Bangladesh fumes as Pakistan denies genocide, war crimes in 1971
Bangladesh observed its Victory Day on Wednesday to mark the
defeat of Pakistan in 1971, when the country became independent after a
nine-month war, against the backdrop of calls for Dhaka to cut ties with
Islamabad for its denial of the genocide during the hostilities. The Dhaka University has cut all academic ties with Pakistan
and newspapers have run reports and analyses criticising Pakistan, while many
citizens on the streets are furious.
NB: Here is a report in the Dhaka based newspaper The Daily Observer, dated Dec 16, 2015; entitled Nation observing 45th Victory Day. Commenting on the ceremony commemorating the Liberation war and Pakistan Army surrender on Victory Day, it mentions in passing the presence of Indian Army personnel who had 'fought in the war'. This is a rather mild reference to a force that played a crucial role in the surrender. This also reminds me of PM Modi's recent visit to Dhaka, and the fact that his speeches there totally avoided any mention of Indira Gandhi, who, whether we like her or not, was a major political actor in the emergence of Bangladesh. Nationalism seems to have a vitiating effect on human memory: DS
Foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali has said Bangladesh is
“assessing” ties with Pakistan and families of martyred intellectuals have
called for cutting all diplomatic relations. Bangladesh says the genocide claimed three million lives
while about 10 million more were forced to flee to India and 200,000 women were
raped.
Pakistan has for long claimed there was no genocide in 1971.
Pakistan’s recent statement criticising the execution of two convicted war
criminals – Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Salahuddin Quader
Chowdhury and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid –also
infuriated Bangladesh.
The Sector Commanders’ Forum, an influential platform of war
commanders, has sought an apology from Pakistan. Bangladesh also summoned the
Pakistani envoy and lodged a strong protest for the stand taken by Islamabad
against the trial of suspected war criminals and the “concern and anguish”
expressed by Pakistan’s Foreign Office over recent executions.
In a front page report headlined “Pakistan Lying, Still –
The blueprint for massacre”, The Daily Star newspaper described how the
massacre was planned and executed in 1971.
Abu Bakar Bakar, a businessman, said on Wednesday this
year’s commemoration of the victory over Pakistan was different. “Two top war criminals have been executed despite huge
international pressure,” he told Hindustan Times in Dhaka’s Uttara Model Town
area while attending a concert with his son as part of the celebrations.
“Pakistan’s recent statement denying genocide is a lie. They
should offer an apology immediately,” he said. “Pakistan’s military and its
local collaborators have killed our people.” Hassan Shahriar, a former newspaper editor, said Pakistan
had failed to reconcile and resolve disputed issues with Bangladesh. “Seeking
an apology from Pakistan for its 1971 role is a popular demand in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cannot ignore that and she has no reasons to
ignore that,” he said. “This is the moment for Bangladesh to stand for its position
and intelligently decide the next course of action.”
Such reactions from citizens mirror the mood of the
government. Foreign minister Ali said many Pakistanis had admitted the crimes
committed during the Liberation War of 1971. “Now there is no benefit of
denying it, saying that they did not do anything. It’s ridiculous.”
The relationship with Pakistan has been strained further
after police reportedly found evidence of a Pakistani diplomat’s terror links.
Bangladeshi newspapers reported that investigators were told by suspected
members of the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahedeen Bangladesh (JMB) that the Pakistani
mission’s second secretary (political) Fareena Arshad was involved with the
radical group. Authorities said at least one member of JMB has confessed to
a magistrate that Arshad was linked to the group’s members who were blamed for
attacks on minority groups, including Shias.
In January, Bangladesh had expelled Mazhar Khan, a Pakistani
official working in the mission, after intelligence agencies accused him of
funding Islamist radicals. Police also said two JMB members arrested in
November were found with Pakistani passports. Detective Branch Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said both
suspects had been travelling frequently between Bangladesh and Pakistan. JMB
suspect Idris was in possession of a “spy mobile” that he used to communicate
with “a foreign intelligence agent” outside the country. “He was in regular touch with that agent and with a female
diplomat based in Dhaka,” Islam said. Officials of the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka could not
be reached for comment.
see also
The Broken
Middle (on the 30th anniversary of 1984)
