Why the Genocide of March 25 Has Not Yet Received International Recognition

 

Today marks the horrific March 25—National Genocide Day in Bangladesh. On this night in 1971, heavily armed Pakistani forces launched a brutal massacre against unarmed, sleeping Bengalis. This mass atrocities, on a single night, remains unprecedented in world history.

On the night of March 25, 1971, during "Operation Searchlight" in Dhaka, the Pakistani military slaughtered nearly 100,000 Bengalis in cold blood. This marked the beginning of a nine-month-long blood-soaked war that ultimately led to Bangladesh’s independence on December 16, at the cost of three million lives.

How the horrific "Operation Searchlight" of March 25 came to be:

The blueprint for the "Operation Searchlight" was devised by two Pakistani military officials—Major General Khadim Hussain Raja and Major General Rao Farman Ali. No written documentation of the directives was kept, instead, instructions were passed orally to formation commanders and relevant personnel. Many years later, in 2012, Major General Khadim Hussain Raja revealed significant details about Operation Searchlight in his autobiography, "A Stranger in My Own Country: EAST PAKISTAN, 1969-1971", published by Oxford University Press.

Recalling the planning phase of the operation, Khadim Hussain Raja wrote: "On the morning of March 17, around 10 AM, Tikka Khan sent word summoning me and Major General Farman to meet him at the Command House. When we arrived, General Abdul Hamid Khan was also present. Tikka Khan informed us that negotiations between the President and Sheikh Mujib were not progressing favorably. The President wanted us to prepare for military action and develop a corresponding plan. That was our only verbal directive—no written instructions were given. We were then asked to finalize the plan by discussing it with senior officers on March 18."

The following morning, Khadim Hussain Raja and Rao Farman Ali convened in their office and officially named this genocide campaign "Operation Searchlight".

Since 2017, Bangladesh has officially observed March 25 as National Genocide Day—a significant milestone in the country's political history. However, the question remains: Why, even after 54 years of independence, has the genocide of March 25 not received international recognition?

The primary reason behind this absence of recognition is the lack of proactive efforts. For years, little to no attention was given to securing global acknowledgment. Before Bangladesh even officially recognized March 25 as National Genocide Day, a letter had been sent to UNESCO seeking international recognition. In response, UNESCO inquired whether Bangladesh itself formally observed March 25 as a genocide remembrance day. Since the answer at the time was 'no', UNESCO dismissed the request, reasoning that if Bangladesh did not recognize it nationally, there was no basis for the United Nations to do so globally.

Had Bangladesh taken this step much earlier than 2017, it could have strengthened its position internationally. In the absence of such efforts, Pakistani sympathizers and their local allies have taken advantage of the delay, engaging in historical distortions.

For instance, Pakistani author Junaid Ahmad, in his book "The Creation of Bangladesh: Myths Exploded", published in 2016 by AJA Publishers, falsely attributed images of the March 25 genocide to Bengali forces killing Biharis. The book even absurdly blames freedom fighters for provoking the genocide.

Yet, the recognition of the March 25 genocide is not merely a demand of Bangladesh—it is documented in Pakistan's own official records. A White Paper released by the Pakistani government during the war explicitly states:

"Between March 1 and March 25, 1971, over 100,000 people lost their lives."

Since independence, Bangladesh has made little effort to build global awareness or international public opinion regarding the genocide. Within the country, there has also been a lack of substantial research and documentation on the matter. Successive governments' indifference has further contributed to this failure.

History shows that securing international recognition for genocides requires persistent and collective effort. The Armenian Genocide, for example, was recognized only after 100 years of relentless advocacy by the Armenian diaspora worldwide. Through discussions, diplomacy, and widespread campaigns, they successfully built a global consensus. Bangladesh has not undertaken such an organized effort for March 25 genocide.

For decades, Bangladesh did not officially observe March 25 as National Genocide Day, which weakened its case for international recognition. Unlike the Armenian or Rwandan genocides, which had consistent global campaigns, Bangladesh failed to build sustained diplomatic and academic efforts to present evidence and engage with international bodies. Moreover, Pakistan and its allies have actively worked to distort historical narratives, downplaying or misrepresenting the events of 1971. The absence of significant lobbying efforts from the Bangladeshi diaspora and a lack of coordinated research and publications in major global institutions have also contributed to this oversight.

We have achieved international recognition for our Language Martyrs' Day, February 21. It is now observed globally as International Mother Language Day. This was made possible through diplomatic efforts. Similarly, to secure international recognition, Bangladesh must strengthen diplomatic initiatives, mobilize international legal frameworks, and engage in widespread awareness campaigns to ensure that the genocides of March 25, 1971, are acknowledged on the global stage.

 
Emran Emon is a researcher, journalist and a columnist.