Dhaka, July 4 (IANS) Pakistan's newfound "diplomatic romance" with Bangladesh, stands in stark contrast to the human tragedy unfolding in the labyrinthine, open-sewered slums of Karachi, including Machar Colony and Musa Colony, where an estimated three million Bangladeshi Bengalis live in a state of "institutionalised invisibility".
Despite being born on Pakistani soil and having lived there for over half a century, the state treats them as “unwanted ghosts," a report has stated.
“Pakistan is eagerly courting the state of Bangladesh while crushing the lives of the millions of Bengalis trapped within its own borders. This stateless population is a legacy of the blood-soaked fracture of 1971. When East Pakistan broke away to become independent Bangladesh, hundreds of thousands of Bengalis remained in the west, working in Karachi’s ports and fishing industries. Over the decades, their numbers swelled,” Bangladeshi media outlet ‘Daily Wadaa’ detailed.
“Today, three generations of Bengalis have known only the soil of Pakistan. They speak Urdu, wave the Pakistani flag at cricket matches, and contribute to the local economy. Yet, they are denied the most basic tool of modern existence: the National Identity Card. Without this digital passport to civil life, a person ceases to exist in the eyes of the state. They cannot vote, open a bank account, buy property, or secure formal employment. For the youth of Karachi’s Bengali colonies, the lack of documentation creates an insurmountable wall,” it added.
Following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led government during the 2024 July Uprising, the report noted that the decade-long frosty relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh began to ease, with Pakistani diplomats and military officials rolling out the red carpet for their former compatriots.
“High-ranking dignitaries, including Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, have scurried to Dhaka during the time of the interim administration, which lasted till this February, and there were revivals of intelligence sharing, military cooperation, student scholarships, and trade routes,” it stated.
The report argued that the "domestic hypocrisy" of mistreating millions of Bengalis residing in Pakistan, however, casts a long shadow over Islamabad's current diplomatic "charm offensive". While it may be easy to exchange pleasantries in diplomatic circles, it said, a state's true sincerity is ultimately measured by how it treats its most vulnerable people.
"If the current leadership in Islamabad truly desires a genuine partnership with Dhaka, it can no longer pretend these three million people do not exist. A message of fraternal affection for Bangladesh rings hollow while the children of Karachi’s slums are denied the right to an education simply because of their ethnic heritage,” the report stressed.
--IANS
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