Al-Badr (East Pakistan)
Encyclopedia
The Al-Badr was the paramilitary wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami
in Bangladesh
(then East Pakistan
) that collaborated with the Pakistan Army
against the Bengali nationalist movement in the Bangladesh Liberation War
. The present chief of the Jamaat, Maulana
Motiur Rahman Nizami headed the Al-Badr organisation as the all-Pakistan Commander in Chief during the war. The group was banned by the independent government of Bangladesh, but most of its members had fled the country during and after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
.
, the holy war
of the Prophet Muhammad
1400 years earlier. However, as the war unfolded it became obvious that the group had malicious intentions that were clearly not in alignment with the Prophet's Sunnah or the Prophet's prescription of what constitutes a legal Jihad. The name Al-Badar was given by major Riaz hussain during the passing out ceremony of first Al-badar group. However, the war between Pakistan and Bangladesh was a nationalistic
war, not a religious
one.
, Pakistani military forces required military support from Bengali
supporters who still wanted to live with Pakistan, or did not like Indian interaction in the movement; as well as the non-Bengali muhajirs in order to abolish the independence fighters of Bangladesh, the Mukti Bahini
, Hemayet Bahini
and Kaderiya Bahini. The Al Badar were formed to detect these independence fighters and to have guides as well as co-fighters who were familiar with the local terrain.
The force was composed of madrasa students-teachers, Bengali supporters of Muslim League and Jamaat E Islami, and muhajirs coming from non-Bengali part of India.
There were three type of Paramilitary forces Pakistan formed,
1. Razakars: refuges who were came from other parts of India during separation of India and Pakistan, and setteled in East PAkistan.
2. Al-Badar: Bengali Muslim Students from Colleges, universities and madrasah, who were loyal to Jamat-e-islami.
3. Al-Shams: Bengali Madrasah Students, teachers & supporters of islamic parties other than Jamat-E-Islami (these smaller parties included Nejam-e-Islami and various factions of Muslim League).
Al-Badar was a very organized para military force among those three forces, they had their own hierarchy of organization & reporting system.
Al-Badr is an unequivocal, direct offspring of Jamaat, and it had been created to facilitate mass-murder, and various war crimes in support of the occupying Pakistani army.
, and the Shanti Committee
also surrendered. As they all were Bengali by ethnicity, Bangladeshis treated them as traitors, rather than arresting them and treating them as Prisoners of War. Many of the Al-Badr members were rightfully brought to justice by the independent government of Bangladesh. However, a large majority of them escaped any form of legal prosecution and are currently enjoying great prosperity in the country despite widespread disapproval from the general population.
.
Jamaat-e-Islami
This article is about Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. For other organizations of similar name see Jamaat-e-Islami The Jamaat-e-Islami , is a Pro-Muslim political party in Pakistan...
in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
(then East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
) that collaborated with the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
against the Bengali nationalist movement in the Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
. The present chief of the Jamaat, Maulana
Maulana
Mawlānā is an Arabic word literally meaning "our lord" or "our master" ....
Motiur Rahman Nizami headed the Al-Badr organisation as the all-Pakistan Commander in Chief during the war. The group was banned by the independent government of Bangladesh, but most of its members had fled the country during and after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
.
Naming and Inspirations
Al-Badar means The Battlefield of Badar. The politics of the force, were advertised as intermingled with JihadJihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
, the holy war
Religious war
A religious war; Latin: bellum sacrum; is a war caused by, or justified by, religious differences. It can involve one state with an established religion against another state with a different religion or a different sect within the same religion, or a religiously motivated group attempting to...
of the Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
1400 years earlier. However, as the war unfolded it became obvious that the group had malicious intentions that were clearly not in alignment with the Prophet's Sunnah or the Prophet's prescription of what constitutes a legal Jihad. The name Al-Badar was given by major Riaz hussain during the passing out ceremony of first Al-badar group. However, the war between Pakistan and Bangladesh was a nationalistic
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
war, not a religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
one.
Background
On 25 March 1971, after beginning the Bangladesh Liberation WarBangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
, Pakistani military forces required military support from Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
supporters who still wanted to live with Pakistan, or did not like Indian interaction in the movement; as well as the non-Bengali muhajirs in order to abolish the independence fighters of Bangladesh, the Mukti Bahini
Mukti Bahini
Mukti Bahini , also termed as the "Freedom Fighters" or FFs, collectively refers to the armed organizations who fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was dynamically formed by Bengali regulars and civilians after the proclamation of Bangladesh's independence on...
, Hemayet Bahini
Hemayet Bahini
Hemayet Bahini was a guerilla militia force of Bangladesh in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. This small force was known by the name of its leader and organizer Mohammad Hemayet Uddin Bir Bikrom....
and Kaderiya Bahini. The Al Badar were formed to detect these independence fighters and to have guides as well as co-fighters who were familiar with the local terrain.
The force was composed of madrasa students-teachers, Bengali supporters of Muslim League and Jamaat E Islami, and muhajirs coming from non-Bengali part of India.
There were three type of Paramilitary forces Pakistan formed,
1. Razakars: refuges who were came from other parts of India during separation of India and Pakistan, and setteled in East PAkistan.
2. Al-Badar: Bengali Muslim Students from Colleges, universities and madrasah, who were loyal to Jamat-e-islami.
3. Al-Shams: Bengali Madrasah Students, teachers & supporters of islamic parties other than Jamat-E-Islami (these smaller parties included Nejam-e-Islami and various factions of Muslim League).
Al-Badar was a very organized para military force among those three forces, they had their own hierarchy of organization & reporting system.
Tasks
The Al Badar were assigned a variety of combat and non-combat tasks including:- Taking part in the operations
- Spying against Muktibahini
- Interrogation
- Working as the guides of the regular army
- Assassination
- Detecting and killing Mukti Bahni Soildiers
- Providing supply line to front army
Al-Badr is an unequivocal, direct offspring of Jamaat, and it had been created to facilitate mass-murder, and various war crimes in support of the occupying Pakistani army.
Abolition
On 16 December 1971, Pakistan surrendered. Members of Al-Badar, along with RazakarRazakar
Razakar is an Urdu word for volunteer and may historically refer to:*Razakars : Islamist East Pakistani militia that aided the Pakistan Army against the Mukti Bahini during the Bangladesh Liberation War...
, and the Shanti Committee
Shanti Committee
Shanti Committee was a group of rural committees formed in Bangladesh in 1971 by the occupying army of Pakistan.-Naming and Inspirations:Shanti is a Bangla word meaning peace. This committee is supposed to restore peace in East Pakistan against the Mukti Bahini...
also surrendered. As they all were Bengali by ethnicity, Bangladeshis treated them as traitors, rather than arresting them and treating them as Prisoners of War. Many of the Al-Badr members were rightfully brought to justice by the independent government of Bangladesh. However, a large majority of them escaped any form of legal prosecution and are currently enjoying great prosperity in the country despite widespread disapproval from the general population.
.
External links
- Fox Butterfield, "A journalist is linked to murder of Bengalis", New York Times, January 3, 1972.