1971 Genocide: Why Pakistan’s Denial Is A Shared International Shame? – OpEd
“The single best predictor of future genocide is denial of a past genocide coupled with impunity for its perpetrators. Genocide Deniers are three times more likely to commit genocide again than other governments,” according to Gregory H. Stanton, a former President of International Association of Genocide Scholars.
Years back, this famed scholar used this empirical observation to shed light on the cost of genocide denial.
Once again, this warning rang true for Pakistan that orchestrated one of the worst genocides in South Asia’s history to stop the birth of Bangladesh.
With a blatant denial, Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar recently unleashed a salvo that further intensified agony, pain and sufferings of millions of victims and survivors affected by gruesome war crimes in 1971. The unapologetic Pakistan minister sermonized to boost ties with Bangladesh invoking Islam but refused to accept war apology and reparation, undermining Pakistan credibility as scholars in Bangladesh and war heroes ask the Pakistan diplomat to clean out his heart first.
To stop the birth of Bangladesh, the Pakistan occupational army, aided by infamous proxies known as Al Badar, Al Shams and Jamaat e Islami, executed one of the worst massacres that saw millions slaughtered, hundreds of thousands of women and girls violated and over ten million Bengalis fled only to be sheltered by India until Bangladesh came into being.
After British Raj left the subcontinent in 1947, the fate of Bangladesh’s population was left at mercy of West Pakistan rulers. Despite separated by thousand miles, with intense labour and sweat, people from Eastern part of united Pakistan used to generate larger share of revenue to keep the economy of Pakistan alive.
But with a toxic mix of religion, West Pakistan backed regime unleashed decade old repression, strangled democracy, and even imposed Urdu as state language, snatching away their mother tongue Bangla.
Demonizing the spontaneous movement for democratic aspirations in erstwhile East Pakistan as conspiracy hatched from Indian soil, the marauding Pakistan army unleashed the genocide in the name of religion to deny Bengalis their right to freedom.
The genocide ended with Pakistan Army’s public surrender on December 16, 1971. But for next five and a half decade, Pakistan’s successive authorities have gone every possible extent to defend the perpetrators and further dehumanize millions of victims, symbolizing a collective global shame that still resonates.
Taking advantage of international communities’ abject failure to recognize the genocide, Pakistan’s military backed regimes have been teaching school students that those war crimes were necessary to foil “Indian plot”, lowering down the magnitude of massacre, defending war criminals as “law abiding citizens” and invoking religion to deny justice to victims.
Let’s take a look at Pakistan’s latest denial in light of Ishaq Dar’s assault to erase the memory of killing and why Pakistan fails to win hearts and minds in Bangladesh.
Why Bangladesh Scholars Calling Dar A Genocide Denier and Puppet of Militant Outfit
After violent ouster of Awami League in last year on August 5, a flurry of diplomatic activities took place between Pakistan and Bangladesh with the former trying to make inroads. As part of the plot, Dar landed on Bangladesh last month and vowed to elevate ties without healing the old wounds. When asked about any change of heart from Pakistan side over acknowledgement of 1971 war crimes and demand for reparation, Dar reiterated the old Pakistan’s denial.
Dar claimed the issues were resolved once in 1974 and again in the early 2000s. And in a sheer disregard for victims and survivors of 1971 war crimes, Dar even went far to claim that in light of Islam Bangladesh citizens should clean their heart out.
According to country’s genocide scholar Prof Imtiaz Ahmed, “this is a farce statement. What he has referred from the past is complete lie. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1974 and Pervez Musharraf in 2000s both shied away from offering any official apology. Rather both former leaders undertaken a vague face saving approach intended to avoid responsibility and deny compensation”. In an interview with DW Bangla service, prof Imtiaz added that “if Pakistan really wants to offer apology they must pass a parliamentary resolution, not anything less”.
Months before Dar’s visit, senior operatives of the banned terror group Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), associated with 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, justified these war crimes by invoking anti- India rant.
