The world has so far failed to do justice to the victims of the Genocide that has occurred in the occupied Bangladesh territories throughout the nine months of Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.It was the biggest Genocide that has occurred after the WW2 and by remaining indifferent to it the world and UN is weakening the pledge of “Never again” to Genocides.
The Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Permanent Mission in the UN New York Headquarters have delivered a laudable performance by holding a three day photo exhibition in the NY UN headquarters premises titled “Remembering the victims of 1971 Genocide in Bangladesh”. It was a three day event held during the end of the month March,which is termed as the month of Liberation(Swadhinotar Mash) by Bangladeshis. It was inaugurated by Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Ambassador Masud Bin Monem on the 29 March and concluded on the 31st. Bangladesh Liberation War Museum was associated with the event very closely. The museum has arranged the photographs and helped in formulating appropriate captions with proper description of the pictures. We Bangladeshis salute our MoFA and Liberation War Museum for the unprecedented welcome move. Patriotic Bangladeshis also appreciate the strong stance on the issue taken by the Government of Bangladesh led by honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The event was a great success since it could draw the attention of Diaspora Bangladeshi population in USA,members of diplomatic corps of many countries and other foreigners who visited the UN headquarters during the three day period. The inaugural session was reportedly attended by about 150 dignified persons,that included Ambassadors of several countries to the UN,other UN personnel of different origin,high ranking Bangladesh officials,Freedom fighters,members of victim families of the Genocide living in the US and other freedom loving Bangladeshis.The news on the event has brought an electrifying effect on the Genocide victim families, freedom fighters of 1971,pro Liberation War activists and in general,the people of Bangladesh.
The heinous and barbaric massacre of Bengali population of the then East Pakistan was started by Pakistani army on 25 March 1971 late evening when General Khadim Hossain Raja’s tanks and armoured vehicles rolled out of Dhaka Cantonment towards Dhaka University,Rajarbag Police Lines,Peelkhana East Pakistan Rifles Headquarters, Bangabandhu’s residence in Dhanmandi and Hindu localities in old Dhaka. It was codenamed Operation Searchlight and was cleared by Gen Tikka Khan,the Martial law administrator of East Pakistan after Pak President Gen Yahya left Dhaka after his mockery of a peaceful negotiation with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman failed. During the dialogue in disguise,the Pak authorities strengthened their prowess in their eastern wing. When they were ready,the so called negotiations came to an abrupt end and the Genocide began starting with the infamous Operation Searchlight. Bihari and some Bengali collaborators soon joined in. On getting the information of the Pak army attack,Bengali supremo Bangabandhu declared Independence of a sovereign Bangladesh in the early hours of 26 March 1971 before he was arrested by the Pak military and dispatched to West Pakistan to face a trial as a traitor trying to break Pakistan in a secessionist move. The leader instructed his followers to start fighting with whatever might they could master to drive the tyrant Pak occupation army out of Bangladesh. The great War of Liberation of Bangladesh started on 26 March and continued for about nine months and concluded with the public surrender of Pak army and civil authorities in Bangladesh on 16 December 1971. Simultaneously continued the Genocide which started on the 25 March. The target of the Genocide was freedom loving Bengalis,Awami League activists and supporters, activists and supporters of other progressive pro Bangladesh parties and the Hindu population of the newly proclaimed country. Please make no mistake. Genocide is not only Gonohottya(mass killing) as many of us think. Back in 1948 the UN has adopted the Genocide Convention(drafted under the leadership of the famous Polish Jew lawyer Raphael Lemkin) which clearly defines the newly coined word Genocide(derived from Greek genos meaning people of a race or tribe and Latin cide meaning to destroy or kill). Genocide is internationally accepted crime against humanity that has intents to destroy a group of people identified by a common nationality,religion,ethnicity or race in part or in full. The act of Genocide covers individual or mass killings,executing bodily or mental harm,destroying property or economy resulting in extinction,transferring children of a religion or race forcibly to another group,preventing birth among the target group and such other crimes targetting the destruction of the victim group. Later,during trial of Rwanda Genocide in an International Tribunal,rape has been included in the list of Genocidal offences.If we analyze the actions of the atrocities carried out by barbaric Pakistani army and their Bihari and Bengali collaborators,we find that their actions tantamount to Genocide. Even Pak top military and civil brass also are on record in dishing out such orders and instructions to their lower echelons which clearly indicates their motive of subjugating Bengali Nation by force and they too can not escape the doctrine of superior responsibility. The Genocide finally resulted in an estimated three million Martyrs due to indiscriminate mass killing. The tyrant army and their collaborators destroyed property by arson and looting and 10 million hapless Bengalis had to leave their ancestral property and belongings to save lives and chastity. They ended up in refugee camps/shanties in India. More than that number were internally displaced. Two to four hundred thousand women were tortured and physically violated. It does not require the expertise of a Genocide scholars to ascertain that 1971 Bangladesh operations by Pakistan is a clear case of Genocide to destroy Bengali Nation as a whole and Hindu population of the territory in particular. The Pakistan authorities tried to establish that the Independence movement of Bangladesh was a conspiracy hatched and influenced by Hindus and India. They treated Bengali muslims as inferior to them and wanted to get rid of the Bengali nationalists. East Pakistanis were to be turned into good muslims even by changing their race through mass rape. There are ample record of Pak atrocities,war crimes and Genocide in international arena.Widely circulated newspapers and other publications of 1971 can be found in archives and libraries around the world. Blood Telegrams,Senator Kennedy’s report after his refugee camp visit in India,Pakistani Journalist Anthony Mascarenhas’ report “Genocide” in the Sunday Times are a few of the innumerable reports that can be cited here as proof to the aforesaid.
