Pakistan intensifying pain and sufferings of genocide victims in Bangladesh: Report

Dhaka, Sep 4 The "unapologetic" Pakistan, which orchestrated one of the worst genocides in South Asia's history to stop the birth of Bangladesh, unleashed another salvo recently that further intensified agony, pain and sufferings of millions of victims and survivors affected by gruesome war crimes in 1971, a report highlighted on Thursday.

Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during his visit to Dhaka last month - the first by a Pakistani Foreign Minister to Bangladesh since 2012 - claimed that two out of three unresolved issues between both countries related to 1971, including an apology for the genocide, have already been settled twice.

This was after Dhaka insisted on resolving three longstanding issues related to the 1971 Liberation War: A formal apology from Pakistan for the genocide; repatriation of stranded Pakistanis and Bangladesh’s rightful share of pre-1971 undivided assets.

Dar, wrote political analyst Anjuman Islam in the Eurasia Review, landed in Bangladesh and vowed to elevate ties without healing the old wounds. However, when asked about any change of heart from the Pakistan side over acknowledgement of 1971 war crimes and demand for reparation, the minister reiterated the old Pakistani denial.

"Dar claimed the issues were resolved once in 1974 and again in the early 2000s. And in a sheer disregard for victims and survivors of 1971 war crimes, Dar even went far to claim that in light of Islam, Bangladesh citizens should clean their hearts out," wrote Islam.

"The unapologetic Pakistan minister sermonized to boost ties with Bangladesh invoking Islam but refused to accept war apology and reparation, undermining Pakistan credibility as scholars in Bangladesh and war heroes ask the Pakistan diplomat to clean out his heart first," the writer added.

The report highlights that a flurry of diplomatic activities have taken place between Pakistan and Bangladesh since the violent ouster of Awami League in August 2024 as Islamabad continues to make inroads into the foreign territory.

It stated that, months before Dar's visit, senior operatives of the banned terror group Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), associated with 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, had justified the 1971 war crimes by invoking anti-India rant.

"The patronage of Pakistani state behind these rabidly radical elements have been evident with their public appearance, further exposing the collusion between state actors and non-state armed outfits to project millions of Bengali victims as Indian stooges, justifying further genocidal action against India," the Eurasia Review report detailed.

Even though the Genocide had ended with Pakistan Army's shameful public surrender on December 16 1971, Pakistan's successive authorities have gone to "every possible extent" to defend the perpetrators and further dehumanize millions of victims since the last 55 years, symbolising a collective global shame that still resonates.

The report accentuates that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's anti-India rant to defend the genocide in 1971 was preceded by Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir repeating the Pakistan military's age-old anthem of the "stark differences between Hindus and Muslims" as the basis for the foundation of the Two-Nation Theory, which led to the creation of a Muslim state, Pakistan.

Dhaka's financial claim from Islamabad is to the tune of USD $4.32 billion as a fair share from the assets of undivided Pakistan before 1971. Moreover, Bangladesh has also demanded USD $200 million received as foreign aid from countries and agencies to then East Pakistan during the extremely deadly November 1970 Bhola cyclone. "Neither Dar nor did Pakistan's foreign ministry have come out with assurances to repay the amount, maintaining a longstanding denial," the report underscores.

The report details that Bangladesh has been sheltering nearly 3,24,000 stranded Pakistanis (urdu speaking Biharis) staying in Mohammadpur Camp, also known as Geneva Camp, the largest and well-known refugee settlement in Dhaka. This stateless population has been in news for all the negative reasons, including its involvement in drug smuggling and other forms of terror activities. In 1972, Bangladesh formally had identified 195 Pakistani army officers for heinous crimes of genocide, mass rape and killings. Pakistan never held them accountable and those officers were rehabilitated into society enjoying all state privileges.

The report plays up that when "war criminals" from Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JeI-BD), that aided the Pakistan Army, were being executed by the Sheikh Hasina regime, all predecessors of Dar had lent out support defending these notorious criminals.

In December 2013, the National Assembly of Pakistan passed a resolution condemning the execution of Abdul Qader Mollah, the "Butcher of Mirpur", JeI-BD leader and a member of pro-Pakistan Al-Badr militia, who worked fiercely against the birth of Bangladesh.

In May 2016, when Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami, Chief of JeI-BD, who had led pro-Pakistan Al-Badr during the Liberation War of Bangladesh was executed, Pakistan's Foreign Office stated, "His only sin was upholding the constitution and laws of Pakistan." This act of Pakistan caused huge outcry in Bangladesh further straining the relations.

The report concludes that Pakistan's ISI continues to destabilise Bangladesh by regularly sending militants to foment an Islamic revolution in the country and use it as a launchpad to organise terror attacks against India.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor