Bangladesh observes Genocide Day

Operation searchlight March 25 1971

Jehangir Hussain

Seeking international recognition, Bangladesh on Saturday observed the Genocide Day, commemorating the brutalities and cowardly attacks carried out by the Pakistani occupation forces on the unarmed Bengalis on the black night of March 25, 1971.

Prime Minister and Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina called upon the world community including the United Nations to recognise March 25,1971, as the International Genocide Day.

“The Pakistan occupation forces committed killings since this day. We want March 25, to be recognised as the International Genocide Day. So, I urge the world including the United Nations to take measures, ” Hasina said while presiding over the AL Parliamentary Nomination Board meeting at her official residence ‘Ganabhaban’.

She said the Pakistani occupation forces had resorted to attacks on unarmed Bangalis on the dreadful night of March 25, 1971 and continued the killings for nine months.

Sheikh Hasina said 30 lakh people were killed and three crore people became homeless as their houses were burnt to ashes.

“Out of seven crore people, three crore were made homeless and one crore took shelter as refugees in India,” she added.

To mark the day, the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs took various programmes at state level with due respect.

One-minute’s silence was  observed throughout the country from 10:30pm to 10:31pm on March 25, symbolic of the black night.

However, the key point installations (KPIs) and the emergency services remained out of the purview of the programme.

On the occasion, President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages highlighting the importance of Genocide Day.

Newspapers published special supplements on genocide committed by the occupation Pakistani forces on the night of March 25, 1971.

The liberation war ministry organised cultural programmes, including ‘Geeti Natya’ (musical drama) based on genocide and Liberation War across the country.

Besides, discussions were held at all the educational institutions, including madrasahs, where heroic freedom fighters and noted personalities shared their memories with students.

A discussion was held at the Liberation War Museum at 9:30am.

In the discussion, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said Bangladesh is trying to get international recognition of the genocide committed by the Pakistani occupation forces in 1971. But the matter is not easy, because many powerful countries helped Pakistan at that time. However, Bangladesh is continuing its diplomatic efforts in this regard.

State Minister Shahriar Alam called upon genocide scholars, researchers, civil society organisations, human rights activists, print and electronic media to present before the global community the facts and figure of Bangladesh genocide.

“It is the moral obligation of the States and international community to show due respect to the victims of Bangladesh genocide and thus demonstrate their commitment towards the promotion and protection of human rights,” he added.

Marking the day, rare photos and documentaries on mass killing were exhibited on the premises of all the city corporations, including Dhaka.

Special munazat was offered at mosques after Zohr prayers and other places of worships seeking eternal peace for martyrs who were killed on March 25, 1971.

Similar programmes were organised at district, upazila levels and Bangladesh missions abroad.  

Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution to observe March 25 as the "Gonohotya Dibos" (Genocide Day) on March 11, 2017.

Now, Genocide Day is observed nationally each year.

jehangirh01@gmail.com