Dhaka (TIP): As Bangladesh observes Genocide Day, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday said the genocide of 25 March was a ‘pre-planned massacre’ as the Pakistani forces carried out ‘one of the most heinous genocides in history’. Paying obesaince to all the people who were martyred in the genocide, Rahman put out a post on social media, stating, “In the history of freedom-loving Bangladesh, 25 March 1971 remains one of the most disgraceful and brutal days. On that dark night, the Pakistani occupation forces carried out one of the most heinous genocides in history against the unarmed people of Bangladesh in the name of ‘Operation Searchlight”.
Rahman alleged that the Pakistani forces indiscriminately opened fire on teachers, intellectuals and innocent civilians at various places, including Dhaka University, Pilkhana and Rajarbagh Police Lines, killing many people.
“The genocide of 25 March was a pre-planned massacre. Why this organised killing spree could not be resisted remains a matter of historical research regarding the visible role of the political leadership of that time,” said the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief.
In the post, Rahman said on the night of 25 March, the 8th East Bengal Regiment in Chattogram formally initiated armed resistance against the genocide by declaring ‘We Revolt’. Through this resistance to genocide, the long nine-month armed Liberation War began.
“To convey the value and significance of independence to the present and future generations, it is essential to know about the genocide of 25 March as well. Let us all strive to honour the sacrifices of the martyrs by establishing in the state and society the spirit of the great Liberation War – equality, human dignity and social justice,” said the Bangladesh Prime Minister.
“Let us work together to build a just, developed, prosperous, self-reliant and democratic Bangladesh,” he said.
Tarique Rahman is the son of Ziaur Rahman, a key figure in the 1971 war who declared Bangladesh’s independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the nation’s founder and the first Prime Minister. Ziaur Rahman was assassinated on May 30, 1981, in the port city of Chittagong. On March 25, 1971, Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) saw one of the darkest and bloodiest chapters in its history after the Pakistani army launched “Operation Searchlight” – a brutal military crackdown to suppress the Bengali nationalist movement. According to various accounts and reports, the Pakistani army killed an estimated three million people.
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