The repatriation of 1973 and the re-making of modern South Asia

Abstract

In the aftermath of the 1971 war, nearly 250,000 people found themselves stranded in various parts of the subcontinent. These ‘trapped minorities’ became hostages in a complex negotiation process that highlighted how questions of citizenship and belonging remained unresolved in post-Partition South Asia. By studying three groups - the non-Bengalis, the Bengalis and the prisoners of war in a comparative perspective, this paper re-visits the question of who was welcome within certain borders and on what terms. It argues that these decisions depended not just on the state's policies towards ‘outsiders’ but also upon its own relationship with its minority communities.

Keywords:

• repatriation
• citizenship
• borders
• minorities
• New Delhi Agreement

Notes

1. It is believed that 10 million refugees crossed over from East Pakistan to India during the war. At the end of the war, the simultaneous mass repatriation that this paper deals with involved the movement of close to another half a million.

2. Note that not all the ‘Biharis’ came from Bihar, although a significant majority did. I refer to them as ‘non-Bengalis’ as many Biharis themselves prefer this term, and it is more accurate.

3. The ‘non-Bengali’ question in 1971 is a complicated one as some scholars have argued that violence against them absolves the Pakistani Army of any responsibility for violence in the East. By including the non-Bengalis in this paper, its aim is not to ignore the Bengalis who suffered terribly during that period, but merely to place three groups of trapped minorities in a comparative perspective.

4. The Bangladesh Government suggested a figure of 260,000 based on a Red Cross survey whose authenticity was somewhat disputed by the International Committee of the Red Cross. This was, however, the number that was used mostly frequently in negotiations.

5. She is the sister of the noted economist Md. Anisur Rahman.

6. Pakistan International Airlines employees were stuck on both sides of the border and were a key part of the repatriation discussion.

7. This was possibly a reference to the ‘non-Bengalis’ whom India feared might want to return to Bihar. Moreover, as argued earlier, Bhutto too was opposed to using trains.