On the 16th of December 2011 Bangladeshis around the world, including the large community living in the United Kingdom, estimated to be 500,000, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of victory in the Bangladesh Liberation War.

The partition of British India gave rise to two new states; a secular state known as India and an Islamic state known as Pakistan. Pakistan formerly comprised of West and East Pakistan (now known as Bangladesh). However these two zones were separated culturally and geographically, including by a distance of 1,600 kilometres of Indian territory. East Pakistan consisted of Bengali speaking people, had a larger population and generated the most revenue, nevertheless West Pakistan controlled the divided country politically and economically.

There were many imbalances between the two areas: the budget was spent unequally - West Pakistan would receive more; there was a failure to effectively handle the relief work to help East Pakistan after the 1970 tropical cyclone; and there was a language controversy when the Governor-General of Pakistan declared "Urdu, and only Urdu" would be the state language for all Pakistan. The Pakistanis underestimated the language-based identity of the Bengali people. During a protest on 21st of February 1952, police opened fire killing 5 students. Half a century later, the United Nations proclaimed 21st of February (Ekushey February) as International Mother Language Day.

In 1970 the first general election was held in Pakistan. The people overwhelmingly voted for the Awami League and its leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who has become the symbol of freedom for the Bengalis. The military and the West Pakistani political leaders under Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto were alarmed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's victory and in collaboration with the army bosses, decided to crush the Bengali resurgence.

On the 26th of March 1971, the Bengali people stood up for their rights and declared their independence from Pakistan. This led to the Pakistani President Yahya Khan declaring war by ordering the Pakistani military to reinstate Pakistani government's authority. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman asked his people to continue the fight "until the last Pakistani army" was driven away from Bangladesh.

Over the following 9 months, President Yahya Khan and his military commanders with the aid of local collaborators committed mass atrocities on unarmed civilians, killed an estimated three million people, raped over 300,000 women, destroyed innumerable homes to crush the rebellion, which was termed an "Indian-inspired" conspiracy. The minority Hindu community was particularly targeted. This unprecedented atrocities led to a mass exodus to India, where an estimated 10 million people took refuge.

Eventually, with the help of Indian military, the Bengali freedom fighters (Mukti Bahini), displaying unparalleled bravery defeated the regular Pakistani army on 16th of December 1971. Every year on this day Bangladeshis remember the human cost of their victory. This was one of the 20th century's bloodiest war, yet outside Bangladesh little is known about it. The Guinness Book of Records lists the Bangladesh Genocide as one of the top 5 genocides in the 20th century.

The United States provided both political and material support to Pakistan. U.S. President Richard Nixon denied getting involved in the situation, saying that it was an internal matter of Pakistan. But when Pakistan's defeat seemed certain, Nixon sent the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise to the Bay of Bengal. The Soviet Navy dispatched two groups of ships, armed with nuclear missiles, they trailed the U.S. ship. Indira Gandhi, a lone voice against the mighty U.S., travelled across the world to mobilise support for the beleaguered people of Bangladesh, she was supported by the then Socialist bloc, led by the Soviet Union. The Bangladeshi government posthumously awarded her the "Bangladesh Swadhinata Sammanona" for her "outstanding contribution" to the country's independence from Pakistan. She is the first foreigner to be given the highest state honour.

40 years on, Bangladesh is finally trying to confront war crimes. In 2010, the Awami League-led government set up the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) to try those Bangladeshis accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces and committing atrocities. Currently, seven people, including two from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and five from the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, have been arrested and are facing trial. The Jamaat-e-Islami is the country's largest Islamist party and it opposed Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan at that time. Some of its members allegedly fought alongside the Pakistani army.

Until there is repentance from the perpetrators, until the traitors and war criminals living in Bangladesh and around the world are brought to justice, this matter will never be settled, the wound will never heal.

12th December 2011

1. Bangladesh Liberation Memorial http://www.liberationmemorial.org
2. Bangladesh Genocide Archive http://www.genocidebangladesh.org
3. Wikipedia: Bangladesh Liberation War http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_Liberation_War
4. Liberation War Museum http://www.liberationwarmuseum.org
5. Virtual Bangladesh: Independence http://www.virtualbangladesh.com/history/independence.html
6. Bangladesh salutes Indira Gandhi http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article2290625.ece
7. The war that time forgot http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/10/bangladesh.photography
8. Remembering East Pakistan http://tribune.com.pk/story/221972/remembering-east-pakistan-i &http://tribune.com.pk/story/226879/remembering-east-pakistan-ii
9. Video footage of Liberation War (6.15 minutes) http://youtu.be/RzxRfv2EKeQ
10. Bangladesh Liberation War documentary (7.39 minutes) http://youtu.be/2TrAB52myWY