Chittagong, Mar 24, 2024, Pradip Kumar Dutta
Bangladesh National Assembly has declared 25 March as National Genocide Remembrance day. Rightly so,albeit late,we could,as a Nation start paying our tributes officially to the victims of 1971 Genocide. It is for their supreme sacrifice and valiant fighting spirit of our indomitable freedom fighters assisted by India and the Socialist block countries,we are a proud independent Nation on the world map. By now,we are faring much better than our former partners in most of the socio economic and political indicators of a modern state.
Since the passage of the bill by our lawmakers,we are observing the day. But let us ask ourselves,are we doing enough? Some programmes are chalked out formally in some of our government offices. Some of the foreign missions too devote some time to the issue in their Independence Day programme. Besides,clarion call is made to citizens to observe one minute complete black out in the whole country at 9pm on 25 March to symbolize the black events of the Genocide starting with Operation searchlight starting approximately at that hour. Symbolic lighting of candles on that evening is also observed to show respect and as a mark of remembrance to the victims of the Genocide. I don’t want to hurt the sentiment of anyone but would like to mention that whatever much we are doing so far,is utterly insufficient.
We owe our Independence to these Genocide victims,FFs and supporters around the globe. The Genocide victims gave their today for our better tomorrow.
Let's first discuss who were the Genocide victims. It is often mentioned that our three million martyrs are the genocide victims. In Bangla,there is a tendency to mix up mass killing(gono hatya) with Genocide. Our three million martyrs are of course the prime victims of 1971 Genocide. But there are more. Lest we forget,let me mention them. There were between two to four hundred thousand of our mothers and sisters who were mercilessly physically violated during the nine months of Genocide. Some of the enemy generals were on record boasting about changing our race by producing true Pakistanis in our ladies wombs. Ten million of Bangalees were forced to leave all their properties and belongings back, to be looted,burnt and destroyed and seek asylum in nearby India. There,they had to survive inhuman and unhygienic life in shanties under utter duress. Of course,the Indian government led by great leader Ms Indira Gandhi supported our Muktibahini (FFs) and refugees to the best of her capacity. Still,the suffering was huge.International NGOs and Bangladeshi diaspora abroad also rose to the occassion and the Socialist world accorded moral support. On the other hand,the leaders of the western world and newly emerging communist power China were in support of the Pak military goons. The UN too could not act to stop the Genocide. Cholera,other infectious diseases,exhaustion and malnutrition,hunger,death during improper childbirth without medical support, have caused hundreds of thousands deaths in the camps and amongst the refugees in transit. All the miseries described above and the resultant deaths come under Genocide.
In fact,the 1948 UN Genocide Convention has defined Genocide and fixed it as a criminal offence. Genocide is defined in the convention as an intent or steps taken to destroy in part or whole group of people. The group may be national,racial,religious or ethnic.The Convention was passed unanimously in the UN General Assembly and it came into effect in 1951 after 20 plus countries have ratified it in their own parliaments. By now,close to 150 countries have done so. Incidentally both Bangladesh and Pakistan are signatories to the Convention. So,Pakistan is bound to abide by the provisions of the Convention.
To underscore our self esteem,to achieve our National right and to honour our Genocide victims we must achieve International recognition of 1971 Bangladesh Genocide . After the criminal killing of Bangabandhu,the efforts to this end got slackened. Wheels of history were deliberately turned back. Fortunately,in the recent years Civil society organisations,pro Liberation war forces,Bangladeshi Diaspora organisations and the Government have again brought the demand to light. I would not say that the efforts put are extreme,still whatever has been done so far has started bringing in results.Extraordinary efforts by some young and enthusiastic genocide scholars and activists have worked miracles. Seniors too supported them and so far we have succeeded in getting Recognition of 1971 Bangladesh Genocide perpetrated by Pakistan from four renowned International organisations working worldwide on the subject. They are Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention,Genocide Watch, International coalition for Sites of Conscience and most importantly International Association of Genocide Scholars.
We also could raise the issue with UNHRC through our Diaspora friendly organisation BASUG of The Netherlands.
Conferences and Seminars are being held on regular basis at home and abroad under the auspices of our Diaspora organisations,civil society organisations,the government and even some foreign NGOs working on human rights. During the current ICJ proceedings of the Palestinian genocide case brought forward by South Africa,Bangladesh Genocide has been cited as an example.
Now,in our opinion, all efforts by different organisations should be compiled and coordinated by the Bangladesh Government and it should work out a definite and resolute line of action as to how to procceed to get the required recognition from UN,different other International bodies and most importantly different governments. I have encountered the question what the Recognition will give after such a long time. Well, recognition of Genocides do not easily come by. Armenians had to fight for more than a hundred years to achieve the recognition of the Ottoman genocide against them. That too partially yet.Many genocides have gone into oblivion without ever been recognised or talked about. Expeditions of Chengiz Khan were genocides.Holodomor in Ukraine was a genocide. There were genocides in Indonesia,Timor,Biafra and Katanga. Nobody talks about them any more. They are forgotten genocides. But there are success stories as well. Rwandan,Cambodian,Bosnian genocides could draw international attention pretty quickly and actions were taken by the world bodies. Case on Rohingya genocide and Palestine genocide are being heard by ICJ.
We can not afford to let 1971 Bangladesh Genocide be forgotten. We have a lot of unsettled business with Pakistan.
Let me give a brief on what we will gain by achieving International recognition of 1971 genocide.
1) Pakistan's leadership will be under pressure to offer unconditional apology for the Genocide. This will be the first victory. It will bring some solace to the Genocide victims and their families. They will feel that their sacrifice had not gone in vain. It will bring back Dignity in them as Genocide victims.
2)As a signatory to the 1948 UN Genocide Convention,Pakistan will be bound to bring the perpetrators to justice. It may very well start with the surviving members of the accused list of 195 that Bangladesh was prepared to try but Pakistan took the responsibility under tripartite Delhi agreement. That will again satisfy the Bangladesh government, Genocide victims and their families of Justice recieved.
3) Reparations to genocide victims will be on the agenda.
4)Pakistan will have to take back its citizens who are still living in Bangladesh and willing to go back to Pakistan.
5) Bangladesh will be in a position to negotiate it's due share of National exchequer as of 1971.
Both the people of Bangladesh and also Pakistan requires s closure to this long outstanding issue. Once it is resolved we can move forward together for development.
Unless the issue is taken up in all seriousness and resolved once for all,we can not be at rest. Our Martyrs will never forgive us.
Bangladeshi civil society,organisations imbibed with the spirit of 1971 War of Liberation,all freedom loving progressive citizens,Bangladeshi diaspora organisations and the Government of Bangladesh should act in unison and be firm on the issue of International recognition of 1971 Genocide.
Our Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs has very recently announced that a special cell will be opened in his Ministry to coordinate the issue. In fact,firm resolve from the side of the government is a must to pursue the issue and it is the Government who will have to raise the issue in the International forum. We all should remain rock solid behind the Government.
Together we shall have to reach the gosl to make the Genocide Remembrance day meaningful and thus show proper respect to our Genocide victims.