Repatriation of stranded Pakistanis sought

The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) recently hosted a symposium in Jeddah titled “Settlement of Stranded Pakistani on Self-Finance Basis. Francis Lamand, president of the Paris-based organization “Islam and the West” chaired the event and spoke about the issue of the stranded Pakistani people.
Lamand previously met with former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and former Premier Nawaz Sharif and plans to meet the current leaders of Pakistan and Bangladesh to discuss the ongoing issue. He shared how his organization is promoting Islamic values and understanding in Europe to help bridge the gap between Islam and the West. He also told how his organization convened a large gathering in the Qurtaba Mosque on Allama Iqbal.
Members of the symposium adopted resolutions urging the government of Pakistan to restart the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis left behind in Bangladesh after Pakistan lost its eastern wing in the 1971 war with India. They called on the Pakistani government to assign its high commissioner in Dhaka to look after the interests of 250,000 Pakistanis confined to camps across Bangladesh. It also urges the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to include the issue in its agenda.
Participants called on the Rabita Trust to include Bangladesh and play an active role in resolving the issue. They suggested some stranded Pakistanis may want to live in Bangladesh and the Rabita Trust could build homes and facilitate their rehabilitation there. More than 3,000 families were issued ID cards in 1992 and should be repatriated immediately. The Rabita Trust previously succeeded in building 1,000 homes in Punjab.
Recommendations were made for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries to issue work visas to the male members of the remaining 37,000 stranded families, giving them the means to help finance their repatriation and rehabilitation in Pakistan.
Participants also recommended the IDB and Pakistani banks extend loans for the construction of 37,000 low-cost housing units on land provided by the Punjabi government. They urged the government of Pakistan to request the UNHCR secure refugee status for the stranded and ensure food, medicine and basic facilities until they are repatriated to Pakistan.
PRC convener Syed Ehsanul Haque praised Lamand for his services to Islam and his continued support of the issue. He also commended Majeed Nizami, owner of a Pakistani media group, for his efforts to resolve the issue. Nizami created the Nawai Waqt Fund for Stranded Pakistanis in 2002, which has generated considerable funds to date.
Ali Al-Ghamdi, former Saudi diplomat and writer, praised the PRC for projecting Pakistan’s image and particularly for highlighting the plight of the forgotten in camps in Bangladesh. He told how he met with the late Nasim Khan, leader of the stranded Pakistanis, when he was on hunger strike 15 years ago. “I thought the issue was resolved and when I heard it was not, it disappointed me,” he said. “We should continue our struggle and pray to Allah this issue is resolved soon.”
Irfan Hashmi, vice president of Aalami Urdu Markaz, said Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh have more rights to Pakistan than others because of their sacrifice and loyalty to their country.
At the close of the symposium, Al-Ghamdi presented a memento to Lamand on behalf of the PRC.