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| There have also been various allegations on Mukti Bahini regarding killings of non-Bengali people, mainly ] and ].<ref name="Gerlach2010"/> | There have also been various allegations on Mukti Bahini regarding killings of non-Bengali people, mainly ] and ].<ref name="Gerlach2010"/> | ||
| Qutubuddin Aziz dedicates his book "Blood and Tears" to "Those Hundreds of Thousands of Innocent Men, Women and Children who were killed or maimed in the Awami League’s rebellion and genocide and the ]'s reign of terror in East Pakistan in 1971."<ref>http:// |
Qutubuddin Aziz dedicates his book "Blood and Tears" to "Those Hundreds of Thousands of Innocent Men, Women and Children who were killed or maimed in the Awami League’s rebellion and genocide and the ]'s reign of terror in East Pakistan in 1971."<ref name="Aziz1974">{{cite book|author=Qutubuddin Aziz|title=Blood and tears|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=3iENAAAAIAAJ|accessdate=4 June 2013|year=1974|publisher=Publications Division, United Press of Pakistan}}</ref> | ||
| Aziz cites tragic accounts of 170 eye-witnesses, picked from amongst nearly 5000 families repatriated to Pakistan from Bangladesh between the autumn of 1973 and the spring of 1974. They hailed from 55 towns of East Pakistan.<ref |
Aziz cites tragic accounts of 170 eye-witnesses, picked from amongst nearly 5000 families repatriated to Pakistan from Bangladesh between the autumn of 1973 and the spring of 1974. They hailed from 55 towns of East Pakistan.<ref name="Aziz1974"/> | ||
| ] in her book ] says that allegations of genocide and rape by the Pakistan Army were exaggerated by ] and ] for political purposes.<ref>Woodrow Wilson Center </ref><ref> by Sarmila Bose in the ], October 8, 2005</ref><ref> by Sarmila Bose in the ], September 22, 2007</ref> She presents interviews of many witnesses in favor of her opinion. She also accuses Bangladeshi liberation accounts of ignoring atrocities against Urdu-speaking people in East Pakistan. | ] in her book ] says that allegations of genocide and rape by the Pakistan Army were exaggerated by ] and ] for political purposes.<ref>Woodrow Wilson Center </ref><ref> by Sarmila Bose in the ], October 8, 2005</ref><ref> by Sarmila Bose in the ], September 22, 2007</ref> She presents interviews of many witnesses in favor of her opinion. She also accuses Bangladeshi liberation accounts of ignoring atrocities against Urdu-speaking people in East Pakistan. | ||
Revision as of 11:30, 4 June 2013
Persecution of Biharis in Bangladesh refers to the persecution, discrimination and pogroms carried out against the Stranded Pakistanis or Bihari people, starting after the Fall of Dhaka. Biharis were considered symbols of West Pakistan’s dominance and were attacked in retaliation for the atrocities committed by the Pakistani Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The attacks were not just limited to Urdu speakers but also to many other non-Bengalis living in Bangladesh . Aquila Ismail, a famous novelist says, “Bihari was a loose term used for people who came from Uttar Pradesh, Poona, Maharashtra, for Punjabis, Pathans. Every non-Bengali was a Bihari.” The estimated figures for the number of people killed vary and are as low as 1,000 to as high as 1,000,000. The pogroms were part of the elimination of the remnants of West Pakistani supporters from Bangaldesh.
Causes
The Biharis were considered to be symbols of West Pakistan’s dominance. Bengalis were outraged on the support of Biharis, often referred to as Pro-Pakistanis and Stranded Pakistanis, for their support to the Pakistan Armed Forces in the Bangladesh Liberation War. Due to their support to Pakistan, Biharis have faced severe hardships. They had immigrated from the Indian State of Bihar to East Pakistan after the partition. The Biharis or Non-Bengalis largely constituted the East Pakistani paramilitary groups like Al-Shams, Razakars, and Al-Badr, becoming a major cause for the discontent among the Bengalis.
The main reasons for the hatred was opposition to the adoption of Urdu as national language and the economic downtroddenness by the West Pakistani dictatorial leadership. The secular feelings along with feelings of hatred towards West Pakistan, or the modern state of Pakistan gave fuel to the fire.
After the Fall of Dhaka
After the Fall of Dhaka on December 16, 1971, Biharis assumed that they would be presented a choice much like they’d been given in 1947, either "to live in Bangladesh" or "to go to what was left of Pakistan." But the illusion was quickly dispelled. Pro-Pakistanis were attacked, branded as collaborators of Pakistan, shot, and clouted to death. The Indian troops had been protecting non-Bengalis during the conflict, but with their withdrawal, the persecution began in earnest.
