Genocide Remembrance Day ( bn, গণহত্যা স্মরণ দিবস ''Gaṇahatyā Smaraṇ Dibas'') is a national day of remembrance in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

observed on 25 March in commemoration of the victims of the

Bangladesh genocide The Bangladesh genocide began on 25 March 1971 with the launch of Operation Searchlight, as the government of Pakistan, dominated by West Pakistan, began a military crackdown on East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to suppress Bengali people, ...

during the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

in 1971. On 11 March 2017, the

Jatiya Sangsad The Jatiya Sangsad ( bn, জাতীয় সংসদ, lit=National Parliament, translit=Jatiyô Sôngsôd), often referred to simply as the ''Sangsad'' or JS and also known as the House of the Nation, is the supreme legislative body of ...

unanimously passed a resolution designating 25 March as a ''Genocide Remembrance Day''. The day honours and remembers those who suffered and died as a result of the actions of the Pakistan Army during

Operation Searchlight Operation Searchlight was the codename for a planned military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army in an effort to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in former East Pakistan in March 1971. Pakistan retrospectively justified the opera ...

, which initiated the Bangladesh Genocide culminating with the

Independence of Bangladesh Independence of Bangladesh was declared on 26 March 1971, celebrated as Independence Day, from Pakistan. The Independence Day of Bangladesh is celebrated on 26 March when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the Independence of Bangladesh. The Bangladesh ...

History

The date 25 March commemorates

, a planned military pacification carried out by the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

, started on 25 March to curb the

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

i independence movement by taking control of the major cities on 26 March, and then eliminating all opposition, political or military, within one month. Before the beginning of the operation, all foreign journalists were systematically deported from East Pakistan. During this period the persecution of the Bengali population by Pakistan army led by General

A. A. K. Niazi Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi (1915 – 1 February 2004) was a Pakistan Army general. During the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, he commanded the Pakistani Eastern Command in East Pakistan (now Ba ...

was notable. It is believed this was on account of the contempt the dominant Punjabi Pakistanis had for Bengalis, there is evidence that among the Bengalis, the Hindu minority was doubly marked out for persecution. In a post-war enquiry several senior Pakistani officers admitted to systematic targeting of the community on the orders from a brigadier which General Niazi denied. "Bangladesh will reach out to UN seeking recognition of the 1971 Genocide while the government declared March 25 as Genocide Day", according to Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq.

International recognition

The government of Bangladesh is working on achieving global recognition of March 25 as "Bangladesh's Genocide Day".

Genocide Watch Gregory H. Stanton is the former Research Professor in Genocide Studies and Prevention at the George Mason University in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. He is best known for his work in the area of genocide studies. He is the founder a ...

and Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention issued statements on the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971 perpetrated against Bangladeshi people by Pakistani Army. These statements will strengthen and accelerate Bangladesh's commitment to achieve global recognition of "Genocide Day".Dhaka appreciates Genocide Watch's statement, Dhaka Tribune, 9 February 2022
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Gallery

File:March71.PNG, Location of Bengali and Pakistani military units during

File:03012009 Jolladkhana71 WarMuseumMirpur photo41 RanadipamBasu.jpg, The Jallad Khana Memorial at one of the killing fields in Mirpur File:Human Remains and War Materiel from 1971 Genocide - Liberation War Museum - Dhaka - Bangladesh (12826731774).jpg, Human remains and war material in

Liberation War Museum The Liberation War Museum ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জাদুঘর ''Muktijuddho Jadughôr'') is a museum at Agargaon in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, which commemorates the Bangladesh Liberation War that led to the indep ...

File:1971 intellectuals.JPG, A sculpture in Meherpur showing the execution of Bengali intellectuals by the Pakistan Army File:Martyr's Monument Dhaka University Ashfaq.JPG, Monument in honor of those killed at Dhaka University

References

{{authority control Genocide remembrance days March observances 1971 Bangladesh genocide Public holidays in Bangladesh Annual events in Bangladesh

History

International recognition

Gallery

See also

References