'Stranded Pakistanis' living in camps in

Bangladesh in pictures
Monday 11 August 2014
Bangladeshs Urdu-speaking minority community, sometimes known as Biharis, are
consigned to lie in camps !or "stranded #akistanis that were set up in 1$%1, during
the esta&lishment o! the Bangladeshi state, een though they hae no roots in modern
#akistan' (hey o!ten lie in dire conditions, !acing discrimination !rom mainstream
society' )egal aid *+, *amati is trying to help them gain access to citi-enship
Staff
camp, Dhaka. There are about 300,000 Urdu-speaking people living in camps for stranded
Pakistanis in angladesh. The camps date from !"#!, $hen fighting during the establishment
of the angladeshi state forced the Urdu-speaking minorit% into these supposedl% temporar%
d$ellings
&ene
va camp, Dhaka. 'an% ancestors of the Urdu-speaking minorit% came from ihar, (ndia,
during the partition in !")#. The camps* residents are referred to as ihari, $hich is a loaded
term in angladesh. Some trace their ancestr% back not to ihar, but to other regions in (ndia
and present-da% Pakistan
(n
man% of the ihari camps in Dhaka, the floors are $eak and prone to crumbling. &aps in the
$alls and under the stair$a%s e+pose rusted structural steel and rotting concrete. ,lectrical
lines hang in $ebs above the hall$a%s and are perilousl% fra%ed
'an%
iharis are increasingl% able to pass as mainstream angladeshis. This gives them access to
housing and services such as education - and a better chance of ac.uiring citi/enship
documents. ut for Urdu speakers, 0passing* in order to get the basic rights granted b% la$
means abandoning their culture
'%m
ensingh camp, Dhaka. Urdu speakers have suffered discrimination and e+treme povert% since
the countr%*s $ar of liberation. Despite a la$ introduced in 1002 that guarantees citi/enship for
ihari refugees, the% face serious obstacles to obtaining citi/enship documents such as
passports and birth certificates
The
conditions in the camp are dire. 3ouses are separated b% t$o-foot 45!cm6 $ide passage$a%s
shared b% residents, goats and chickens. 3ouses are tin%, usuall% less than 2+2ft, and host entire
families. 7esidents raise their beds to make space for possessions underneath. 8hen it rains,
the camp floods, toilets included
(n
10!3, the legal empo$erment organisation 9amati partnered the :ouncil on 'inorities, a local
rights group, to provide services to people seeking citi/enship documents. Since last ;une, !0
paralegals and three volunteers have been trained to $ork across all the countr%*s camps and
have assisted almost !,<00 stateless people
9ahid
Parvin, 10, is a paralegal $orking for the Urdu-speaking communit% in Dhaka. She sa%s her
$ork has changed her life. =lthough she is %oung, she has e+perienced a lot of respect from her
communit%. >,ver%one sa%s salam, and the% call me madame,? she sa%s. Parvin feels inspired
to continue her $ork in development b% training as a social $orker
Parvi
n, $ho is from the ihari communit%, has basic la$ and mediation training. She $orks as a
grassroots advocate, helping people appl% for identit% documents. Parvin suffered
discrimination gro$ing up@ 0Teachers $ould sa%, >Ah, %ou*re from the camps, %ou killed our
forefathers in 0#!.? ( didn*t sa% an%thing,* she sa%s. 0ut ( cried all the time*
Bor
$omen, the prospect of travelling b% foot or public transport to deal $ith officials and
e+change mone% is intimidating. The communit% faces reCection or bribe re.uests $hen
appl%ing for (D documents. ut for some it is $orth the risk, as a angladeshi passport allo$s
residents to $ork abroad and send back remittances
Parvi
n takes a group of $omen to appl% for (D documents. 9amati collects data on applications to
identif% bottlenecks in the s%stem and cases of discrimination. (t then makes polic%
recommendations to the angladesh government. Parvin*s $ork has the potential to benefit up
to 300,000 people struggling to gain identit% documents
:amp
residents appl% for (D cards in Dhaka. (n some cit% corporation offices, uncooperative officials
reCect the maCorit% of Urdu-speakers* cases. (n other areas, the process is more reliable. Bor
camp residents %ounger than mid-)0s, angladesh is the onl% countr% the% have ever kno$n
Biles
pile up in a cit% corporation office. % tracking cases 9amati and the :ouncil on 'inorities
alread% have better data than the government detailing cases of discrimination and dela%s in
receiving citi/enship documents
Parvi
n $alks $ith Bar/ana 9a/, a %oung mother from the Urdu-speaking minorit%. 9a/ has applied
for a passport so she can take a Cob as a domestic $orker in Saudi =rabia to support her
daughters through the rest of their schooling. Parvin is helping $ith her case