Daily Times

December 18 has been marked as International Human Migration Day by the UN. People celebrate this day with zeal and zest at a global level. It is said that international human migration has positive signs for both countries–the country of origin and the destination.

Usually, migration is of two types: voluntarily and involuntary. Voluntary migrants are adventurers. They take a step ahead for better livelihood or economic gains. The involuntary migrants are people pushed by force from one region to another. Natural disasters, calamities and dangerous situations are regarded as the basis for involuntary migration. Other types of migrations include counter urbanisation, emigration, immigration, internal migration, rural-urban migration and international migration.

There are different factors involved in migration. Two of which are especially worth mentioning; push factors and pull factors.

Firstly, unemployment pushes a man for employment opportunities to destination countries or from rural to urban areas for better livelihood. Secondly, the lack of services in the host region plays a major role in the migration to gain better services. Thirdly, poor safety and security in the region push a person to a safe place. Fourthly, high crime rates push a man in pursuit of a peaceful environment.

Moreover, disasters push a man to a fertile land to gain more economic momentum. Furthermore, droughts push a man to gain good food suppliers. Seventhly, natural hazards, such as flood, earthquakes and land sliding, push a man towards a better place to live.

Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 drastically changed the geopolitical landscape of South Asia

Poverty also pushes individuals from one region to others in search of a better life. Lastly, the war also pushes the people towards a peaceful place to be lived on earth.

History witnesses that minorities have always remained marginalised in developed and developing countries. A report published by UNHCR in 2018 articulated that 70.8 million people migrated worldwide for many reasons. Of which, 41.3 million were IDPs whereas 25.9 million were refugees. However, 3.5 million people were asylum-seekers. It is also worth mentioning here that half of the refugees were from Syria (5.5 million people), Afghanistan (2.5 million people) and South Sudan (4 million people). Most of them were living in Turkey (2.9 million), followed by Pakistan (1.4 million); Lebanon (one million); Islamic Republic of Iran (979,400); Uganda (940,800) and Ethiopia (791,600). A question, however, can still be raised: Have these people been granted their moral rights?

Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, also known as the Bangladesh war of independence, drastically changed the geopolitical landscape of South Asia. In June 1971, many Biharis were killed by Bengalis mercilessly in this war. A historian, Partha Ghosh, quoted that approximately 400,000 out of 700,000 Biharis opted to be repatriated to Pakistan through Red Cross. However, Pakistan only accepted 170,000 as per an agreement signed in 1974. In a book titled, “Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War,” Sarmila Bose declared the Bangladeshi liberation was ignoring atrocities against Urdu-speaking people in East Pakistan. While basic rights, like education and health, are to be enjoyed by every individual, Biharis continue to be overlooked. Today, as many as 250,000 Biharis remain stranded in Bangladesh and live in the hope of independence.

The Bihari community faces a painful situation in Bangladesh. The crowded community has faced discrimination ever since their exit from India in the wake of 1947’s partition. The UN should now take pragmatic steps against the Bengali government to aid the helpless Biharis. It is said that all humans are equal and, thus, should be treated equally. The violation of human rights is a heinous crime and should be stopped by the policymakers working under the UNHCR. South Asian countries should also be inquired to stop violence against minorities. The Indian government might be impeded from the discrimination against Muslims community in India, especially the people in Indian Occupied Kashmir. A strict policy against the Bangladeshi government might also be formulated to stop the injustice against the stranded Biharis living in Bangladesh. The Pakistani government should also be asked to treat its minorities as equal citizens. The Bihari community should be provided with equal opportunities in jobs and education as well as health facilities. A British Pakistani novelist, Mohsin Hamid, rightly said that “we all are migrants through time.”

It is said that “Humans are in motion across time as well as geography.”

Why must we then remain divided: the migrants versus the natives?

The writer works at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad. He can be reached at abidhussain
@issi.org.pk.