H.Res. 1430. calls for action under international law against Pakistani armed forces and Islamist war criminals

WASHINGTON, November 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — As more and more lawmakers join the resolution, the Human Rights Congress for Minorities of Bangladesh (HRCBM) held a press conference at the National Press Club last Friday. The conference brought together members of the media, human rights activists, academics, entrepreneurs, members of the Bangladeshi diaspora community and from Bangladesh consul general to Floridato discuss the recent introduction of bipartisan H.Res. 1430 by congressman Steve ChabotRanking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee Asia and the Pacific, and co-chair of the Bangladesh Caucus and co-sponsored by Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA), Congressman Katie Porter (D-CA) and Congressman Tom Malinowski (D-NJ).

Priya SahaExecutive Director of HRCBM said: “In 1971, the Pakistani army and its allies brutally raped more than 200,000 women and girls and massacred around 3 million people. Ten million people were displaced and had to seek asylum in neighboring countries. India. The Pakistani military and its allies have also carried out the targeted assassination of more than 1,100 Bengali intellectuals and professionals, including journalists, professors, doctors, lawyers and writers, in order to create an intellectual vacuum in the country. . In Bangladesh1,942 mass graves were discovered.”

The Bangladesh government began to prosecute war criminals who collaborated with the Pakistan the army and the government Bangladesh established the International Criminal Court of Bangladesh. Since then, it has tried 49 war criminals. More than 500 cases are currently under investigation, while 36 cases are pending before the courts.

Speakers debated and answered questions about the impact of this landmark resolution on Indo-Pacific geopolitics and on radical groups originating from Bangladesh and Pakistan.

dr. Sachi G. Dastidareminent professor emeritus at SUNY, recalled the personal experience of his family as victims of genocide and misery.

Dwijen Bhattacharjyalecturer at Colombia University and General Secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council at United States, commends the two members of Congress for bringing forward this resolution and departing from the 1971 United States policy on genocide in Bangladesh.

Mr SM Alam, Consul General of Bangladesh to Miami Consulate, thanked the congressman Steve Chabot and Congressman Ro Khanna for bringing forward this resolution and inviting the Bangladeshi community to engage with other members of Congress to pass it. He urged community leaders to unite as Bangladeshis to make the most of this historic effort.

Saleem Samad, Dry. of the Forum for Freedom of Expression and who is also the Bangladesh correspondent for Reporters Without Borders, claimed that the Pakistani military and radical Islamists from Jamaat-e-Islami, Al-Badr, Al-Sams and Rajaker used rape as a method of warfare and ultimately extermination. He denounced this horrific crime against humanity and urged everyone to recruit additional co-sponsors for the resolution. He recalled that the Pakistani military and its Bangladeshi collaborators were not targeting Christians and Buddhists in the same way they were targeting Hindus.

President of ISPAD and community leader Dilip Debnath thanked the two legislators for proposing this resolution in United States Congress. He urged community members to take action to adopt this resolution.

Razzak BalochOrganizer, Baloch Human Rights, condemned the Pakistani army for its genocide in Bangladesh in 1971. He said the failure of the global community to hold the Pakistani military accountable after 1971 led to violence against Baloch communities that continues to this day.

Mr. Munawar “Sufi” Laghari, Executive Director of the Sindhi Foundation, echoed Razzak’s views and promised to work with the Bangladeshi community to pass the resolution.

The press conference was hosted by Adelle Nazrarian, Media Fellow at the Gold Institute for International Strategy (GIIS) and Director of Communications and Legislation at HinduPACT. She expressed her gratitude for the insightful comments of the participants and urged all humanitarians, as well as the Bangladeshi diaspora to United States in particular, to work with their local representatives and asked them to support the resolution. Additionally, she called on all journalists to cover this resolution as she understands the importance of the media after her own successful career in broadcast and online journalism.

SOURCE Human Rights Congress for Minorities of Bangladesh (HRCBM)