Unfortunately the world has almost forgotten the horrendous events of Bangladesh in 1971. Most of the present generation of the world including Bangladesh are not much aware of the details. Even in 1971 the political powers of the world led by two of the super powers sided with Pakistan and tried to execute a unilateral ceasefire through the United Nations in the territory which would have eventually stoped the Liberation of Bangladesh.Whereas no one condemned Pakistan for their wrong doings. India’s great leader Ms Indira Gandhi moved around the world to achieve justice for the Bengalis. The Socialist world led by USSR also was in favour. The starving refugees were fed and valiant Mukti Bahini(freedom fighters) was given short trainings and basic weapons. Tha civil society stalwarts of the world started speaking out in favour of Bangladesh.Mukti Bahini stole relaxation and sleep away from the Pak soldiers and their cronies. Pakistanis started losing ground and finally attacked India in the western front to divert attention of the world from Bangladesh theater. That backfired. No superpower could decide to interfere in the war directly as Pak government expected. Eventually they had to surrender to the joint forces of India and Bangladesh which was formed immediately after India joined the war after being directly attacked in the western front.93000 of Pakistan’s active forces were taken as POWs.Bangladesh prepared cases on specific charges of war crimes and Genocide against 195 Pakistani military personnel.
Meantime Simla agreement between India and Pakistan and subsequent tripatrite negotiations between Bangladesh,India and Pakistan resulted in the release of all POWs. Pakistan on the other hand assured forming tribunals to investigate charges against their officers and take necessary actions.
Unfortunately, nothing has been done in this regard by Pakistan. After the unfortunate killing of Bangabandhu,people in power in Bangladesh also did not pursue the case.But after democracy started returning,voices started being raised against anti liberation forces rehabilitation in the country. Pro liberation forces started being heard and they gathered ground under their feet. Ekattorer Ghatok Dalal Nirmool Committee,Sector Commanders Forum, Muktijuddho Jadughar(Liberation War Museum) and many other organisations started functioning.Slowly things started happening. Movements against anti Liberation War collaborators being rehabilitated led by Shaheed Janani Jahanara Imam was a beacon.It started crystallising pro liberation war forces. Self proclaimed murderers of Bangabandhu were tried and some of them got capital punishment. Case against murderers of four national leaders also got going. International Crimes Tribunal to try local collaborators of Pak army started functioning smoothly after initial hiccups. In 2017 Bangladesh National Assembly resolved unanimously that 25 March will be observed as National Genocide Day in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Prime Minister honourable Sheikh Hasina has requested all the countries of the world and the UN to recognise the Genocide. Some patriotic and pro Liberation War organisations have been working on the International Recognition of Bangladesh Genocide for a long time now. Apart from the three organisations named earlier,Gonohattya Archive of Khulna,Dhaka University Center of Genocide Studies, Muktijuddha Jadughars in many district towns,Projonmo 71,Aamra Ekattor,Muktijoddha Sangsad are only a few examples. Many diaspora Bengali organisations are also vocal on the issue. Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also raising the issue of our Genocide Recognition in seminars and webinars organised by the government in collaboration with Bangladeshi and foreign organisations. The recognition has started coming. Three Internationally reputed organisations working on Genocide(Lemkin Institute of Genocide Prevention,Genocide Watch and International coalition for sites of conscience) have already issued statements recognising Bangladesh genocide of 1971. International organisation of Genocide Scholars is also considering the case for recognition. At academic level the demand is established internationally. Now it is time for recognition by different countries and the UN. In the meantime the issue of 1971 Genocide Recognition has been raised in UN Human Rights Commission by BASUG,a diaspora Bangladeshi organisation having special consultative ECOSOC status in UN. The statement has been accepted but not yet discussed or resolved. A bipartisan bill has also been introduced in US Congress to recognise the 1971 Genocide in Bangladesh. All these developments tells ys that though late the demand for the due recognition is gaining momentum.
Coming back to the photo exhibition created by Bangladesh Liberation War Museum and executed flawlessly by MoFA,we must appreciate that it has been a proper,timely and much needed move. The world should be briefed about the almost forgotten history of the brutal and inhuman Genocide.
The pictures have been meticulously selected to show the aspiration of the mass to get their due share in Pakistan,their democratic movements to achieve their demands,autocratic move by Pak military authorities to suppress Bengali people by unleashing reign of terror leading to the Genocide,horrors of the Genocide,heroic feats of Muktibahini in the War of Liberation,conspiracy of the Bengali collaborators and finally the surrender of the Pak occupation army to the joint command of Bangladesh and Indian forces.
We hope the awareness created by this exhibition and similar moves will carry the Bangladesh case forward. The world will eventually recognise the 1971 Genocide in Bangladesh to fulfil its commitment to “Never again”.
The recognition will compel Pakistan to formally apologise for the Genocide and bring the perpetrators to trial which is the main purpose of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention to stop further Genocides. If genociders go scott free,future genociders will be encouraged.