While the atrocities of the Pakistan Army against the Bengali population during the war are well-documented, little is known about the plight of the Biharis who were left stranded when East Pakistan seceded in 1972, and what they suffered during and after the conflict. According to some estimates, 750,000 Biharis were left in Bangladesh in 1972, and not only did they face persecution at the hands of Bengalis, they were also disowned by Pakistan and became stateless overnight and were left behind. In the mayhem that lasted from March 25 to April 10, when the Pakistan Army took control, a large number of Urdu speakers were also massacred by the Mukti Bahini.
There have also been various allegations on Mukti Bahini regarding killings of non-Bengali people, mainly West Pakistanis and Bihari people.
Qutubuddin Aziz dedicates his book "Blood and Tears" to "Those Hundreds of Thousands of Innocent Men, Women and Children who were killed or maimed in the Awami League’s rebellion and genocide and the Mukti Bahini's reign of terror in East Pakistan in 1971."
Aziz cites tragic accounts of 170 eye-witnesses, picked from amongst nearly 5000 families repatriated to Pakistan from Bangladesh between the autumn of 1973 and the spring of 1974. They hailed from 55 towns of East Pakistan.
Sarmila Bose in her book Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War says that allegations of genocide and rape by the Pakistan Army were exaggerated by Bangladesh and India for political purposes. She presents interviews of many witnesses in favor of her opinion. She also accuses Bangladeshi liberation accounts of ignoring atrocities against Urdu-speaking people in East Pakistan.
Casualties and Events
Various estimates put the figures of Bihari and Urdu-Speaking Killings. Pakistani authorities estimate a minimum of 100,000 to 1 million non-Bengali killings. Wheras the Bengali sources claim the deaths of non-Bengalis from "a few thousand" to 40,000 killed. According to The Minorities at Risk Project the number of killed Bihari is about 1000. According to R.J. Rummel, the number of killed Biharis is estimated to be between 50,000 to 500,000 killed, more likely 150,000.
Bengali mobs were often armed, sometimes with machetes and bamboo staffs. Biharis were massacred in areas like Jessore, Panchabibi and Khulna. On March 1972 in Khulna, over 300 to 1000 Biharis were killed, including women and children. The bodies were humiliated and were thrown in the nearby river.
Aftermath and Immigration
As a result of this discrimination and prejudice, the Biharis have consistently repeated their wish to be repatriated to Pakistan. Initially 83,000 Biharis, which were former civil servants and military personnel were evacuated to Pakistan. By 1974, 108,000 had been transferred to Pakistan, mainly by air, and by 1981, about 163,000. As a result, between 250,000 and 300,000 are left in camps in Bangladesh.
More Sources
- Hamid Mir'a article in the Bangladeshi Daily Star.
Sources Done
References
- ^ Zehra, Batool. "The other side of history". Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
- ^ "Chronology for Biharis in Bangladesh". The Minorities at Risk (MAR) Project. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ^ The Indian Sponsored Mukti Bahni Murdered 1 Million Biharis | PKKH.tv
- ^ Christian Gerlach (14 October 2010). Extremely Violent Societies: Mass Violence in the Twentieth-Century World. Cambridge University Press. pp. 148–. ISBN 978-1-139-49351-2. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
- ^ Qutubuddin Aziz (1974). Blood and tears. Publications Division, United Press of Pakistan. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- Woodrow Wilson Center Woodrow Wilson Center Book Launch event
- Anatomy of Violence: Analysis of Civil War in East Pakistan in 1971 by Sarmila Bose in the Economic and Political Weekly, October 8, 2005
- Losing the Victims: Problems of Using Women as Weapons in Recounting the Bangladesh War by Sarmila Bose in the Economic and Political Weekly, September 22, 2007
- Statistics Of Pakistan's Democide
- "Massacre of Biharis in Bangladesh". The Age. March 15, 1972. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
- "Biharis of Bangladesh - World Directory of Minorities". Faqs.org. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
- "Mukti Bahani's massacre of Biharis blamed on Pakistan Army". Rupee News. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
- Mete Açıkgöz. "The heartbreaking story of the 'Biharis' stranded in Bangladesh, Tahir Mahmoud, Crescent Magazine". Crescent-online.net. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
- http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19720315&id=RJwQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sZADAAAAIBAJ&pg=2332,2938998
- "Bangladesh Genocide Archive | Refugees". Genocidebangladesh.org. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
- Hamid Mir (2010-03-26). "Apology Day for Pakistanis". Archive.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
- http://www.bangla2000.com/bangladesh/independence-war/report-hamoodur-rahman/report-pdf/chapter2.pdf
- "Bangladesh: Rapes and Atrocities Myth And Realities". :. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - "Stateless in Bangladesh and Pakistan". Statelesspeopleinbangladesh.net. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
- "Indian, Mukti Bahani terrorism: Massacres of Biharis at Jessore, Panchabibi". Rupee News. 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2013-05-25.