JEDDAH: The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) organized a symposium here to mark the anniversary of the fall of Dhaka in 1971. The event led to the partition of Pakistan and left around quarter of a million Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh who are still languishing in camps there.

The meeting adopted a number of resolutions calling on the government of Pakistan to repatriate the patriotic Pakistanis from Bangladesh and asked the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to include in its agenda the stranded Pakistanis’ issue. The meeting condemned the terrorist attack on Army Public School in Peshawar on Dec. 16 last year and prayed for those martyred in that attack. It also urged Islamabad to seek world support for resolution of Kashmir issue through a plebiscite promised by the UN.

Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi scholar and former diplomat, said the dismemberment of Pakistan was not only a sad event for Pakistan but for the whole Muslim world. The prisoners of war were brought home soon after the fall of Dhaka but those who stood with the army to safeguard Pakistan’s integrity and solidarity are languishing in camps for over 44 years for their loyalty to Pakistan. He cited Quaid-e-Azam’s message that without sacrifice of the Muslims of Bihar Pakistan would never have been created.

He urged Islamabad to start their repatriation and appealed to MWL, OIC and IDB to extend financial help to Pakistan in this regard.

He also asked Bangladesh government to extend basic facilities — food, housing, medical, education — to the stranded Pakistanis.

Choudhry Riaz Ghumman of Kashmir Committee said the fall of East Pakistan is a very painful event in which India played an active role. He urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to fulfill his promise to repatriate stranded Pakistanis. He also praised army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif for fighting terrorism.

Shamsuddin Altaf paid tribute to those who sacrificed their lives to protect integrity and solidarity of Pakistan in the 1971 war.

Deputy PRC convener Hamid Islam Khan said that surrender of army in 1971 was “our greatest tragedy.” It is unfortunate that those quarter of a million patriotic Pakistanis who stood for the united Pakistan are still living in pathetic condition in over 70 camps in Bangladesh.

Mohammad Amanatullah said that December reminds all Pakistanis of the tragic event of Dhaka.

Convener Ehsanul Haque said that the reason behind the fall of Dhaka is debated at all forums but we have totally ignored the victims of this debacle. He said those Urdu-speaking Pakistanis who sided with the Pakistan Army were declared traitors by Bangladesh and many were killed. It is very sad that these Pakistanis have been left to live in miserable condition in squalid camps across Bangladesh. Syed Musarrat Khalil conducted the symposium.