Following the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 between East and West Pakistan, the Bihari were left behind in newly formed Bangladesh. An Urdu speaking minority group, they were viewed by many as being Pakistani collaborators during the war, despite some Biharis fighting alongside Bangladeshi forces for independence. In 1974 an agreement was signed between Pakistan and Bangladesh with the promise that within three years the Biharis would repatriate to Pakistan; however, nearly 50 years later the wait continues.
About Vilen Gabrielyan
I’m a documentary/street photographer from San Francisco, California. I was born in Azerbaijan and relocated with my family to San Francisco following the fall of the Soviet Union where I have lived since. I started photography in high school with old Canon film cameras and various soviet lenses; early on I worked on editorial, concerts, events, and other paid work. This eventually bored me and I shifted my focus on projects revolving around subcultures and people living on the fringes of society. I have contributed work to various San Francisco publications and outlets, however, nowadays I focus primarily on personal projects I am passionate about rather than work.
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Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted to Vilen Gabrielyan. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.
