Shah Alam, one of many Bengalis currently residing in Pakistan, journeyed from his house in Bangladesh to Pakistan for a short visit nearly thirty years ago, but escalating tensions between the two nations and financial difficulties left him stranded in Karachi.
Now, at 60 years old, he earns a modest income by selling dried seafood and is resolute in his desire to return to his homeland, having already missed the funerals of his parents and first wife in Bangladesh.
Flights between Pakistan and Bangladesh resume
Direct flights between Pakistan and Bangladesh resumed last month after a 14-year hiatus, indicating a significant milestone in relations.
Shah Alam has since begun organising his trip to reunite with his remaining family. “I will go,” he stated with tears in his eyes.
“I am facing some financial challenges, but I will definitely travel with my son after Eid al-Azha,” he said while referring to the festival anticipated in late May. Shah Alam, who remarried in Pakistan, still possesses agricultural land and his family home in Bangladesh.
Hussain Ahmed, 20, whose family resides in Machhar Colony, lacks Pakistani nationality or an identity card. “How can I travel to Bangladesh? I wish to go there,” the fish factory worker expressed.
“Even my father does not have an identity card. How can I obtain one then?” he added.
Local politician Muhammad Rafiqul Hussain, born in Karachi, also stated that Bengalis like him reside throughout Pakistan and contribute to the economy just like other Pakistanis. He is among the seven elected representatives from the Bengali community in Karachi’s municipal government.
Pakistan FM visits Dhaka first time since 2012
Last August, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Dhaka and met with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, marking the first visit by a Pakistani government official to Dhaka since 2012, which Islamabad termed a “significant milestone.”
Yunus pledged to improve the strained relations with Islamabad after assuming leadership of Bangladesh’s government in a temporary role following the 2024 ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
