The nation observes Genocide Day today for the first time to recall the unprecedented military action on unarmed civilians undertaken by the occupation Pakistan occupation forces in 1971. For the last 46 years the nation recalled with grave sadness the horrors of the March 25 night on the eve of the Independence Day on March 26.
On that night the occupation forces had unleashed genocide on the unarmed people of Dhaka who were in a rebellious mood as the military junta were giving clear signals of undoing the people's mandate given in favor of the Awami League to get to power and frame the Constitution of the then Pakistan.
On March 11, Parliament unanimously adopted a motion to declare March 25 as Genocide Day, marking the start of atrocities unleashed by the Pakistani occupation forces on the people of then-East Pakistan on this date in 1971. The cabinet on March 20 also approved a proposal for the inclusion of March 25 in the circular issued by the cabinet division that declared the day as the Genocide Day to observe nationally and internationally.
Forty-six years after the bloodbath that touched every family, Bangladesh has decided to observe March 25 as Genocide Day. The government has also directed to the relevant wings and department to implement it and have international recognition for the Genocide Day.
The genocide not led to the declaration of independence and made the people determined to fight the War of Independence to its successful conclusion leading to the glorious victory of the joint forces of Bangladesh and India on 16 December the same year through the surrender of the Pak forces at the Historic Suhrawardy Uddyan (then called Ramna Race Course Maidan).
The victory came at the cost of a sea of blood. And Bangladesh emerged as an independent and sovereign country in the comity of nations. After the achievement of independence the strides made in the path of development have been more effective and pro-people. It's no wonder that in social development Bangladesh ranks better than most other South Asian countries.
Bangladesh has launched diplomatic efforts to get UN recognition for March 25 as Genocide Day. Foreign Affairs Ministry sources have said they have already sent senior officials to the UN headquarters and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to find facts on the process as part of their ongoing drive to get the recognition. He said the government will take the next course of actions after analyzing the facts. "We've already held a meeting, apart from doing some brainstorming sessions."
The government is providing required information to Bangladesh missions abroad to play their further role in accelerating the process. Several years ago Bangladesh succeeded to get recognition to 21st February as the International Mother Language Day, which inspires movements to nurture mother languages of peoples across the world. The Genocide Day, hopefully, would discourage such evil adventure anywhere in the world in future.
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