The War of 1971 Protest: Student Report

By Jannatul Sifat

   

   The war of 1971 was between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Bangladesh wanted freedom from Pakistan, and Pakistan obviously didn't want this, so they had a war. Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, had won the war and became known as Bangladesh. Since 2009 Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, has been planning to kill 16 Jamat leaders (Religious Leader Party).  She believes that they were responsible for the atrocities of the war. Now these leaders are being held in jail, without even having a trial. Those that were given trials, were wrongly convicted by corrupt lawyers and judges. These people are known for their honesty, proficiency, and intelligence. There are only two parties running in Bangladesh ; the BNP (Bangladesh National Party), and the Awami League (The Secularist) because the Jamat leaders are held in prison. The Jamat leaders are beaten, served an inadequate amount food, and are not allowed visitors. Their prison cells are usually more unsanitary than the public bathrooms.

     There are many people who feel that the Jamat leaders should be let free. There isn't any proof of the leaders conspiring with the Pakistani government. Also the Bangladeshi people aren't happy with the government. The Bangladeshi government is very corrupt. Citizens feel that they can bribe just about any authority; for example police, CID (criminal investigation detective), and RAB (another kind of force), to do whatever they want. The two political parties have been running since 1981.  Sheikh Hasina was one; Ziur Rahman was another person in office, but then he died, so his wife was another candidate after 1990. It has been only these two people running for the goverment, and the Bangladeshi people are tired. Yet, when the people ask and protest for the freedom of the Jamat leaders, they are beaten by the police because the government "doesn't want trouble." 

Supporters protest in front of the Embassy of Bangladesh in D.C.

     More than a thousand people protested in one city in Bangladesh, and a few of them were taken to jail. There was a protest in Washington D.C. on February 17th 2012, in front of the Bangladesh Embassy and the White House. Some of the Bengali families from the South Jersey area went there as well. My friends and I went to Washington D.C., because as a Muslim and a Bengali, and a most importantly as a person, we felt that Bangladesh needs justice. We feel that the Jamat leaders are patriots NOT war criminals. The government has no real proof that they were connected to the horror that was done in 1971. For the sake of humanity we felt that it was our duty, to protest the wrongs that are taking place in Bangladesh. Bangladesh needs to restore democracy, human rights, and justice for the people of Bangladesh.

Protestors gather in front of The White House

Photos Courtesy of Jannatul Sifat