‘Planned massacre’: PM Tarique recalls the horrors of ‘Operation Searchlight’

The nine-month Liberation War began with the Eighth East Bengal Regiment's "we revolt" declaration in Chattogram on Mar 25, 1971, he says

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has described the atrocities of Mar 25, 1971, as one of the most brutal genocides in history, calling for the true narrative of the "Operation Searchlight" massacre to be passed down to current and future generations.

In a message released on the eve of Genocide Day on Tuesday, the prime minister paid tribute to the martyrs and reflected on the horrors unleashed by the Pakistani occupation forces.

Tarique emphasised the gravity of the night that triggered the nine-month Liberation War.

“Mar 25, 1971, is a stigmatised and most brutal day of genocide in history. On this dark night, the Pakistani occupation forces carried out one of the most brutal genocides in history against the unarmed, freedom-loving people of Bangladesh in the name of Operation Searchlight,” the PM said in his message.

He highlighted the specific targets of the military crackdown: “They carried out indiscriminate firing and killings of teachers, intellectuals, and innocent people in various places including Dhaka University, Pilkhana, and Rajarbagh Police Lines.”

Tarique noted that the genocide was a "planned massacre" and suggested that history still owes an explanation regarding the prevention of such an event.

“The genocide of Mar 25 was a planned massacre. Why this planned massacre could not be prevented, the role of the political leadership of that time is still a matter of historical research,” he remarked.

“On the night of Mar 25, the Eighth East Bengal Regiment of Chattogram built an official armed resistance against the genocide by declaring ‘we revolt’. The long nine-month armed Liberation War began through the resistance of the genocide,” the message of the PM said.

He urged the nation to uphold the values for which the martyrs sacrificed their lives, stressing that understanding the significance of independence requires a deep knowledge of the Mar 25 genocide.

“Let us all try to repay the sacrifice of the martyrs by establishing the spirit of the great Liberation War, equality, human dignity, and social justice, in the state and society,” he added.