Stranded Pakistanis in Syedpur made voters

This is being done following an instruction to voter enumerators (assisting officers) from the district election office asking them to make them voters for avoiding 'controversy'.

Ruling BNP men have made special arrangements to give stranded Pakistanis the fake identity of permanent citizenship of Bangladesh.

For the first time, the stranded Pakistanis of Syedpur have applied to the Deputy Commissioner of Nilphamari to make them voters. They threatened a legal action if their demands are not met.

Sarkar Kabiruddin, a commissioner of Ward No 13 of Syedpur Pourasabha has alleged that at least 250 stranded Pakistanis have been made voters in his ward in a week. He said although the 'assisting officers' are not going to Geneva camps but a local BNP leader, Mostofa Kamal, is encouraging the stranded Pakistanis of Banshbari Camp No-2 in his area to become voters after coming out of the camp. He managed to make them voters stating them permanent citizens of Bangladesh, Kabir said. He said he would lodge a complaint to the Election Commission to exclude their names from voter list.

Another commissioner, Batu Sarker also said that many stranded Pakistanis of Golahat camp have become voters.

On contact, Syedpur Pourasabha chairman Akhtar Hossain Badal has confirmed that he had received complaints of making many stranded Pakistanis voters. He said if the process goes on unabated, at least 25,000 stranded Pakistanis would become voters.

Moreover, names of 10,000 stranded Pakistanis who were enrolled illegally in 2000 are yet to be omitted from voter list, he said. He blamed BNP lawmaker Amzad Hossein for the malpractice.

According to an official record, about 60,000 stranded Pakistanis live in 22 Geneva camps in Syedpur. At present, most of them live outside the camps and doing jobs in the railway town. Only 3,000 families having 20,000 members live in the camps now.

Opposition party sources said most of the stranded Pakistanis have become voters hiding their real identity.

Many assisting officers in Banshbari, Golahat, Islambag, Kazihat and other areas have alleged that the ruling party workers threatened them of dire consequences if they do not make stranded Pakistanis voters.

However, the Stranded Pakistanis Youth Rehabilitation Committee (SPYRC) general secretary Abdul Qaiyum refuted the allegations saying not a single member of his community was made voters.

Marufur Rahman, In-Charge of the Election Office has admitted that some members of stranded Pakistanis might have been made voters showing nationality certificate or permanent citizenship of Bangladesh.

He, however, said if any specific allegation is brought challenging it and if the allegations are proved to be true, the stranded Pakistanis will be dropped from voter list.