The World Should Recognize Genocide in Bangladesh During 1971 Committed by Pakistan

 

Recently the European Parliament organized an event titled 'The Forgotten Genocide: Bangladesh 1971'. The event was organized to convey the message that the atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistan Army and its local allies 52 years ago cannot be ignored in any way. According to political affairs editor Nick Powell, this is an important step towards international recognition of the genocide in Bangladesh.

In 1971, the death of 3 million people, the rape of 2 million women, the displacement of 1o million people and the displacement of nearly 30 million people to India shocked the world. London's Sunday Times recognized this incident as a massacre.

The Hague-based international human rights organization, Global Human Rights Defense organized a conference at the European Parliament. At the conference, the organization tried to convince MEPs and the wider community that the time had come to recognize the 1971 genocide.

Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Fulvio Martusillo took the initiative and organized the event in the European Parliament. However, in his absence, his representative, communication expert Giuliana Françoisa, spoke on his behalf. MEP Isabella Adinolfi discussed the brutality faced by Bengali women during the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh and called on the European Parliament to recognize the genocide. President of Global Human Rights Defense Shraddha Nanda said that after the Second World War, Europe could not stop the genocide in Bangladesh even though it said to take any kind of genocide suppression measures.

After the birth of Pakistan in 1947, it was dominated politically and militarily by West Pakistan, where Urdu was the main language. On the other hand, Bengali was the main language of East Pakistan, the most populous part of Pakistan. Within a year, efforts were made to declare Urdu as the sole national language. In the 1970 elections, the Awami League, led by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh, won all but two of the parliamentary seats representing East Pakistan and secured a majority in the entire state's National Assembly.

Without allowing him to form a government, the Pakistani military planned "Operation Searchlight" to arrest and kill Bengali political leaders, intellectuals and students. This was their biggest step towards genocide. On the evening of March 25, 1971, Operation Searchlight began the next day on March 26, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared independence. In a video shown at the European Parliament conference, a witness saw his father die in front of his eyes at the hands of Pakistanis. While searching for his father's body, he found the bodies of four other people.

Addressing the European Union, the representative of Bangladesh, Mahbub Hasan Saleh, said that the European Union is an important organization for human rights for the whole world. It would be a big step if the European Parliament and other EU institutions recognize the genocide in Bangladesh.
He said that it is the responsibility of Bangladeshis to tell the world what happened in the nine months of 1971. Bangladeshis have waited for this recognition for so many years, will do more if necessary. However, Bangladeshis have not yet lost courage regarding this initiative.

EU parliament has done a good job by organizing this event. Although such initiatives should have been taken long ago. It is thought, not limited to the EU Parliaments, UN headquarters, open discussions should be organized in the countries which can play an important role in getting the international recognition of the genocide, including the countries that supported the liberation war in 1971. It will help the international community to spread the correct picture about the massacres carried out by the Pakistan Army during the liberation war in Bangladesh. Let the world know, the brutal killings, murders and rapes of Bengalis in 1971 were no less than the Armenians in 1915, the genocide in Cambodia in 1975, the genocide in Bosnia in 1992 and the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda in 1994. Even during the Second World War, the planned massacre of 3 million Bengalis in just 8 months and 20 days was worse than the murder of 6 million Jews in Europe in a span of four to five years. It is very sad to say that our diplomatic efforts are so weak that despite the international recognition of all the other genocides mentioned above, even after 53 years Bangladesh has not been able to get the international recognition of the atrocities committed by the Pakistanis.

In 1971 itself, the Pakistan Army planned to mix the Bengali nation with dust. They adopted the 'burnt soil policy' in Bangladesh. Evidence of this was found in the diary of Major General Rao Farman Ali, the Pakistan Army's most prominent figure in the brutal killings. Regardless of how many Bengalis survived, their main aim was to keep the territory of the then East Pakistan under their control. Later, it was found the evidence of this in the reports of various international organizations. In 1971, the report of the United Nations Human Rights Commission said that the largest number of people were killed in such a short period of time in Bangladesh in 1971. An average of more than 11,500 Bengalis were killed every day, which is the highest record in the history of genocide. On January 24, 1972, New York Times journalist Sidney Ed Schanberg wrote a report on a post-war tour of remote Bangladesh, which was published on January 24, 1972. The report was titled, 'Bengalis' Land a Vast Cemetery', which means 'Bengali land a vast cemetery'. The extent of the genocide can be inferred from the title of the report. The details of the UN Genocide Charter are fully consistent with the killings and brutality of the Bengalis by the Pakistan Army. According to the United Nations Charter, Genocide means the killing of members of a nation or group with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the members of a nation or ethnic, racial or religious group, causing serious mental or physical harm to members of a nation or group, purposefully inflicting on the nation or group Imposing a way of life, which leads to the total or partial destruction of the community and the forced conversion of a race or group into another race or group. The charter also states that any of the above crimes will be considered as genocide.

