অ্যাকসেসিবিলিটি লিংক

Court Rules Urdu-Speaking Refugees Are Bangladesh Citizens


Bangladesh's high court has ruled that children of Urdu-speaking refugees, awaiting repatriation to Pakistan, have the right to Bangladeshi citizenship.

In a ruling issued on Sunday, the court says the refugees who were minors in 1971 or born after the independence of Bangladesh are citizens of the country.

The Urdu-speaking refugees migrated from India to former East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, during the breakup of the subcontinent in 1947.

Many of the refugees went to Pakistan after Bangladesh's independence under a repatriation scheme. The remaining 300-thousand Bihari Muslims are living in refugee camps across Bangladesh without established citizenship.

Many older generation refugees say they want to go to Pakistan, while the younger generation favors Bangladeshi citizenship.

Bangladesh says Pakistan is avoiding the issue of repatriation.

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