30 civil society members seek withdrawal of foreign secy's comment describing Urdu-speaking community as 'stranded Pakistanis'

A statement from 30 civil society members has demanded the withdrawal of comments made by Foreign Affairs Secretary Md Jashim Uddin that described the Urdu-speaking Bangladeshi community as "stranded Pakistanis".

Among the 30 civil society members who signed the statement are Barrister Sara Hossain, senior advocate of Supreme Court; writer Rehnuma Ahmed; photographer Shahidul Alam; journalist Saydia Gulrukh; and human rights activist Rezaur Rahman Lenin. 

In the statement, the civil society members demanded the immediate withdrawal of the statement from the foreign secretary and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the "demand for repatriation of stranded Pakistanis".

They also demanded an end to the use of the term "stranded Pakistanis" to refer to Bangladesh's Urdu-speaking community in the future.

"Before and after the creation of Pakistan on 14 August 1947, the Urdu-speaking community's ancestors settled in various East Pakistan districts from Indian states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. At that time, they lived with dignity as residents of East Pakistan," reads the statement. 

It says several generations of this community have permanently resided in this territory even before Bangladesh's independence. After Bangladesh became independent, with the assistance of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) in 1972, this community was accommodated in 116 camps across various districts of the country.

The statement reads, "In landmark rulings on Writ Petitions No 3831 of 2001 and No 10129 of 2007, the High Court Division of the Supreme Court resolved the citizenship question of Bangladesh's Urdu-speaking community and directed the appropriate authorities to issue national ID cards and include their names in the voter list."

It says that following these rulings, members of Bangladesh's Urdu-speaking community were properly included in the voter list and provided with national ID cards. According to the Voter List Act, 2009 (Section 7) and the National Identity Registration Act, 2010 (Section 5), only Bangladeshi citizens can be included in the voter list and receive national ID cards. 

"Therefore, the citizenship question of the country's Urdu-speaking community has been unambiguously resolved," reads the statement. 

It further reads that during a bilateral consultation meeting (FOC) between Bangladesh and Pakistan held at the State Guest House Padma on 17 April 2025, Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin, representing the Bangladesh government, requested the Pakistan government representative to begin the repatriation of "stranded Pakistanis" in Bangladesh.

The statement cited reports published in various media that quoted the foreign secretary saying, "Those who wanted to stay in Bangladesh have been granted citizenship. Some wanted to return to Pakistan. So far, 26,941 'stranded Pakistanis' have been repatriated to Pakistan. According to our information, there are approximately 324,147 more individuals in 79 camps across 14 districts."

The civil society members believe that the entire Urdu-speaking community of Bangladesh has been incorrectly presented as "stranded Pakistanis" through this statement.

"Even in light of the Tripartite Agreement signed between Bangladesh-Pakistan-India in New Delhi on 9 April 1974, there is no basis for referring to the current Urdu-speaking population of Bangladesh as 'stranded Pakistanis'," reads the statement. 

It says the Urdu-speaking community of Bangladesh and their ancestors did not migrate from Pakistan; they have been long-term residents of this land and are citizens of Bangladesh by birth. "Referring to them as 'stranded Pakistanis' solely based on their mother tongue is a form of hate speech and defamation and a clear violation of their fundamental human rights," it said.

The statement also says, "Labelling the Urdu-speaking community, legally recognised as citizens by Bangladesh's highest court, as 'stranded Pakistanis' is not only incorrect but also violates the principles of justice."

"Furthermore, it violates the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, particularly equality before the law under Article 27; non-discrimination based on religion, race, caste, gender, or place of birth under Article 28; and the right to protection of law under Article 31," it added. 

The statement says a legal notice was sent to the Foreign Secretary on 23 April 2025, on behalf of the Urdu-speaking community seeking clarification, following the foreign secretary's comment.