The Pakistani community in Jeddah recently celebrated the 74th anniversary of the passing of the Pakistan Resolution, which was also known as the Lahore Resolution. The annual conference of the All India Muslim League, held in Lahore in 1940 under the chairmanship of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, decided to create Pakistan as a separate homeland for Muslims in the Subcontinent. The demand for the creation of Pakistan was based on the two-nation theory. The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) organized a seminar in Jeddah to mark the anniversary of the resolution with Dr. Abdullah Omar Al-Naseef, who was formerly vice president of the Shoura Council and secretary general of the Muslim World League (MWL), serving as chairman. The function began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Qur'an. After this, some poets presented poems in tribute to the founders of Pakistan. A number of prominent figures in the Pakistani community spoke on the occasion glorifying the historic day. They also raised the demand for the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh. In his presidential speech, Dr. Al-Naseef, who is a recipient of the Hilal-e-Pakistan, described Pakistan as one of the leading countries in the Islamic world and one of the shields of Islam. He said: “Therefore it is a must for all of us to supplicate Allah Almighty to bestow the country with stability, prestige and development.” He also drew attention to the fact that the Islamic world is facing several problems. Therefore, it is important to have unified efforts as well as to work out strategies to address these problems. Dr. Al-Naseef also spoke about the issue of stranded Pakistanis who have been languishing in squalid camps in Bangladesh for more than four decades. He said: “If the Pakistan government has any excuses for not activating the Rabita Endowment, which was established earlier to repatriate and rehabilitate these stranded people, then the government should take the initiative to create another body with the support of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and MWL for the same purpose.” Dr. Al-Naseef also pointed out that he is in touch with the Pakistani government and is optimistic that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will again take up the issue of the repatriation of the stranded Pakistanis. In his speech, Saeed Al-Ghamdi, the guest of honor and ex-permanent representative of Saudi Arabia to the International Civil Aviation Organization, thanked the PRC for inviting him to attend the seminar. Praising Pakistan, he said: “Pakistanis are smart people who are hard-working.” He hoped that Pakistan would overcome all of its problems under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif. When my turn came to speak as another guest of honor, I expressed my pride and the pride of every Muslim in commemorating this great day. In my speech, I said: “Pakistan came into being as a result of strenuous efforts and great sacrifices made by Muslims in the Subcontinent, especially those who chose to migrate to Pakistan from different states of India. Those who migrated to East Pakistan from the Indian state of Bihar deserve special mention. "These Biharis stood by the Pakistan Army during the nine-month civil war, which ended with the military intervention of India and the creation of the new nation of Bangladesh. The Biharis have been subjected to continuous suffering for more than 40 years. They have always lived with a feeling of insecurity as the Bengali society is not ready to accept them. From the very beginning, they wanted to migrate to the country which they preferred to live in. “But unfortunately, more than a quarter of a million of these people are still languishing in crowded tents without even the basic facilities and services. They also suffer from disease and abject poverty. It was the responsibility of the Pakistan government to repatriate and settle them in Pakistan. Similarly, it was the duty of the Bangladesh government to ensure their safety and security as well as to protect them from the atrocities of Bengali extremists who are not willing to forgive them because of their support for the united Pakistan.” At the end of the speech, I expressed my great hope that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would resume the mission of repatriating stranded Pakistanis that he had initiated, with the cooperation of the Muslim World League, when he was in power earlier. I believe that it is only Sharif who can revive the Rabita Endowment. If he finds any reason for not doing this, he can come up with an alternative to the endowment. Let him establish the Commission that was proposed by Dr. Al-Naseef or implement the plan, mooted earlier by PRC Convener Ehsanul Haque. Dr. Tanweer Al-Zaman, assistant to Dr. Al-Naseef, also spoke on the occasion. He unveiled the plans of Dr. Al-Naseef to organize this month a seminar on "Pakistan and the problems faced by it". He also drew attention to the plight of the Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh. Finally, Ehsanul Haque delivered a speech in which he thanked Dr. Al-Naseef for attending the function despite his ill-health. He also thanked all of those who delivered speeches and wished all the best for Pakistan. He also presented two resolutions for the approval of the audience. The first was a request to Nawaz Sharif to set up a new body to undertake the repatriation and rehabilitation of Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh. The second resolution demanded that the Pakistani government approach the United Nations, OIC and the US to exert pressure on India to hold a plebiscite on Kashmir.
— Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
