"1971 Genocide in Bangladesh”

Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) organized a commemorative seminar on "1971 Genocide in Bangladesh” on Sunday, 24 March 2019 at its auditorium. Mr. Adama Dieng, the United Nations Special Advisor on Prevention of Genocide, was present at the seminar as the Chief Guest. Mr. Md. Shahidul Haque, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh chaired the programme. Major General A K M Abdur Rahman, ndc, psc, Director General, BIISS, delivered the welcome address at the seminar. Mr. Mofidul Haque, Director, Centre for Genocide Studies and Justice and Member, Advisory Board, Liberation War Museum delivered a speech on the topic. Ambassador Munshi Faiz Ahmad, Chairman, Board of Governors, BIISS, delivered the concluding remarks in the seminar.

In the world history, the carnages committed by the Pakistan occupation forces on the night of 25 March 1971 is one of the most brutal and bloodiest events the world has ever witnessed. Throughout the nine-month Bangladesh liberation war, the Pakistani forces killed three million people, while two hundred thousand women lost their dignity. This monstrous crime, a heinous genocide, needs to be sufficiently recognized by the international community. The current government of Bangladesh has declared 25th March as National Genocide Day and has engaged in drastic efforts for gaining UN recognition on the issue. The speaker, in his speech, talked about the heinous attack of the Pakistani Military on the unarmed civilians throughout the Bangladesh liberation war. He also mentioned about the current Governments vigorous endeavor towards attaining UN recognition for the 1971 genocide and gave suggestions to raise awareness about this grave mistreatment of humanity at both domestic and international levels.

The seminar included a lively open discussion. Senior officials from different ministries of Bangladesh, management authorities, representatives from different organizations, academia, researchers, teachers from various universities and media representatives participated and expressed their valuable opinions and observations on the topic. They asked many questions and gave their suggestions about how Bangladesh can proceed at attaining international recognition for the genocide of 1971 genocide successfully.