Bangladesh Genocide Archives – Pakistani Newspaper Reports: Pakistan Observer (March 26-December 16, 1971)

General Niazi watches Razakars training

East Pakistan Razakars OrdinanceI received an email a few weeks ago from a friend. In it she wrote about conversations with some of her relatives in Bangladesh who were born after 1971. She was alarmed to hear how little her relatives knew about the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. A few of her relatives claimed that the Razakars did not even exist – apparently they were conjured up by the Awami League for political benefit. That the Razakars were officially created by the Pakistani military and trained and paid by the government of Pakistan should not be forgotten – and will become an important element in any future genocide trial.

The history of 1971 and the Bangladesh Genocide is under attack from revisionists and genocide deniers. The victims of this attack will be the younger generation of Bangladeshis unless we make an attempt to preserve that history.

The following are newspaper reports from The Pakistan Observer, the East Pakistani newspaper published from Dacca. The reports cover the period from March 26, 1971 to December 16, 1971. Under strict press censorship from the Pakistan military, the reports represent Pakistani military propaganda during the Bangladesh Liberation War. They also provide a glimpse into the Bangladesh Genocide from the point of view of the perpetrators. The phrases "Indian agents", "miscreants", "cleared", Peace Committee", "anti-state elements", etc. take on ominous meaning when these reports are married to what happened on the ground in 1971.

March 1971
03/28/1971 Curfew; MLO 132; Mujib arrested
03/28/1971 Full text of the President of Pakistan’s broadcast to the nation on the 26th of March 1971
03/28/1971 Martial Law orders
03/28/1971 MLO 120 on joining duty
03/28/1971 Pakistan Observer (complete paper)
03/29/1971 CMLA promulgates MLR 76 and 77
03/29/1971 Curfew
03/29/1971 Martial Law directive
03/29/1971 Pakistan Observer (complete paper)
April 1971
04/05/1971 Nurul Amin and others call on MLA
04/06/1971 Nurul Amin condemns Indian intervention
04/07/1971 Leaders call on MLA
04/08/1971 Interference condemned
04/10/1971 Chittagong cleared of anti-state elements
04/10/1971 MLR no 78
04/10/1971 Tikka Khan sworn in as governor
04/11/1971 Golam Azam warns Indian leaders
04/11/1971 Peace procession in city tuesday
04/12/1971 Picture: Shiekh Mujibur Rahman at Karachi Airport
04/13/1971 Chandpur cleared of miscreants
04/14/1971 Big procession brought out in city
04/14/1971 Dinajpur cleared – action against miscreants only
04/16/1971 Citizens peace committee renamed
04/16/1971 Farid Ahmad says Indian design to disintegrate Pakistan exposed
04/16/1971 Indian interference condemned
04/16/1971 Thakurgaon secured
04/17/1971 Peace committee leaders call on governor
04/20/1971 Mahalla peace committees set up in city
04/23/1971 Life in border dist towns returning to normal
04/24/1971 Armed forces in control of border
04/24/1971 Dont believe rumours
04/25/1971 Entire Rajshahi district cleared of infiltrators
04/26/1971 Peace committee to be set up in districts
04/27/1971 Peace council units set up at district level
04/28/1971 Comilla humming with activity
04/28/1971 Procession in Sylhet
04/30/1971 Complete normalcy in Khulna
04/30/1971 Feni secured without firing a single shot
04/30/1971 Life returning to normal in Sylhet
May 1971
05/02/1971 Pak troops in full control of northern region
05/03/1971 Mukti Bahini is in disarray in Bogra
05/06/1971 Peace prevails at Rangpur
05/10/1971 Entire deep south-eastern strip secured
05/10/1971 Peace prevails in Faridpur
05/11/1971 District Peace committees formed
05/12/1971 25 more Peace committees
05/14/1971 Lohajang cleared of miscreants
05/16/1971 Organized resistance liquidated
05/19/1971 Life in Chittagong returns to normal
05/22/1971 Ctg district peace committee meets
05/25/1971 Activities of Ctg dist peace body gain momentum
05/25/1971 Rangpur welcomes army action to save country
05/25/1971 Refugees are victims of Indian propaganda
05/31/1971 Bangladesh movement dead
June 1971
06/01/1971 World Bank team will complete studies in 10 days
06/03/1971 Normalcy restored in Patuakhali
06/22/1971 Mascarenhas report in Sunday Times malicious
06/24/1971 Anti-state elements eliminated
06/25/1971 Gen Hamid apprised of good work done by Peace bodies
06/26/1971 Faridpur humming with activities
06/28/1971 Gen Hamid told of achievement
July 1971
07/06/1971 Smear campaign against Pakistan in Britain
07/09/1971 Gen Niazi inspects defensive deployment of troops in Sylhet
07/18/1971 Gen Niazi visits Sherpur
07/18/1971 Picture: Gen Niazi watches Razakars training
07/26/1971 Governor visits Comilla, Feni
07/28/1971 Gen Niazi visits Aricha Goalundo ghat
August 1971
08/06/1971 Six Indians killed by Razakars
08/07/1971 Gen Niazi lauds selfless efforts of people
08/10/1971 70 anti-state elements killed in Mymensingh
08/11/1971 Many miscreants killed in Khulna
08/12/1971 Help weed out trouble-makers
08/13/1971 25 Indian agents killed in Khulna
08/22/1971 E Pakistan Razakars Ordinance
September 1971
09/05/1971 Six Indian agents killed in Burichang
09/07/1971 Defense day observed in Sylhet
09/14/1971 Picture Razakars complete their training
October 1971
10/22/1971 Razakars kill Indian agents
November 1971
11/02/1971 Razakars kill 19 Indian agents
11/03/1971 Seven Indian agents killed by Razakars
11/04/1971 Five Indian agents killed by Razakars
11/04/1971 Gen Niazi warns people against Indian design
11/07/1971 Increase number of Razakars
11/08/1971 Badr day rally in city
11/08/1971 Minister lauds Razakars role
11/13/1971 Row over Razakars
11/20/1971 Razakars pay revised upwards
11/26/1971 Ghulam Azam calls for all out war
11/28/1971 Razakar commanders parade
11/30/1971 Crush India
December 1971
12/01/1971 Gen Niazi visits Saidpur
12/08/1971 Indian aggression condemned
12/09/1971 India’s attack interrupts US secret move
12/09/1971 Jamaat leaders call stand united to repulse Indian aggression