“I was four years old when Pakistan was dismembered in 1971. The then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi had declared that she’d drowned the two-nation theory in Khaleej (Bay of Bengal). On May 10, l … we have taken the revenge of 1971,” cheered JuD leader Saifullah Kasuri in impassioned speech in May while addressing supporters in Allahabad, located in Rahim Yar Khan, about 400 km from Lahore.
The patronage of Pakistani state behind these rabidly radical elements have been evident with their public appearance, further exposing the collusion between state actors and non-state armed outfits to project millions of Bengali victims as Indian stodges, justifying further genocidal action against India.
A Breakdown of Pak Army Chief and Prime Minister’s Consistent Anti India Rant To Justify 1971 Massacre
Weeks before the militant leader made this veiled assertion to rile up public sentiment, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif resorted to anti India rant to defend the genocide in 1971. “We have avenged 1971”, cheered an unremorseful Shehbaz in May during operation Sindoor.
Earlier, in April, Pakistan’s Army chief, General Asim Munir, replaying the military establishment’s age-old anthem, has asked Pakistanis to tell their children of the “stark differences between Hindus and Muslims” as the basis for the Islamic Republic’s creation.
“Our forefathers believed that we were different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life. Our religion is different. Our customs are different. Our traditions are different. Our thoughts are different. Our ambitions are different… That was the foundation of the Two-Nation Theory. It was laid on the belief that we are two nations, not one,” said General Munir during his speech at the Convention for Overseas Pakistanis in April.
In the same month, Pakistan foreign ministry refused to acknowledge 1971 war crimes and reparation following visit of Pakistan foreign secretary to Bangladesh despite their Bangladeshi counterpart asked for settlement of outstanding issues involving 1971.
And weeks later, the massacre targeting Indian citizens including hindus unfolded in Pahalgam. And now involvement of Pakistan backed terror outfit “The Resistance Front” (TRF) has been widely exposed. Even US designated TRF as a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organisation’ and ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’. Backed by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, the deadly April 22 terror attack left at least 26 people dead in Pahalgam.
However, this denial is not unique. Back in 2021, then army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, before his retirement, claimed that there is no military failure in 1971.
Over years, a litany of similar evasive tactics has been hatched by Pakistan generals to cover up one of the worst genocides, echoed by prime ministers and dreaded militants, that Ishaq desperately seeks to hide but such denial will only jeporadise efforts to mend fences with Bangladesh.
Denial of Reparation To Hide Pakistan’s Miserable Economic Condition!
During the foreign secretary level meeting in April, Bangladesh has demanded $4.52 billion in financial claims from Pakistan, covering its share of undivided Pakistan’s pre-1971 assets, including foreign aid, unpaid provident funds, and savings instruments. The demand also includes $200 million in foreign aid sent to then-East Pakistan following the 1970 Bhola cyclone.
But neither Dar nor did Pakistan’s foreign ministry come out with assurances to repay the amount, maintaining a longstanding denial.
Experts in Bangladesh also pointed out the dire economic condition facing Pakistan as a prime cause behind Pakistan’s refusal.
“They even require International Monetary Fund and other foreign countries to bail them out from debts. So it is understandable that their economy will fall apart if they decide to pay back our dues”, added an economist from Bangladesh who chose to remain anonymous as he fears retribution from Pakistan backed student outfit Islami Chhatra Shibir.
He advised Pakistan should give up denial. “Had the regime expressed their inability citing ruining economy, it would have helped Pakistan gain some trust among Bangladeshis, added the scholar.
How Pakistan Abandoned Own Citizens: Decades of Refusal to Repatriate Stranded Citizens
Bangladesh has been bearing the brunt of sheltering around 324,000 stranded Pakistanis who are staying in camps for decades. Abandoned by their state, a large part of this population has been reportedly indulged in drug smuggling and other forms of terror activities. Located in Mohammadpur and known as Genava Camp, this place has grabbed headlines for all the negative reasons. Despite raised by Bangladesh, Pakistan continues to deny its responsibility to ensure safe passage of its residents, a marker that Pakistan deserted its citizens.
