JEDDAH, 11 September 2006 — The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) has called on the government of Pakistan to take urgent steps for the repatriation of Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh. It also urged Islamabad to press the United States and the United Nations to help resolve the Kashmir issue.
Speakers at a function held here on Friday night to mark the Defense Day of Pakistan spoke about the sacrifices rendered by the Muslims of the subcontinent and the Pakistanis in East Pakistan. They urged the Pakistan government to reactivate the Rabita Trust to facilitate the repatriation of the stranded people.
Mohammad Abdul Rafi, a Pakistan Movement worker who presided over the function, said Pakistan needed a leader like Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to steer the country out of the present crisis. He praised the armed forces for defeating a much stronger Indian Army in 1965.
He also spoke about the sacrifices given by Pakistanis during the 1971 war in East Pakistan.
Another speaker, Maqboolur Rahman Abbasi, said the nation took pride in its armed forces for its victory in the 1965 war. But, he said Pakistan lost its eastern wing due to conspiracies by some vested interests.
PRC convener Ehsanul Haque praised the role of the armed forces during the 1965 war. He said, “our failures and wrong policies led to the dismemberment of the country in 1971. We need to analyze and learn lessons from past mistakes.”
Ehsan said it is regrettable that the patriotic Pakistanis who sided with the army and fought for the solidarity and integrity of the country in 1971 were left to live in camps in Bangladesh.
He said, “We should adhere to the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.” Ehsan said several organizations and individuals were very instrumental in trying to alleviate the sufferings of the stranded Pakistanis. He praised Muslim World League, Islamic Development Bank, Refugee International and Majeed Nizami, the editor-in-chief of Nawa-e-Waqt, for helping the stranded Pakistanis.
The PRC passed a resolution calling on President Musharraf to reactivate the Rabita Trust and include Bangladesh in the Trust to ensure speedy resolution of the issue. It also appealed to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to help protect the stranded Pakistanis against attacks by miscreants on their camps and honor the court ruling that has stopped the authorities from demolishing their camps.
It urged charitable organizations like Edhi Trust, Ansar Burney Welfare Trust, Jamaat-e-Islami, MQM and Tehrik-e-Insaf to provide relief goods to the stranded people.
Abu Farhan Siddiqui of the Muslim Welfare and Development Organization appealed to all Pakistanis to help the stranded people by giving Zakah and Sadaqa during Ramadan.
