The Right to Nationality and Repatriation under International Law: A Study on Biharis in Bangladesh
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Published
Nov 30, 2021
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Abstract
This article aims to examine the legal position of Biharis in Bangladesh and their status in international law. It also reiterates the position of the international community, repatriation rights and judicial decisions on Bihari issues. Despite giving the citizenship rights to the Biharies in Bangladesh many of them did not renounce their Pakistani citizenship and actively refused to integrate with majority Bengalis. Therefore, the Bihari people’s right to get into Pakistan, their homeland, is an internationally recognized right having the force of customary international law. The article is based on secondary data materials. The key sources of this article include textbooks, journal articles, daily newspapers and online documents. The study has also relied on international instruments and decided cases of Apex Court of Bangladesh and Pakistan. The article found that Pakistan has violated and continues to violate the Biharis international right to get into their state of nationality by refusing repatriation. Besides, the new generations of stranded Biharis have mostly rejected their forefather’s stances and ideologies. Hence, the government should give them full opportunity to educate themselves to become productive citizens of Bangladesh.
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Islam, M. T., Mia, M. T., & Islam, M. (2021). The Right to Nationality and Repatriation under International Law: A Study on Biharis in Bangladesh. Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 6(2), 251-278. https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.v6i2.50499
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Research Articles
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References
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Bose, S. (2011). Dead reckoning: memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War. New York: Columbia University Press.
Bradley, M. (2013). Refugee repatriation: justice, responsibility and redress. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Brass, P.R. (2005). Language, religion and politics in North India. Lincoln, Ne: Iuniverse.
Cecconi, G. (2019). Stranded in Geneva Camp. [online] https://www.himalmag.com/. https://www.himalmag.com/geneva-camp-bihari-bangladesh-gabriele-cecconi-2019/ [Accessed 19 April 2020].
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D’costa, B (2013). Nation building, gender and war crimes in South Asia. London: Routledge.
Dey, S.K. (2019) The neglected ‘Bihari’ community in Bangladesh. www.dw.com/en/the-neglected-bihari-community-in-bangladesh/a-50824994 [Accessed 11 November 2020]
Dhaka, R. (2008). Bangladesh court rules that young Biharis are Bangladesh citizens. Reuters. [online] 19 May. https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-33642420080519 [Accessed 19 April 2020].
Farzana, K.F. (2009). An Artificial Minority: The Stateless Biharis in Bangladesh. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 29(2), 223–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/13602000902943682
Gerlach, C. (2010). Extremely violent societies: mass violence in the twentieth-century world. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ghazali, A.S. (2013). Four decades of sufferings of the stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh. [online] http://www.milligazette.com/news/5953-four-decades-of-sufferings-of-the-stranded-pakistanis-in-bangladesh [Accessed 19 April 2020].
Ghosh, P. (2001). The Changing Discourse of the Muhajirs. India International Centre Quarterly, 28(3), 57–68.
Ghosh, P.S. (2016). Migrants, refugees and statelessness in South Asia. Los Angeles: Sage.
Haider, Z. (2018). Biharis in Bangladesh and Their Restricted Access to Citizenship Rights. South Asia Research, 38(3S), 25S-42S. https://doi.org/10.1177/0262728018791695
Hofmann, R., & Caruso, U. (Eds.). (2011). Minority Rights in South Asia. Bern: Peter Lang.
ICRC. (2012). Bangladesh: ICRC honoured for helping victims of 1971 conflict - ICRC. [online] https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/feature/2012/bangladesh-feature-2012-04-19.htm [Accessed 19 April 2020].
Kuczkiewicz-Fraś, A. (2019). ‘Stranded Pakistanis’ in Bangladesh—victims of political divisions of 70 years ago. Sprawy Narodowościowe, 2019(51), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.11649/sn.1912
Mahmud, A.H. (2013). Bihari camps vulnerable to collapse. Dhaka Tribune. 15 May.
Malik, H. (2015). Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh not Pakistan’s responsibility, FO tells SC. The Express Tribune. Accessed on 2 March 2019, from https://tribune. com.pk/story/861364/stranded-pakistanis-in-bangladesh-not-pakistans-responsibility-fotells-sc/
Minority Rights Group. (2018). Biharis. [online] https://minorityrights.org/minorities/biharis/ [Accessed 19 April 2020].
Nair, S. (2019). Shimla Agreement: What is Shimla agreement and how is it relevant to Trump’s Kashmir mediation claim? [online] Jagranjosh.com. https://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/shimla-agreement-what-is-shimla-agreement-how-is-it-relevant-to-trumps-kashmir-mediation-claim-1563882580-1 [Accessed 19 April 2020].
Rafe, R. (2019). The neglected “Bihari” community in Bangladesh. [online] DW.COM. https://www.dw.com/en/the-neglected-bihari-community-in-bangladesh/a-50824994 [Accessed 19 April 2020].
Rahman, W. (2003). Vote for “stranded Pakistanis.” news.bbc.co.uk. [online] 6 May. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3003949.stm [Accessed 19 April 2020].
Rashid, H. U. (2000) Refugee Law, Dhaka: Anupam Gyan Bhandar.
Refrowld (2010). Bangladesh: Bringing education to the Bihari minority. [online] Refworld. https://www.refworld.org/docid/4c7cbb2dc.html [Accessed 19 April 2020].
Rizvi, H.A., (2014). Pakistan and the geostrategic environment: a study of foreign policy. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Schlein, L. (2017). Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh at Risk as Diarrheal Diseases Spread | Voice of America - English. [online] www.voanews.com https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/rohingya-refugees-bangladesh-risk-diarrheal-diseases-spread [Accessed 19 April 2020].
Sterba, J. (1972). 2 Months After Simla. The New York Times. [online] 4 Sep. https://www.nytimes.com/1972/09/04/archives/2-months-after-simla-china-and-bangladesh-seen-deflating-peace.html [Accessed 19 April 2020].
Tempest, R. (1986). 250,000 Stranded in Bangladesh: Biharis Long for Pakistan, a Country That Left Them. [online] Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-05-19-mn-5908-story.html [Accessed 19 April 2020].
The New Humanitarian. (2015). Bringing education to the Bihari minority. [online] The New Humanitarian. http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/report/90304/bangladesh-bringing-education-bihari-minority.
UNHCR. (2016) Update on Voluntary Repatriation. Executive Committee of the High Commission’s Program, 66th meeting of the Standing Committee, 7 June 2016 [online] www.unhcr.org/576ba6ec7.pdf [Accessed 20 November 2020]
UNHCR. (2020). UNHCR Emergency Handbook. https://emergency.unhcr.org/entry/55600/unhcrs-mandate-for-refugees-stateless-persons-and-idps.
Van Schendel, W. (2020). A history of Bangladesh. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wikipedia. (2019). Religion in Bihar. [online] Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Bihar#Islam [Accessed 19 April 2020].
Wikipedia. (2020). Persecution of Biharis in Bangladesh. [online] Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Biharis_in_Bangladesh#Citizenship_and_reconciliation_efforts [Accessed 19 April 2020].