by DR. RAKHSHINDA PERVEEN
Bangladesh gained its independence from an oppressive Pakistani rule after a bloody nine-month war in 1971.’
This is how bdnews24.com reported the news of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s forthcoming visit to Bangladesh in February 2025. The tone and stance of many other media outlets in Bangladesh are not much different.
Mr Dar, who represents a nation marked by a chequered history and a continuation of missteps and insensitivities, is known for his expertise in finance. Accordingly, the primary agenda item disclosed so far – already being described in the national media as a “landmark” aspect of the visit – is the enhancement of bilateral trade relations. Amid the outbreak of such news, some news stories about the celebration of Quaid-e-Azam’s birthday in Bangladesh in 2024 hint at a potential shift in ideology, marking the end of the anti-Pakistan, pro-India stance associated with Hasina’s regime.
Inspired by the physician turned journalist and statesman Clemenceau’s famous quote, “War is too important to be left to the generals”, I once again, as a non-specialist stakeholder, dare raise my unrepresented views on the systemic neglect of the stranded Pakistani Biharis – or non-Bengali Urdu speakers who remain trapped in camp-like 7×7/6×6 cages since the fall of erstwhile East Pakistan on December 16, 1971. Devoid of rights, they endure extreme forms of mental trauma, inequalities and social exclusion. Betrayed by both the remnants of (West) Pakistan and Bangladesh, they are the unrecognised victims of history, foreign office negligence and media biases. They are disdained by nationalists, self-proclaimed liberals, human rights defenders and feminists, including eminent sensitive-hearted writers and poets. I have been wondering for the last two decades or so why a humanist like Faiz could not utter a single line about the classic tragedy of these unconditional lovers of an unbroken Pakistan. Their voices are not given any space in the conversations that dominate Pakistani mainstream media talk shows, led by highly paid ‘independent and authentic’ journalists, or in the new media cluttered with influencers. The donor community, which often champions democratic norms and minority rights, and the United Nations, regarded as the last resort for the wretched of the earth, have also failed them. Even political parties that masterfully market Islam, and the politics of the Gaza genocide, have turned a blind eye to their predicament.
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