Former Member of Dutch Parliament and human rights activists Harry van Bommel, along with a European delegation is on a visit to Bangladesh from May 20-26. The delegation will investigate the genocide committed by Pakistan in 1971.
"Even if it takes a hundred years to get global recognition of the Armenian Genocide, I hope it will not take that long in the case of Bangladeshi Genocide. We want to have it within a few years, not even decades", Harry van Bommel told a press conference at Jatiya press club on May 21.
The mission is an initiative of the European Bangladesh Forum (EBF) and will also consist of genocide scientist Anthonie Holslag (VU), political analyst Chris Blackburn, British EBF chairman Ansar Ahmed Ullah and Dutch EBF chairman Bikash Chowdhury Barua.
The mission is an initiative of the European Bangladesh Forum (EBF) and will also consist of genocide scientist Anthonie Holslag (VU), political analyst Chris Blackburn, British EBF chairman Ansar Ahmed Ullah and Dutch EBF chairman Bikash Chowdhury Barua.
The mission aims to gather first-hand information about the genocide in Bangladesh committed by the Pakistani army during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
The delegation will meet victims, witnesses, genocide researchers, academics, policymakers and government representatives in Bangladesh. In addition, the team visits a number of killing fields and war museums in and around the capital Dhaka and the second major city Chittagong.
Harry van Bommel said cold war and the then global superpower, the United States, support to Pakistan is the reason why Bangladeshi Genocide has not been recognised globally even after fifty-one years of independence.
"In 1971, the US extended their cooperation to Pakistan directly providing arms while India was with Russia at that time. That's why US has been pretending to know nothing about the genocide even though they have been well aware of everything", said Bommel, adding, "West's friendship with Pakistan is the reason of this dilemma".
