Int’l recognition of genocide a must

The government should take steps to get international recognition of the genocide perpetrated by the Pakistani army during the Liberation War, researchers said yesterday.

They said this while addressing two events marking National Genocide Day.

"It won't be easy to get international recognition, as the US, China, and parts of the Muslim world were in favour of Pakistanis," Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee President Shahriar Kabir said at an event at Bangla Academy, organised by Genocide-Torture Archive and Museum.

Researcher and museum trustee chairperson Muntassir Mamoon said the museum is trying to identify genocide cases, torture centres, mass killing sites, and mass graves.

After preliminary report of a survey on 34 districts, they found 14,452 cases of genocide, 759 mass graves, 1,048 mass killing sites and 1,027 torture centres.

At the programme held at Jatiya Press Club, organised by Samprity Bangladesh, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun said various researches show the genocide carried  "was a planned killing to make the country meritless".

Lawmaker Aroma Dutta was also present.