LIBERATION TO REGRESSION: THE CRISIS IN BANGLADESH'S IDENTITY, SOVEREIGNTY

Bangladesh is now slipping into an abyss from which it won't be easy to extricate itself.

- DHRUV C. KATOCH

In 25 March 1971, the Pakistani Army launched the infamous "Operation Searchlight," a brutal pogrom targeting the hapless citizens of East Pakistan in an attempt to crush the Bengali nationalist movement and force them into submission. Over the next nine months, one of history's most under-reported genocides unfolded, claiming the lives of over three million people, subjecting 300,000 women to rape, and forcing approximately 10 million to flee to India for refuge. Supporting this murderous campaign were the Razakars-a paramilitary force in East Pakistan organised by General Tikka Khan.

In addition to the Razakars, the Jamaat-e-Islami actively collaborated with the Pakistan Army, fighting alongside them against the freedom fighters of Bangladesh.

The Pakistani government, leveraging Jamaat-e-Islami's influence, established the "East-Pakistan Central Peace Committee" (known locally as the Shanti Committee or Shanti Bahini). Together, the Shanti Bahini, Razakars, and the Pakistani Army perpetrated heinous war crimes, including mass executions, systematic torture, and widespread sexual violence. The Jamaat-e-Islami also formed auxiliary groups such as "AlBadar" and "Al-Shams" (referred to as the Rajakar Bahini in Bengali) to bolster the Pakistani military's efforts.

These groups not only facilitated atrocities but also operated concentration camps and systematically used rape as a weapon of war to terrorise and subjugate the Bengali population.