Resolutions call for a Plebiscite for the rights of Kashmiris
Syed Musarrat Khalil
Jeddah: 20th August 2022: Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) last evening held program an online 75th diamond Jubilee anniversary of Pakistan’s independence. It was presided by Chairman Ehteshamuddin Arshad Nizami. Other guests; poets and speakers included from Jeddah: Shamsuddin Altaf (Vice President); Syed Musarrat Khalil (General Secretary and Moderator); Zamurrad Khan Saifi; Qari Engr. Mohammad Asif; Engr. Khaled Javed.
From UK Malik Zubair; From Pakistan: Hamid Islam Khan (Deputy Convener); From Canada: Syed Azfar Shakil (Organiser VFH, Guest speaker), Syed Ehsanul Haque, From USA: Syed Ehteshamuddin Arshad Nizami
Arshad Nizami in his presidential speech briefed about his Pakistan visit in which he met Government officials; Senior Journalists, and Media personalities e.g. Altaf Hassan Quraishi; Mujibur Rahman Shami and others and urged them to highlight the stranded Pakistanis issue so as to draw the attention of ruling authorities. He got a very positive response from them and expected that they will take this issue seriously.
He said that most of them asked why when Bangladesh awarded them citizenship why they didn’t accept, so Ehtesham clarified that the government has only given them voting rights and no citizenship otherwise the government would have to return their properties which were confiscated in 1972 and declared enemy properties. That Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared that normalisation of relations with Pakistan can only be done if Pakistan (1) Formally apologize for the 1971 war crime; (2) Settle the assets issue and (3) take back stranded Pakistanis so this is the latest status of the top authority of Bangladesh.
He declared the establishment of Voice for Humanity (VFH) sister concern of the PRC with the same mandate, the purpose is that in North America, we can’t use PRC to seek their help on the issue. He said FOH, OBAT, and MWDO working on welfare activities while PRC and VFH will dedicate themselves to the repatriation and rehabilitation of stranded Pakistanis.
He advised members and sympathisers to use strongly Social Media to highlight the issue and our role so as to get the attention of our rulers to take concrete steps to solve it.
Guest speaker Engr. Syed Azfar Shakil thanked PRC for inviting him to speak at this event. He briefed about the activities of VFH in Canada and sought moral support from Humanitarian organisations to highlight the issue. He hoped that further meetings will be organised to enhance the awareness and attention of respected officials. He said VFH and PRC working for the same cause and we have to work very closely to achieve our goal.
Malik Zubair said that celebrating our independence happened on the 27th of Ramadan, a sacred day so we believe Allah created Pakistan for a purpose. He said about the value of freedom, we should ask those Palestinian, Kashmiris, Rohingians and others, so we must be proud to be Pakistani. He regretted that our Government hosted 3 million Afghans but denied a quarter million of our own citizens living in Bangladeshi camps since 1971. He said PRC needs to further enhance activities since the new generation is not aware of this issue.
