A resolution introduced in the US Congress aims to acknowledge the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, emphasizing the deliberate killing of Hindus and urging accountability for the Pakistan Army and its allies. Congressman Greg Landsman presented the measure, pushing for official US acknowledgment of the atrocities and calling for action against the Pakistan Army and Jamaat-e-Islami for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. The resolution specifically condemns the brutalities carried out during Operation Searchlight, initiated on March 25, 1971, highlighting the systematic targeting of Hindus for mass killings, rape, forced conversions, and expulsion.
The resolution stresses the need for historical truth, pointing out the terror campaign orchestrated by the Pakistani military in 1971 as meeting the UN definition of genocide. It also rejects assigning collective guilt to any particular ethnic or religious group and urges the US President to formally recognize the events as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Congressman Landsman emphasized the importance of acknowledging the horrors faced by Bengali Hindus and stressed the significance of US recognition in denouncing atrocities against religious minorities.
Furthermore, the resolution calls for safeguarding religious minorities in Bangladesh, expressing ongoing concerns regarding the safety of Hindus and other minority groups. Utsav Chakrabarti, Executive Director of HinduACTion, highlighted the collaborative efforts of advocacy groups with diaspora communities to raise awareness about the challenges faced by Hindus and other minority faiths in Bangladesh. The resolution also details documented accounts from 1971, including the widespread killing of civilians, rape of numerous women, destruction of homes and places of worship, and displacement of millions, with a significant majority of victims being Hindus.
