The Bihari people were left stateless after Bangladesh's secession from Pakistan in 1971. Originally from India, this Urdu‐speaking community was effectively stranded, and lived in refugee camps for the next 37 years, systematically denied citizen status...
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The Bihari people were left stateless after Bangladesh's secession from Pakistan in 1971. Originally from India, this Urdu‐speaking community was effectively stranded, and lived in refugee camps for the next 37 years, systematically denied citizen status and basic services. In 2001, Biharis started to get organised to demand recognition from the governments of Bangladesh and Pakistan. A landmark High Court ruling in 2003 awarded 10 refugee camp dwellers Bangladeshi citizenship and inclusion on the electoral roll. ActionAid Bangladesh consequently worked with local partner SPYRM, who successfully petitioned the High Court for the same rights for all 300,000 Bihari people still living in 116 refugee camps across the country. Following a series of conferences and seminars to raise awareness of the Bihari's plight, and the surrounding media attention, the government finally reviewed their case and on 18 May 2008 the High Court ruled in the Bihari people's favour. Finally, after 37 years in
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