Citizenship Rights of Urdu-speaking Bangladeshis

The Milestone Judgements of the Bangladeshi High Court The two cases included in this volume are landmark cases, confirming Urdu-speaking community members as citizens of Bangladesh, the only country most have ever known and the country they call home. It includes Bangla translations of both court judgments (the court issued them in English) as well as a two page summary of each decision (also in Bangla) to make the content easier to understand for ordinary people. Paralegals will be able to use these cases in printed form during their outreach and awareness raising in Urdu-speaking camps in Bangladesh. We hope these English and Bangla language versions will make the significance of these legal decisions accessible to all Bangladeshis – Urdu-speakers, Bangla-speakers, government servants, and others alike. Urdu-speaking Bangladeshis no longer need to feel the law is abstract or distant; they can use these court decisions, among other legal provisions, to understand, exercise, and protect their basic rights as citizens. Our gratitude extends to the Council of Minorities for its collaboration on this publication, to Zakir Akmal & Associates for their invaluable translation support, and to all those in Bangladesh using innovative strategies to put the law into people’s hands and make justice a reality for all.