 

This entry was posted in Bangladesh, Bangladesh Liberation War. Bookmark the permalink.

15 Responses to Bangladesh Genocide Archives – Pakistani Newspaper Reports: Pakistan Observer (March 26-December 16, 1971)

  1. Bitterboy says:

    Mash, I have traveled from DP to your personal blogspot. Thank you for excellent job of retriving the chronology of events of 1971 as documented in the printed media. I have gone through almost all the most relevants headings. Based on these data and what I know, Jamati Islami and Golam Azam had definitely the anti-liberation role. They were not the leading prominent force compared to other parties and their leaders like Council Muslim League led by Khwaja Khairuddin, PDP of Nurul Amin, Nezami Islami led by Moulana Fariduddin etc.

    Of 140 members of Peace committee how many of them were from Jamat? Jamat member was not the convenor of peace committe. If you are a truthful researcher, please, give me the number. How many of the Governor Malek cabinet members were from Jamat? Even the guy who led the delegate to UNO was not from Jamat and that was, you know, Late Shah Aziz who was bestowed with the primership of Independent Bangladesh.

    All these evidences just tell us the fact that the issue of trial of war-criminals and targetting Jamat is nothting but political as they are surviving potential Islamist political force in Bangladesh and other collaborators or criminals went into oblivion.

    Thanks.

  2. Mash says:

    Bitterboy, your true colors always show through, as it always does on the DP blog where you are a leading genocide denier. Only someone who is willfully blind or deliberately obtuse would claim that Jamaat was not a “leading prominent force”.

