US congressmen table resolution to declare Pakistan atrocities in 1971 ‘genocide’
Two US congressmen introduced a resolution to declare Pakistan Army action against Bengalis and Hindus during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 as "genocide" and "crime against humanity".
US Congressman Steve Chabot, along with congressman Ro Khanna of Indian origin introduced the resolution in the US House of Representatives on Friday. Chabot said the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971 must not be forgotten, reported UNB.
"With help from my Hindu constituents in Ohio’s First District, Rep Ro Khanna and I introduced legislation to recognise that the mass atrocities committed against Bengalis and Hindus in particular, were indeed genocide," he said.
Chabot said they must not let the years erase the memory of the millions who were massacred.
"Recognising the genocide strengthens the historical record, educates our fellow Americans, and lets would-be perpetrators know such crimes will not be tolerated or forgotten," he tweeted.
"Proud to join Rep Steve Chabot in introducing the first resolution commemorating the 1971 Bengali Genocide in which millions of ethnic Bengalis and Hindus were killed or displaced in one of the most forgotten genocides of our time," Khanna said.
The 8-page resolution titled "Recognising the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971" calls on the government of Pakistan, in the face of overwhelming evidence, to offer acknowledgement of its role in such genocide, offer formal apologies to the government and people of Bangladesh, and prosecute, in accordance with international law, any perpetrators who are still living.
It condemns the atrocities committed by the Armed Forces of Pakistan against the people of Bangladesh from March 1971 to December 1971; recognises that such atrocities against Bengalis and Hindus constitute crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide; recalls the death and suffering of the countless victims of such atrocities and expresses its deep sympathy for the suffering.
The resolution recognises that entire ethnic groups or religious communities are not responsible for the crimes committed by their members; calls on the president of the United States to recognise the atrocities committed against ethnic Bengalis and Hindus by the Armed Forces of Pakistan during 1971 as crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.
It reaffirms the United States commitment to promote peace, stability, and communal harmony in the Indo-Pacific region, and the right of all people living in the region, regardless of national, racial, ethnic, or religious background, to enjoy the benefits of democratic institutions, the rule of law, the freedom of religion, and economic opportunity.