Glorifying and Indemnifying War Criminals
Another glaring betrayal of 1971 lies in Pakistan’s consistent plot to shield those orchestrated war crimes. Not a single mastermind- the higher echelon from Rawalpindi and Islamabad- who authorized the massacre has been brought to justice. In 1972, Bangladesh formally identified 195 Pakistani army officers responsible for heinous crimes of genocide, mass rape, and systematic destruction.
Pakistan duped the world with false promise of holding them accountable. In reality with political backing, responsible officials have been rehabilitated into society, many lived out their lives with full honours enjoying all out-state privileges.
Even when Bangladesh was holding trial of war criminals from Jamaat that aided the Pakistan army, the predecessors of Dar lent all out support to defend these notorious criminals.
“His only sin was upholding the constitution and laws of Pakistan” claimed Pakistan’s foreign ministry in a statement issued in 2016 over execution of verdict against Matiur Rahman Nizami, who had been described by The Daily Star as “death Designer” for his leadership as one of the key organizers of a ruthless militia that massacred innocent civilians during 1971
In December 2013, Pakistan parliament passed another resolution in defence of war criminals to deny justice to victims of war crimes, triggering huge outcry among victims and anti-war crimes campaigners in Bangladesh as no such resolution has been passed to recognize the victims of genocide.
Why Pakistan Must Bring Parliamentary Resolution for Apology
Reminding Dar of these brazen resolutions, Bangladesh’s genocide scholars have rightly called out for passing a parliamentary resolution to make sure the acknowledgment gets state recognition. These resolutions only blew out Dar’s claim of seeking apology twice.
To stop rewriting of South Asia’s darkest hour, a resolution declaring war criminals and their collective guilt foe denial of settling down reparation and forging commitment to take back stranded Pakistanis has become essential.
Pakistan’s Record of Exporting Cross Border Terror and Deceit in Bangladesh
Reports show, a series of devil plots were reportedly orchestrated by Pakistan establishment to destabilise post independent Bangladesh. A number of western outlets illustrated how Pakistan’s Interservice Intelligence (ISI) sent militants in Bangladesh with all out support for fomenting an Islamic revolution in Bangladesh and India. Back in 2004, the brutal grenade attack orchestrated to assassinate Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina received backing from Pakistan as grenades were smuggled out from that country with help from ISI. Also, the ten truck arms seizure, largest in Bangladesh’s history back in 2004, testifies to ISI’s record of dragging Bangladesh into cross border terrorism by supporting Indian separatists including leaders from the United Liberation Front for Assam (ULFA). In 2015, Mohammad Mazhar Khan, attaché at the consular section of Pakistan high commission in Dhaka, also an undercover ISI agent, reportedly found involved in terror financing and currency forgery racket.
References
BBC Bangla Service (April 18, 2025), No mention of war apology and reparation in Pakistan’s statement
https://www.bbc.com/bengali/articles/c1dr0zp57rdo
DW Bangla Service (August 24, 2025) Pakistan seeks to improve ties with Bangladesh avoiding unresolved issues
The Daily Star (May 12, 2016) Pakistan again sides with war criminals
https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/pakistan-again-sides-war-criminals-1222429
The Daily Star (April 17, 2025) Bangladesh demands $4.52 billion in financial claims from Pakistan
The Daily Star (August 25, 2025) Why 1971 still casts a shadow in Bangladesh-Pakistan relations
The Daily Star (August 25, 2025) Pak FM claims 1971 issues settled twice; Dhaka disagrees
Hindustan Times ( June 1, 2025) Revenge of 1971’: Hafiz Saeed’s outfit claims credit for Shiekh Hasina’s ouster from Bangladesh
Geo Tv (May 14, 2025) ‘We have avenged 1971 war’, PM Shehbaz warns Modi
India Today (April 17, 2025) We are different from Hindus: Pakistan Army chief invokes Two-Nation Theory
AFP (24 August 2025) Bangladesh and Pakistan bolster ties but war apology ‘unresolved’
1 Morgenthau, Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story, Taderon Press, 2000, p. 222.) Cost of Denial
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