Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: India on Friday reaffirmed its support for Bangladesh’s pursuit of justice over the atrocities committed by Pakistan during the 1971 military crackdown, saying Islamabad continues to deny its crimes.The remarks came as Bangladesh marked March 25 as Genocide Day, remembering one of the darkest chapters in its history. On that day in 1971, Pakistan launched Operation Searchlight to crush the Bangladeshi nationalist movement.At his weekly media briefing, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We all are aware of the terrible atrocities committed by Pakistan during ‘Operation Searchlight’ in 1971. The genocide involved systematic and targeted murder of millions of innocent Bangladeshi people and mass sexual crimes against women.”“It also forced millions to flee the country and seek shelter in India as refugees. These atrocities shook the conscience of the world. Pakistan however, remains in denial to this very day of its crimes,” he said.Jaiswal said India supports Bangladesh in its “desire for justice”.New Delhi’s remarks came three days after Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman described Operation Searchlight as “one of the most heinous genocides in history” against unarmed Bangladeshi people.In a social media post a day ahead of Genocide Day, Rahman recalled the military crackdown by Pakistani forces.“In the history of freedom-loving Bangladesh, 25 March 1971 remains one of the most disgraceful and brutal days. On that dark night, the Pakistani occupation forces carried out one of the most heinous genocides in history against the unarmed people of Bangladesh in the name of ‘Operation Searchlight’,” he said.Calling it a planned assault, Rahman said the “genocide” of March 25 was a “pre-planned massacre”.India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war, marked by the surrender of over 90,000 Pakistani soldiers on December 16, ended the violence and led to the birth of Bangladesh as an independent country.
