History is history, and it cannot be ignored. The truth of the past is that the Mohajirs faced discrimination and animosity, which did not start recently; it began right after Pakistan was formed. It was this discrimination and animosity that led some Mohajirs to believe that Pakistan was a trick … Pakistan was an error … Pakistan was wrong … Pakistan was a burden … Pakistan was something shameful.
This is relevant solely for the Urdu-speaking Muhajirs who moved from India.
A crucial question arises: why is this the case?
We should reflect on our losses and our gains.
For more in-depth information on this topic, you can refer to my book titled “Fifty Years of Pakistan’s Independence …… What Did We Lose, What Did We Gain?”
This wrongdoing, this wrong act, and this consequence are relevant only to Muslims living in the minority areas of India.
Let's look into how the Muslims in India helped the All India Muslim League to succeed in the elections for the Central and Provincial Legislative Assemblies in 1945 and 1946 in undivided India.
Leave East Pakistan out of the discussion since it has now split from Pakistan and become Bangladesh.
The historical truth is that during the elections for the Central and Provincial Legislative Assemblies in India in 1945 and 1946, which took place before India was divided, the All India Muslim League secured merely eight seats in the regions where Pakistan was later formed, specifically in the parts that now make up Pakistan.
In comparison, in regions where Pakistan was not established, the All India Muslim League secured 22 positions in the Central Legislative Assembly.
Wasn't it misleading that Pakistan was formed in the regions where the All India Muslim League had only won eight positions, while no Pakistan was formed in the areas where it had 22? Was this not a betrayal of the Muslim community in India's less populous Muslim provinces?
Was this not a form of punishment? Was this not wrong?
Your wrongdoing was that you supported the All India Muslim League with extra votes.
Your consequence was that even though you had a greater number of seats, you would not receive Pakistan in your regions.
Your mistake was that when you secured 22 seats, you agreed to Pakistan, which only had eight seats.
If this wasn't a mistake, then what could it be?
You abandoned all those Muslims in regions where the Muslim League secured 22 seats to the control of India.
If this wasn’t trickery and dishonesty towards them, what else could it be?
If this wasn’t cruelty and unfairness, what could it possibly be?
Today, the individuals who once shined the shoes of the British claim to be the protectors of Pakistan.
Muhajirs Stuck in Bangladesh
After Pakistan was formed, Muhajirs who moved from India and lived in East Pakistan, often referred to as Biharis, participated in the Pakistan Movement.
When the push for separating East Pakistan started, they supported Pakistan and battled with the Pakistan Army during the war in 1971 to try to preserve the country.
As a result, many thousands of these Mohajirs lost their lives like powerless victims. However, when Dhaka was taken over, the Pakistan Army gave up, and East Pakistan split from Pakistan to form Bangladesh.
The Pakistani soldiers who were taken prisoner in India came back to Pakistan after two years, but the Mohajirs who had supported Pakistan still had not been returned to Pakistan even after 55 years.
They remain stuck in Red Cross shelters in Bangladesh.
They keep facing hardships in those places, but the Pakistani flags are still waving above their shelters.
Aren’t the tragic situations of these Mohajirs in Red Cross shelters a strong insult to Pakistan and its military?
The Pakistani troops who gave up during the 1971 conflict came back to their country within two years, but those who backed the Army and did not drop their weapons for Pakistan were never allowed to return.
Many generations of these individuals have died without seeing a chance to go back to Pakistan, and the current generations still live in poor conditions in Red Cross camps even now.
Any agreements we had with the Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz involved bringing stranded Pakistanis back to their country, but no administration has facilitated their return.
If these Mohajirs, who made great sacrifices for the sake of Pakistan, are not returned to their homeland, then the future of Pakistan will be at risk.
Altaf Hussain.
London. UK.
474th public address via TikTok on
September 27, 2026.