Recognise March 25 as Genocide Day

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reiterated her call to the international community to recognise the barbaric atrocities committed by the Pakistani occupation force in 1971 against the Bangalees as “genocide” and March 25 as the “International Genocide Day”.

“Collective actions are needed to prevent recurrence of any such heinous crime in anywhere and anytime in the world,” she said.

The PM was addressing the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, reports BSS.

She reminded the international community that the Bangalees had endured an extreme form of genocide during the nine-month Liberation War against Pakistan in 1971 when three million innocent people were killed and more than 200,000 women were violated.

Hasina said the Pakistan military had launched the heinous “Operation Searchlight” on March 25, 1971, which was the beginning of the genocide featured by targeted elimination of individuals on the ground of religion, race and political belief.

“Intellectuals were also killed brutally. To pay homage to the victims of the genocide, our parliament has recently declared March 25 as the Genocide Day.”

The premier said recognition to March 25 and past tragedies was expected to guide the world to a situation where such atrocities would never take place again.

In this regard, she pointed out her government's daunting task of bringing the perpetrators of the genocide to justice through Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal.

The Jatiya Sangsad on March 11 unanimously adopted a resolution to observe March 25 as the Genocide Day.

Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee and different other organisations have long been demanding that March 25 be declared as the Genocide Day.