Stateless and helpless: The plight of ethnic Bengalis in Pakistan

Even though they are born in Pakistan, ethnic Bengalis are deprived of official recognition and citizenship.

Karachi, Pakistan – Kiran Jaffar and Kulsoom Yamir are teenage gymnasts in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi who are hoping to represent the country at international events.

But both know that, as things stand, they stand no chance of fulfilling that dream. They are stateless Bengalis in Pakistan. Without any official identification document, they can’t move forward.

Jaffar, 15, and fourteen-year-old Yamir live in Machar Colony, one of Karachi’s largest slums that is home to an estimated 700,000 people.