Pakistan Army and Jamaat-e-Islami Genocide of Bengalis: Landsman Seeks US Recognition

Operation Searchlight, launched on March 25, 1971, marked the beginning of a brutal military crackdown by the Pakistani Army against the civilian population of East Pakistan.

“US Congressman Pushes for Recognition of 1971 Bengali Genocide US Congressman Greg Landsman introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives to recognize the 1971 atrocities against Bengali Hindus by the Pakistani Army as genocide”

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The operation was ordered by Pakistan's military leaders under General Yahya Khan following the Awami League's electoral victory led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was imprisoned during the initial attack.

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This coordinated campaign of violence rapidly spread across East Pakistan, including Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, and Jessore.

The operation evolved from a military operation into a prolonged campaign of terror that lasted until Pakistan's formal surrender on December 16, 1971.

The systematic nature of the violence was later documented by multiple sources, including US diplomats who witnessed the atrocities firsthand.

The Pakistani Army did not carry out the atrocities alone, receiving significant assistance from aligned Islamist groups, most notably those inspired by Jamaat-e-Islami ideology.

These collaborators, collectively known as Razakars, along with Al-Badr and Al-Shams militias, played a notorious role in identifying, targeting, and killing Bengali civilians.

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The resolution specifically names Jamaat-e-Islami as a co-perpetrator of the violence directed at Bengali Hindus.

Their involvement was particularly evident in the final days of the war during what became known as the Intellectual Massacre of 1971.

During this period, they systematically targeted and murdered Bengali intellectuals in a campaign aimed at decimating the intellectual class of the emerging Bangladeshi nation.

US diplomatic officials in Dhaka provided crucial documentation of the unfolding atrocities, with US Consul General Archer Blood sending a telegram on March 28, 1971, titled 'Selective Genocide'.

“US Lawmaker Seeks Recognition Of 1971 Genocide In Bangladesh Congressman Greg Landsman introduced the measure in the House of Representatives, urging formal US recognition of the atrocities and accountability for the Pakistan Army and Jamaat-e-Islami over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity”

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Blood reported: 'Moreover, with support of Pak military, non-Bengali Muslims are systematically attacking poor people's quarters and murdering Bengalis and Hindus.'

Nine days later, on April 6, 1971, Blood sent what became formally known as the Blood Telegram, a direct objection to the official US government silence signed by 20 members of the Consulate General Dacca.

The telegram stated: 'But we have chosen not to intervene, even morally, on the grounds that the Awami conflict, in which unfortunately the overworked term genocide is applicable, is purely an internal matter of a sovereign state.'

These diplomatic communications provided contemporary evidence of the systematic nature of the violence and the US government's calculated inaction despite clear evidence of genocide.

Democratic Congressman Greg Landsman from Ohio has introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives seeking formal US recognition of the 1971 atrocities as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

The resolution specifically calls on the President of the United States to recognise the atrocities committed against ethnic Bengali Hindus by the Armed Forces of Pakistan during 1971 and their allies in Jamaat-e-Islami.

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Landsman argues that 'History demands truth' and that the systematic campaign of terror launched by the Pakistani military meets the United Nations definition of genocide.

The resolution has been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs for further review.

This represents a significant effort to achieve formal acknowledgment of these historical atrocities by the United States government.

The atrocities committed during Operation Searchlight and the subsequent nine-month war resulted in enormous human suffering and displacement, though the exact death toll remains highly disputed.

“‘Mass Killings, Forced Expulsion’: US Lawmaker Seeks Genocide Tag For 1971 Pak Atrocities Against Hindus The resolution focused on the events of March 25, 1971, when Pakistan’s military launched a crackdown in then East Pakistan under an operation called Operation Searchlight”

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The Bangladesh government and many historians cite a death toll of three million, while Pakistani government investigations and some Western academic sources place the figure considerably lower, in the range of 300,000 to 500,000.

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Independent scholars generally situate the number somewhere between these two extremes.

What is not disputed is the scale of the displacement - approximately ten million refugees fled East Pakistan into neighbouring India during the conflict.

Furthermore, while ethnic Bengalis of all faiths were targeted, Hindus were disproportionately affected, comprising roughly 20 per cent of East Pakistan's population but bearing a disproportionate share of the killing.

The resolution seeks not only historical recognition but also addresses ongoing concerns about religious minorities in contemporary Bangladesh.

It calls for the protection of religious minorities in Bangladesh, where concerns over the safety of Hindus and other minority communities continue to be raised.

Utsav Chakrabarti, Executive Director of HinduACTion, emphasized that advocacy groups have worked with diaspora communities to bring attention to the plight of religious minorities.

Chakrabarti stated: 'Our team at HinduACTion has worked tirelessly with the Bangladeshi diaspora and the American Hindu community to address the plight of Hindus and other minority faiths in Bangladesh.'

The resolution also rejects collective guilt of any ethnic or religious group, emphasizing that entire communities should not be held responsible for the actions of individuals.