
If the PPP had repatriated them, they would have provided a solid vote bank for their benefactor. And, with a solid chunk of 250,000 votes, perhaps Nafis Siddiqui would today have been in the National Assembly.
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