Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged the international community including the United Nations to recognize March 25 as International Genocide Day.
“Internationally we want that… March 25 will get recognition as International Genocide Day,” she said.
The prime minister said this while delivering her introductory speech at an Awami League Parliamentary Board meeting at her official residence, Ganabhaban.
On the night of March 25 in 1971, the Pakistani military junta resorted to mass killings and arson in Dhaka to implement their blueprint to prevent the Awami League from assuming office following its victory in the 1970 election.
The night also witnessed Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's proclamation of independence before he was arrested by the Pakistani troops and subsequently taken to West Pakistan.
The prime minister said Bangladesh "started its journey with this wound (genocide).”
She mentioned that Pakistani occupational forces committed genocide against unarmed Bangalis.
“They unleashed attacks on the people of Bangladesh in a horrific way and killed people for nine months,” she said.
In this connection, the Awami League chief said that some 3 million people embraced martyrdom and 30 million people were forcibly made homeless.
“They torched homes and 10 million people took shelter in India as refugees,” she said.
She said there were dead bodies on the roads, bodies were eaten by jackals and dogs, and the people of the country saw that.
“There was inhumane oppression of women, they were taken to the army camps,” she added.
The prime minister said that Bangabandhu built a country ravaged by war.
“We also got the recognition as the least developed country during his tenure of three years and seven months. It was unfortunate that the father of the nation was killed brutally.”
She said the blood of the martyrs will never go in vain.
“Our Independence that we got in exchange for millions of martyrs, we have attained the status of a developing country, we want to build Bangladesh as a developed and prosperous country. It is our pledge to millions of martyrs and to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she vowed.
In the attack on March 25, 1971 dubbed Operation Searchlight, the Pakistani forces mercilessly killed Bangali members of the East Pakistan Rifles and police, students, teachers and common people.
They killed people indiscriminately, set houses on fire and looted business establishments, leaving a trail of destruction.
The day is being observed as Genocide Day officially for the seventh time in the country since parliament unanimously adopted a resolution on March 11, 2017.
