JEDDAH, 3 January — Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has been asked to find a solution to the long-standing issue of stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh.
At a meeting of Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) held to mark the Quaid-e-Azam day here recently, speakers urged Gen. Musharraf to review the PRC proposal for a self-finance scheme to repatriate and rehabilitate the stranded people.
They also proposed the establishment of a "Stranded Pakistanis rehabilitation commission" consisting of the Pakistan president, Bangladesh premier, Islamic Development Bank president and Muslim World League secretary-general. "We also urge that the Pakistani High Commissioner in Dhaka should be assigned the task of taking care of the quarter million stranded Pakistanis living in miserable conditions in 66 camps in Bangladesh," a speaker said.
Expressing concern over India’s recent actions, including the army build-up across the border, banning of air and surface transport and reducing diplomatic staff," speakers said in the event of a war imposed on Pakistan, all Pakistanis would do "everything to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the country under the leadership of Gen. Musharraf."
Dr. Shoaib Akber, consul welfare at the Pakistani Consulate General, who presided, said: "Our stand on Kashmir remains and if war is imposed on us we’ll do everything to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the country."
Convener Ehsanul Haque paid rich tributes to Quaid-e-Azam’s strong leadership in which all Muslims of the subcontinent supported to create an Islamic state.
Guests and speakers included Ahmed Abdur Rafi of Pakistan Engineers Society, Asad Akram of Pakistan Journalists Forum, Shahid Nayeem of Urdu Markaz and Hamid Islam Khan. Renowned poets Malik Naseem Sahar, Habib Siddiqui, Syed Mohsin Alvi and Abdul Qayyum Mobin were also present.
