Bangladeshi diaspora holds anti-Pak protest in Geneva, demands apology for `1971 genocide’

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INTERNATIONAL DESK: Demanding an apology from Islamabad for the ‘1971 Bangladesh genocide’, members of the Bangladeshi diaspora living in Europe held an anti-Pakistan protest on Thursday on the sidelines of the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The protesters highlighted that the Pakistani military in 1971 committed mass atrocities and systematically killed around three million people seeking self-determination.

The demonstrators urged the United Nations to globally recognize the atrocities as genocide and initiate trials against the perpetrators.

Khalilur Rehman, a Bangladeshi human rights activist living in Switzerland said, “Pakistan did not apologise to Bangladesh and still now Pakistan in Balochistan there is a genocide (going on). In Sindh, in Kashmir, there is a genocide (going on by Pakistan). We are demanding Pakistan should apologise to Bangladesh and United Nations have to internationally recognize the Bangladesh 1971 genocide”.

Murshad, a Bangladeshi human rights activist and president of Belgium based Global Resident Solidarity for Peace said, “We have gathered here to get the international recognition of 1971 genocide day. So, we think it is not too late to do it. We demand world people and concerned authorities to give the recognition to genocide day, what was committed by the Pakistani army on 25th March 1971”.

The Bangladeshi protesters were joined by human rights activists and politicians from Europe.

Harry Van Bommel, a former member of the Dutch Parliament who joined the protest said, “Obviously Pakistan played a very dirty and very mean role. So, I think that should be internationally recognised by international bodies, such as the United Nations, European Union, the Council of Europe and other organizations related to human rights. Not just to make sure future cases of genocide are prevented, but also to honour victims of this genocide where hundreds of thousands of people died.

Pakistan carried out a military crackdown from 1948-1971 on its Eastern wing, now Bangladesh, to suppress Bengali calls for self-determination.

Bangladesh ultimately won independence with India’s help in December 1971 following a nine-month war against West Pakistan. (ANI)