Genocide
The genocide in Bangladesh began on 25 March 1971 with the launch of Operation Searchlight, as Pakistan began a military crackdown to suppress Bengali calls for self-determination.
During the nine-month-long war for independence, members of the Pakistani military and supporting militias (Razakars and Al Badrs) killed up to 3,000,000 people and raped between 200,000–500,000 Bengali women in a systematic campaign of genocidal rape
There can only be one word for this: Genocide
(London, 6/13/71). The Sunday Times…..”The Government’s policy for East Bengal was spelled out to me in the Eastern Command headquarters at Dacca. It has three elements:
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The Bengalis have proved themselves unreliable and must be ruled by West Pakistanis;
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The Bengalis will have to be re-educated along proper Islamic lines. The – Islamization of the masses – this is the official jargon – is intended to eliminate secessionist tendencies and provide a strong religious bond with West Pakistan;
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When the Hindus have been eliminated by death and fight, their property will be used as a golden carrot to win over the under privileged Muslim middle-class. This will provide the base for erecting administrative and political structures in the fu ture.”
According to New York Times (3/28/71) 10,000 people were killed; New York Times (3/29/71) 5,000-7,000 people were killed in Dhaka; The Sydney Morning Herald (3/29/71) 10,000 – 100,000 were killed; New York Times (4/1/71) 35,000 were killed in Dhaka. There is only one word for this: genocide.
These figures tell you the seriousness of the situation created by the Pakistani army. Although the actual figure may be never known. Number of Bengalis slaughtered by the Pakistani army during different periods of 1971. The list is as follows:
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The Refugee Situation
According to National Geographic (Sept. 1972), the estimated number of Bangladeshi refugees was 10.0 million. According to the Indian government the number of refugees was 8.3 million (8/31/71). Other sources:
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I hope you do understand the difficulties involved in estimating the total number of refugees. It is clear that by end of Aug., 1971, the number of refugees was around 6-7 million. By the middle of Dec., the number reached 10 million. Also, a large number of people were displaced within the country, estimated number was around 20 million (The UN in Bangladesh).
Links
- Bangladesh Genocide Archive
- Gendercide Watch: Genocide in Bangladesh, 1971
- 1971 Bangladesh atrocities – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Genocide 1971 in Bangladesh (former East Pakistan)
- The Mathematics of a Genocide – Abul Kasem
- 269,000 people died in Bangladesh war, says new study
- Nights and Days of Pakistani Butchers – Abul Kasem
- Remembering 25th March: The Darkest Night – Dr. Ajoy Roy
- Violation of Human Rights and Genocide in Bangladesh -M. Maniruzzaman Mia
- Tale of an abandoned monument: Madhuri Lata still whimpers for her martyred husband and relatives
- Never again? Genocide since 1945 – Scott Lamb
- Century of Genocide: Critical Essays and Eyewitness Accounts: Chapter 9: Genocide in Bangladesh – Rounaq Jahan.
- Sen. Edward Kennedy on the Hindu Genocide in East Bengal ’71
- The Legacy of the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh– Rabindranath Trivedi
- Genocide 1971: What does the world know about it? – Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq