1971 Genocide: Hague conference demands unconditional apology from Pakistan
An international conference in The Hague, known as the city of Justice, demanded of the international community to recognise the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh committed by Pakistani soldiers and put pressure on the Pakistan government to offer an unconditional apology to the people of Bangladesh for the crimes committed against humanity during the nine-month-long Liberation War.
The conference was organised by the Europe-based Bangladeshi diaspora organisation, European Bangladesh Forum (EBF), in collaboration with Switzerland Human Rights Commission Bangladesh on November 30, 2021 at the Nieuwspoort, Internationaal Perscentrum -- attached to Parliament building, in The Hague, Netherlands. It may be mentioned that the conference was a follow-up of the Geneva conference held on the same issue on September 30, 2021 at the Geneva Press Club in Switzerland. A documentary film titled 'War Crimes 1971'was screened at the start of the conference.
Speakers opined that international recognition of any crime against humanity, in this case against Bangladesh, is of immense importance and an absolute necessity to show respect and honour to the three million victims and their family members by recognising the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh. Recognition of Genocide is essential to create a world free from violation of human rights and for the safety of our next generation across the whole world. Because they argued, if the world community don't recognise a crime as a crime, the world keeps the door open for that crime to happen in the future. Unfortunately, the Bangladesh genocide has today become a forgotten chapter in history and we know the common phrase, 'Justice delayed, justice denied'.
A number of experts with international reputation working on 'genocide' issue from the UK, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Canada and Bangladesh took part in the discussion. Besides, speakers from different ethnic groups, including Afghan, Sindhi, Baloch and Pashtun also spoke on the occasion. The speakers included Bangladesh ambassador in the Netherlands M. Riaz Hamidullah; Christopher A. Alexander, PC, former Canadian Ambassador in Kabul & former Minister of Canada; Prof Dr. Nuzhat Chowdhury, member of a genocide victim family from Bangladesh; Dr. Ahmed Ziauddin, Board Member, International Crimes Strategy Forum (ICSF), Belgium; Chris Blackburn, Communications Director, Swiss InterStrategy Group & 'Friend of Bangladesh' Award Recipient, UK; Baseer Naveed, Executive Director, International Human Rights Council, Hong Kong (Sindh); Aurang Zeb Khan Zalmay, Editor, Pashtun Times & Researcher, Germany; Dr. Rayhan Rashid, Trustee Board member, International Crimes Strategy Forum (ICSF), UK; and Bikash Chowdhury Barua, President EBF Netherlands. Dr. Mojibur Doftori, writer, senior researcher & HR activist from Finland facilitated the two separate sessions with Anar Chowdhury, Board member of EBF, and Director of Switzerland Human Rights Commission Bangladesh Khalilur Rahman.
Speaking on the day from Canada via online former Canadian Ambassador in Afghanistan & former Minister of Canada, Christopher A. Alexander, PC said, "1971 was not just a tragedy for Bangladesh, it led the Pakistani army to refocus its efforts away from conventional warfare and towards regular war."
Bangladesh ambassador in the Netherlands, M Riaz Hamidullah, said the first step is "to understand what we are here for." And because "we live in a world of competitive issues", we have to come to the point where we say, how much, and how far we can go.
Communications Director of Swiss InterStrategy Group & 'Friend of Bangladesh' Award Recipient, Chris Blackburn, while addressing the conference said, "We can't rest on our laurels, the issue of recognition for the genocide of 1971 is very important. We know that this issue has been fought over and sabotaged. Pakistan needs to apologise. As activists we need to keep having meetings like these. We need to keep informing people about 1971. We need to consolidate and make new friendships with like-minded people. Afghans, Baloch and Hazaras especially."
Professor Dr. Nuzhat Choudhury, a member of a 1971 genocide victim family, in a video message sent from Dhaka said, "What the Pakistani army did with us in Bangladesh, are now doing the same thing in Baluchistan." She added, "Pakistan has become a cradle of terrorists, they helped the Taliban to develop. Pakistan is causing terrorism not only in the country, but it is spreading terrorism across the region, particularly its secret service ISI are still causing disruption in Bangladesh in the name of religion and they are continuing to do so in the west as well."
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