    Even in the slice of the historical record shown above from the Pakistani perspective, the amir of Jamaat in East Pakistan Golam Azam is featured pretty prominently in the above articles – it would be difficult to give any one person more billing than he has in the above articles; the man is everywhere giving speeches, radio addresses, calling for Jihad, denouncing “Hindu” designs, meeting Tikka Khan, etc. If Golam Azam wanted to be more prominent, he would have had to clone himself! :d

    Of the names listed above for the initial central peace committee in one of the articles, the #1 and #2 person of Jamaat-e-Islami in East Pakistan are prominently listed. Besides the central peace committee, Jamaat members are in every peace committee at district and village level, usually leading them. Jamaat members, including their student wing led by Nizami, make up the bulk of the Razakars and the al-Badr wing. You might note who it was that was leading the Badr day parade, for example, and who it was that was calling for book burning of “Hindu” literature (how very Nazi of them, dont you think?). You might also note, for example, a good sample of the number of news reports above of Razakars in action. You do remember al-Badr, dont you bitterboy? Why dont you tell everyone here “based on what you know”, what al-Badr was and what they did? Surely, we want to be “truthful researchers”.

    As if any more evidence was needed, after the Razakars were officially sanctioned by the Pakistan government, if memory serves me 4 Jamaat members were rewarded with positions in the East Pakistan government in September 1971. At the end of the war, over 12,000 Jamaatis and Islamic Chattra Shangha members were held in prison in Bangladesh for their atrocities. If you were, in your own words, a “true researcher”, you would notice in the news articles above that even West Pakistani politicians are reported to be complaining about atrocities committed in then East Pakistan by Jamaat-e-Islami by name. Why on Earth would they do that, bitterboy?

    Finally, your conclusion in your comment above is unsurprising coming from you. Only Islamist sympathizers and genocide deniers like you would think that a call to bring to justice perpetrators of genocide is “nothing but political”. Dont worry, if history of the twentieth century is any guide, you will find that genocide perpetrators eventually find themselves in court for their crimes, even if the wait is long. Bangladesh, with any luck, will carry on that bit of history.

  3. Journey 2 infintive says:

    Bitter Boy#

    First of all welcome to our domain:).

    So your Transformation from Teen age Freedom fighter to Jamat supporter came to light.

    But Make sure before making any comment that you have enough evidence in your End.

    Because Jamat has already established themselves as the Biggest liar&Criminal.

    Let’s see how long you can avoid the bitter truth.

  4. Pingback: Razakars were paid and trained by Paki military » Shuchinta

  5. nighat says:

    i am from pakistan.we stay united for a time and we struggle for pakistan together.i persoally feel that the injustices done against our brothers and sisters from east pakistan was wrong and brutal.i feel very sorry what happend and what we lost for the sake of vested interest of the ruling elite of that time.i know that one single sorry can not bring what we have took from our own people.but still my heartfelt sorry to all (now) bangladeshi brothers and sisters.

  6. Asher says:

    I am a Pakistani and I am sick and tired of these “Bangladeshi” rants: Punishing the Razakars, the Jamaat’s folks, Stranded Biharis and demanding an appology from Pak government.

    Listen you “Bengalees” (you would rather worship your begali idol then be proud of your Islamic heritage), Pakistan DOES NOT owe you ANY apology.

    Pakistan did what ANY sovereign state would have done i.e. crush the rebellions: be they our own people or Indians in guise of Bengalis. What is India doing right now to so many sikhs and Kahmiris? Indian army has killed and raped a lot more Kashmiri Muslims? Why no apology is demanded from India for that?

    Tell me how many innocent East Pakistanis (yes those who abhorred the idea of bangladesh) were murdered by this Mukti Bahini supported by their Kuffar masters (Hindu India). How many bengalis did Indian army kill and raped? Have you ever cared to investigate that part? How sure can you be that Indians, being such liars, have not committed those crimes by wearing Pakistani Army Uniforms? Those bengalis who were allegedly raped, how many of them were Hindus or Hindus conspiring with India against Pak Army?

    Mujiburahman should have been murdered the day he demanded two national languages of a state. I mean how pathetic can that be? Two parts of the SAME country using different official languages effectively creating two independant states. Think about it. Bengali being the state language of East Pakistan, everything being conducted in Bengali, no one knowing a word of Urdu. How could a West Pakistani Army communicate with East Pakistani folks? How could a West Pakistani teacher deliver lectures in Urdu in East Pakistan?
    On top of that Mujib wanted more autonomy and separate army for East Pakistan. If those were accepted, East Pakistan would have become an independant state. What else is left to be independant?

