International Migrants Day: Lesson learned

Abstract

This is about the Migration of masses across the globe

Full text

Daily Times, December 20, 2019
International Migrants Day: Lesson learned
Abid Hussain
https://dailytimes.com.pk/523277/international-migrants-day-lesson-learned-
daily-times/
December 18 has been marked as International Human Migration Day
by the UN. People celebrate this day with zeal and zest at a global
level. It is said that international human migration has positive signs for
both countries–the country of origin and the destination.
Usually, migration is of two types: voluntarily and involuntary.
Voluntary migrants are adventurers. They take a step ahead for better
livelihood or economic gains. The involuntary migrants are people
pushed by force from one region to another. Natural disasters, calamities
and dangerous situations are regarded as the basis for involuntary
migration. Other types of migrations include counter urbanisation,
emigration, immigration, internal migration, rural-urban migration and
international migration.
There are different factors involved in migration. Two of which are
especially worth mentioning; push factors and pull factors.
Firstly, unemployment pushes a man for employment opportunities to
destination countries or from rural to urban areas for better livelihood.
Secondly, the lack of services in the host region plays a major role in
the migration to gain better services. Thirdly, poor safety and security
in the region push a person to a safe place. Fourthly, high crime rates
push a man in pursuit of a peaceful environment.

Moreover, disasters push a man to a fertile land to gain more economic
momentum. Furthermore, droughts push a man to gain good food
suppliers. Seventhly, natural hazards, such as flood, earthquakes and land
sliding, push a man towards a better place to live.
Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 drastically changed the
geopolitical landscape of South Asia
Poverty also pushes individuals from one region to others in search of a
better life. Lastly, the war also pushes the people towards a peaceful
place to be lived on earth.
History witnesses that minorities have always remained marginalised in
developed and developing countries. A report published by UNHCR in
2018 articulated that 70.8 million people migrated worldwide for many
reasons. Of which, 41.3 million were IDPs whereas 25.9 million were
refugees. However, 3.5 million people were asylum-seekers. It is also
worth mentioning here that half of the refugees were from Syria (5.5
million people), Afghanistan (2.5 million people) and South Sudan (4
million people). Most of them were living in Turkey (2.9 million),
followed by Pakistan (1.4 million); Lebanon (one million); Islamic
Republic of Iran (979,400); Uganda (940,800) and Ethiopia (791,600). A
question, however, can still be raised: Have these people been granted
their moral rights?
Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, also known as the Bangladesh war
of independence, drastically changed the geopolitical landscape of South
Asia. In June 1971, many Biharis were killed by Bengalis mercilessly in
this war. A historian, Partha Ghosh, quoted that approximately 400,000
out of 700,000 Biharis opted to be repatriated to Pakistan through Red
Cross. However, Pakistan only accepted 170,000 as per an agreement
signed in 1974. In a book titled, “Dead Reckoning: Memories of the
1971 Bangladesh War,” Sarmila Bose declared the Bangladeshi liberation
was ignoring atrocities against Urdu-speaking people in East Pakistan.
While basic rights, like education and health, are to be enjoyed by

every individual, Biharis continue to be overlooked. Today, as many as
250,000 Biharis remain stranded in Bangladesh and live in the hope of
independence.
The Bihari community faces a painful situation in Bangladesh. The
crowded community has faced discrimination ever since their exit from
India in the wake of 1947’s partition. The UN should now take
pragmatic steps against the Bengali government to aid the helpless
Biharis. It is said that all humans are equal and, thus, should be treated
equally. The violation of human rights is a heinous crime and should be
stopped by the policymakers working under the UNHCR. South Asian
countries should also be inquired to stop violence against minorities. The
Indian government might be impeded from the discrimination against
Muslims community in India, especially the people in Indian Occupied
Kashmir. A strict policy against the Bangladeshi government might also
be formulated to stop the injustice against the stranded Biharis living in
Bangladesh. The Pakistani government should also be asked to treat its
minorities as equal citizens. The Bihari community should be provided
with equal opportunities in jobs and education as well as health
facilities. A British Pakistani novelist, Mohsin Hamid, rightly said that
“we all are migrants through time.”
It is said that “Humans are in motion across time as well as
geography.”
Why must we then remain divided: the migrants versus the natives?
The writer works at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad. He can
be reached at abidhussain
@issi.org.pk.