Source: US Congressional Record
[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 23, 2021)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E290] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BENGALI HINDU GENOCIDE ______ HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE of texas in the house of representatives Tuesday, March 23, 2021 Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise in sad remembrance of the 50th anniversary of the Bengali Hindu Genocide, and celebrate and honor the lives of the more than two million Bengali Hindu persons who were systematically killed by the Pakistani Army when it launched an offensive into East Pakistan, present-day Bangladesh, thus beginning the 10-month reign of terror known as ``Operation Searchlight.'' Over that time, approximately 2 to 3 million people were killed, over 200,000 women were raped in organized rape camps, and over 10 million people were displaced, most finding refuge in India. I offer my prayers and condolences to the victims and their families who still feel the very real effects of this heinous crime against humanity. March 25th officially marks the beginning of the genocide in Bangladesh. The brutality unleashed by the Pakistani army and the targeting of Bengali Hindus simply because of their religion must be strongly condemned as religious freedom is one of the most sacred of human rights. It has been 50 years since the genocide in Bangladesh, and the survivors and their descendants are still fighting for recognition; they are still fighting for an apology from Pakistan, as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh formerly asked her Pakistani counterpart as recently as January of 2021; and they are still fighting for justice and for closure. On March 28, 1971, Archer K. Blood, U.S. Consul General stationed in Dhaka, East Pakistan, present-day Bangladesh, during the genocide, sent a cable back to Foggy Bottom with the subject reading ``Selective Genocide.'' In his cable, the Consul General informs his superiors at the State Department that ``Here in Dacca we are mute and horrified witnesses to a reign of terror by the Pak military,'' and that the full horror of its atrocities ``will come to light sooner or later.'' That is why I rise; to remember and acknowledge that history so that victims and survivors of the Bengali Hindu Genocide know that the people of the United States stand in solidarity with them. ____________________