    What does this all tell you about Mujiburahman? Take off your Indian glasses and listen: Mujib was an Indian agent, hired to divide Pakistan to avenge the division of India. If this guy had become the head of the whole state of Pakistan. He would have simply surrendered all of Pakistan to India. He was doing that with “Bangladesh” when he was killed.

    Think through your head people.

    Pakistan Zindabad, Pakistan Paindabad

  7. Asher says:

    There you go. I had the feeling that Bangladeshi version of 1971 is simply a propaganda. It simply defies common sense.

    http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/international-politics/12902-71-bangladesh-massacre-bangali-nationalist-not-pak-army.html

    • Mash says:

      Asher, the best genocide denial you can come up with is a link to Sarmila Bose’s discredited BS?

      Come on, I am sure you guys can make up better nonsense than that. You genocide deniers are getting lazy. Work harder on your lies and whitewashing of genocide.

  8. Pingback: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying Bangladesh Genocide Archives | Uniform Stores

  9. Rina Growell says:

    Wow, what an thoughtful post! I found your blog today, this is a really great post you made, let them roll!

  10. Arnab says:

    Asher……
    Defeat is very painful. Isn’t it? Feeling sorry for you and Pakistan. you both will be ruined.

  11. Asif Ahmed Siddiqui says:

    I am not very fond of Pakistan Army but be unbiased and Please visit the URL below and find the regret of Freedom fighter of Mukti bahini for being associated with Indian Army

    http://rupeenews.com/2008/08/05/raw-and-bangladesh-by-mohammad-zainal-abedin/

  12. RT says:

    Dear Pakistani friends on this Blog.
    The country was created in 1947 , for all Muslims of the sub continent . Not just for “West Pakistanis”. However, almost from the beginning it was ruled by the establishment of “West Pakistan”.All that the “West Pakistani” leaders could answer to calls for democracy was ” Islam Khatray main Hay” Neither Allah forbid is Islam in danger, nor have the Muslims of the world set up the “West Pakistani” leaders as guardians and saviours of the religion of Allah. Allah forbid!
    Almost from day one, Pakistan has been a dictatorship of one form or the other……apart from being a people’s dictatorship!
    Yes of course Pakistan owes an apology to the people of Bangladesh. In the same way that Germany apologized to the Jewish nation . But the apology needs to come from the Govt. Of Pakistan. The people of Pakistan have not committed any crime. Staying with Pakistan has nothing to do with staying faithful to Islam. Pakistan is a country which has been ruled by “sharabis and shababis” for many years now. What was Zulfi sahab? What was Gen. Yahya? What was Gen. Niazi? Gen Tikka Khan (who was also called the Bomber of Baluchistan). If these are your heroes, then may Allah help your country! Then in the 70s Mr. Bhutto ordered the bombing of Dir forests. Many people were killed there. Endless saga of madness by your leaders

    And now your Army is fighting a war in various parts of your country. Islam abhi Pakistan main khatray main hai? Is Islam now in danger in Pakistan?????

  13. Kunal says:

    IF NIAZI THINKS PAKI ARMY WAS 2ND TO NONE AND THEY WADED OFF INDIAN TROOPS, SEEMS HE HAD NOTHING TO SAY TO SAVE HIS SKIN. IF HE ALONG WITH RAZAKAR COMMANDERS WERE SO POWERFUL WHY DID THEY SURRENDER????
    WHY DID THEY BOW TO INDIAN PRESSURE AND DID AN “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” WHEN HIS BANGLA BROTHERS HAD BEGGED FOR “CEASEFIRE”….

  14. Zahid says:

    I was student of class V in 1971. We stayed in a house on Elephant Road near University of Dhaka. I still could remember 25th March night. We went out from that house fro shelter on the 27th March morning when the curfew was lifted for few hours..a burned dead body on the street…I could visualize..is there anyone to record my memory..as i can not write .. it is really a pain for me that whenever I tried to write few lines..I fail to make a sentence or a line… I have lot to describe…

Comments are closed.