KARACHI: Pakistan has given refuge to millions of Afghans in the country whereas Biharis and other stranded communities in Bangladesh, who still associate themselves with Pakistan, have never been welcomed by the people here and the government too has done nothing to bring them back.

These were the views of speakers at the launching ceremony of a book titled 1971 Ethnic Cleansing of Biharis in East Pakistan by Junaid Ahmad at the Arts Council.

The event was moderated by Tahir Ahmed who introducing the book said it contained authentic material on Indian troops’ involvement in the war of 1971 in which they, along with the rebels of Mukti Bahini and Awami League, killed thousands of Biharis and other non-Bengalis. Around 250,000 Biharis, he added, were still living in camps and slums in Bangladesh in a bad condition.

Speaking about the book, author Junaid Ahmed said that along with presenting actual historical events, the major purpose behind it was that in 2023, Bangladesh had made an international commission of experts and tasked them to prove that Pakistani forces had killed three million Bengalis in 1971, but he wanted to present the other side of the story as well.

1971 Ethnic Cleansing of Biharis in East Pakistan launched

He said he had approached the head of the commission, a Canadian professor, and sent him his research articles and books on the conflicts in East Pakistan. Bangladesh also intended to organise a seminar in June this year in Geneva for the same purpose but it had been delayed for now, he added.

Arts Council secretary Ejaz Ahmed Farooqi appreciated the book and spoke about its significance. He said the present generation of Pakistanis knew little about East Pakistan’s tragedy and the sacrifices people made during that time. The youths, he said, should be made aware of the history as it was and events should not be kept hidden from them.

He said the Biharis, who migrated from India to East Pakistan in 1947, had made significant contributions in the development of the country at that time. Similarly, they made huge sacrifices during the war of 1971, but called themselves Pakistanis even after the creation of Bangladesh.

However, he said it was a painful thing that the people Pakistan were not ready to accept the same Biharis living now in Bangladesh.

Veteran journalist and poet Mahmood Shaam, who chaired the event, said Mr Ahmad’s book was an authentic account of the oppression of Biharis in East Pakistan, which he had himself (Shaam) witnessed as a journalist, adding that the book should be translated into Urdu.

He said Biharis had made numerous sacrifices for Pakistan, but the people of Pakistan never welcomed them truly. He said Pakistan had given refuge to millions of Afghans in the country whereas Biharis and other stranded communities in Bangladesh, who were actually Pakistanis, had no place in the country.

Journalist Hassan Imam Siddiqui said the book was the best research work on the topic of Biharis’ killings in East Pakistan. Non-Bengalis, including a large number of Biharis, were killed by the rebels of Mukti Bahini, Awami League and Indian forces just because they were supporters of the state of Pakistan, he added.

Prof Birjees Haroon while addressing the audience said she saluted the author’s courage to write about a topic that many writers avoided. She said the book was a chilling narrative of the atrocities that Biharis had to face, something to which she was an eye witness too.

She said it was not just a book but a historical document and, therefore, should be made part of the syllabus of Pakistan Studies in the country as well as that of CSS (Central Superior Services).

Historian and author Ibnul Hasan Rizvi also made similar remarks and shared a chapter-wise review of the key topics in the book.

Besides criticising the injustices and oppression carried out by the Bengali rebels at that time, the speakers also praised Bengalis as a nation and said that the only way out was for Pakistan and Bangladesh to become friends again as they had been a few years ago.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2024