In 2017, the national parliament of Bangladesh declared 25 March as national genocide day.  March 25 is an integral part of Bengali nation's life. The accomplices of those directly and indirectly involved in the brutal killings of March 25 are still active in Bangladesh.

It is the duty of those in charge to present their character to the present generation. The issue of international recognition of March 25 also rests largely on the current government. Because, this party has conducted the liberation war of Bangladesh and the expectations of common people on this party are also very high.

On the other hand, this recognition is also necessary to stop genocide in the world. A few days ago, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan said in an event that they were not aware of the killings and torture in East Bengal, because the media of Pakistan at that time did not print any news related to it.

In order to recognize the genocide, the parliaments of different countries should pass the Genocide Day on March 25. World public opinion must be formed. Then the United Nations should proceed with it extensively. And for this, the government, expatriate Bangladeshis and various organizations have to work together. If we want to do this, we have to face the opposition of Pakistan, as well as the countries that were in opposition to the liberation war of Bangladesh.

To cut it requires extensive diplomatic initiatives and activities. America has recognized the Rohingya genocide. So why is a barbaric chapter of the history not recognized on March 25? The United Nations Coffee Annan Commission called it ethnic cleansing. But more than that hundred percent genocide has happened in Bangladesh. There are those reports in the US press. Senators and Congressmen of the time also have statements.

There is still scope to recover more documents through research across the country. In other words, it is possible to provide the organizations with all kinds of information needed to gain international recognition of the genocide. A resolution was passed in the UN General Assembly session regarding the Rwandan genocide. Bangladesh can proceed in that process.

December 9 was generally recognized as International Genocide Day in 2015. So, an application can be made to replace that day with 25th March. It should be noted that the largest organization on genocide, Genocide Watch, has recognized the genocide in Bangladesh. They have also written to the United Nations in this regard.

Diplomats must continue discussions with various countries with the aim of gaining recognition of the genocide. Countries already contacted include Rwanda, Armenia and Liechtenstein. Genocide has occurred in all three of these countries.

The aim of the present government is that more and more countries will recognize the genocide that happened in Bangladesh, show solidarity - continue to work on the international level. In the wing of the United Nations which works for the prevention of genocide, the issue can be presented through discussion with the conflicting states and groups by bringing up the topic of the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh.

With the aim of gaining international recognition of the genocide of 1971, the current government has strongly highlighted the issue in bilateral and multilateral meetings with various countries. As part of this, in April 2017, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina raised the issue of the 1971 genocide during her visit to Delhi, India and Thimphu, Bhutan. Then Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobagh pledged their support to Bangladesh in recognizing the genocide. During his visit to Dhaka in July 2017, the then Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena gave a similar assurance.

According to liberation war researchers and stakeholders, there is an opportunity to go to the United Nations and the International Court of Justice in The Hague for international recognition on March 25. However, Bangladesh has to present sufficient documentary evidence to strongly highlight this claim. That is why it will be easy to collect the documents through the researchers working on the memory of the liberation war period of Bangladesh. Nationally, Bangladeshis are celebrating Genocide Day on March 25. Wide public opinion should be developed as an initiative to sensitize the world community to observe the day internationally.

PM Sheikh Hasina must do all the work to achieve international recognition of the genocide. She has already taken initiatives to create public opinion in various ways in the international arena. The great people of Bangladesh expect that under her leadership, Bangladesh will get international recognition of the genocide.

Of course, for this they have to move forward by facing the obstacles. Because, Pakistan and their allies will directly oppose this matter. Not only that, many people in Bangladesh who are pro-Pakistan will also try to oppose it in various forums. However, it is hoped that the genocide of March 25, 1971, an integral part of the history of the Bengali nation, will soon receive international recognition.

Fumiko Yamada is a Japanese
scholar who writes on
international affairs.