After his death terming Yasar Arafat (though in my view wrongly) a great friend of Pakistan some people have commented why Palestinians hate Pakistanis where ever they are in middle east and why Yasar Araf always supported India and not Pakistan in any international forum. They site the incident of “black September” as the reason when a Pakistani army unit then at posted on scondment in Jordan under the command of then Brigadier Ziaul Haq fired at demonstrating Palestinians there. These commentators due to this incidence try to paint Pakistani army as cruel, killers etc. This is the same story which many of our so called liberal Pakistanis tell in the case of East Pakistan.
The concerned Unit of Pakistan Army there was not an independent unit. It was under the universal law on scondment and the Jordanian authorities were their commander. It was the Jordanian authorities who desired this unit to fire on demonstrators. Nevertheless the action of firing whether by Jordanians or by Pakistani Brigadier himself was duly justified because of the reason that demonstrators were refugees. Jordan at the cost of its own people had accommodated these refugees (or Mohajirs to live till their own home was not safe for their return. A refugee or a Mohjir is always a refugee and no independent nation can give a refugee or a mohajir the full status as of a national and allow every type of freedom as is available to nationals. We often see photographs of refuges in western countries like Hong Kong etc remaining in barracks or in temporary houses enclaved under four walls of barbed wires. The refugees are supposed to remain under limit and thankful to those who despite their own difficulties provide them shelter out of humanitarian feelings. If my house gets damaged due to heavy rain and a neighbour gives me a room to live till repair that never means I start treating myself and moving in the house as free as who provided me shelter. The Palestinian refugees took disadvantage of the situation hence the Jordanian authorities very rightly took action as western countries do take when refugees raise their heads above the prescribed limit there. An honourable independent state always cares for refugees but never allows refugees “free from all” like we did to Afghan refugees who settled permanently, established huge business, brought Klashinkoves and drugs and Mohajirs whom everything was given including equal status but they after 58 years still treat themselves as Mohjirs and black mail trying to tell us they want to go back to India but one very rightly commented not a single from them would ever think of going back from where they came.