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