US Lawmaker’s Bill Targets Pakistan for 1971 Hindu Killings

Echoes of 1971 resound in Washington as Rep. Greg Landsman tables a resolute bill in Congress, pressing for US recognition of Bangladesh’s genocide and accountability for Pakistani forces’ crimes against Hindus. This landmark proposal spotlights Operation Searchlight’s barbarities, demanding an end to impunity.

From March 25, 1971, Pakistani troops and Jamaat-e-Islami unleashed hell on Bengalis, with Hindus singled out for extermination via mass murder, mass rapes, forced Islamization, and expulsion. Landsman proclaimed the campaign a textbook genocide per UN terms, substantiated by US diplomats’ logs, journalistic exposés, and observer testimonies.

The measure disavows collective faulting, beseeches presidential certification of genocide status alongside war and humanity crimes, and advocates for Bangladesh minority safeguards amid persistent perils. Hindu Action’s Utsav Chakravarti lauded the diaspora’s role in amplifying voices for 15 million at-risk faithful.

Compelling evidence abounds: millions perished, over 200,000 raped, homes and shrines demolished, populations displaced en masse. Hindus, 20% of locals, formed 80% of the dead—affirmed by cables, reports, congressional insights, and assessments. ‘Hindus were prime targets,’ documents declare, detailing faith-driven pogroms.

Landsman’s clarion call embodies America’s pledge to confront religious violence head-on, validating untold suffering, empowering survivors, and deterring future horrors through formal reckoning.