Explained: Who Were The Razakars, How They Brutalised East Pakistan

It's finally election time in Bangladesh. On February 12, the country will go to the polls, its first since the ouster of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government.

This came after a student-led uprising lasting weeks finally ended what critics called Hasina's autocratic rule.

What the student uprising was about

The demonstrators demanded reforms to a quota system concerning the allocation of government jobs in the country. Under this, an astonishing 56 per cent of government jobs remained reserved for select categories of citizens. This included a 30 per cent quota for family members of veterans and freedom fighters who fought in Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.

The protestors argued that the quota system was discriminatory and that it only benefited supporters of the Awami League. In one of her public addresses, Hasina said, "If not the grandchildren of the freedom fighters, then who will get quota benefits? The grandchildren of the 'Razakars'?" 

That statement riled up the demonstrators, for the term traces its roots to the turbulent year of 1971, when East Pakistan moved towards independence, while a volunteer force, the Razakars, opposed the creation of Bangladesh as a sovereign nation.

Who were the 'Razakars'?

India and Pakistan came out of partition in August 1947. While India was a nation of 565 princely states, Pakistan consisted of two regions: West Pakistan and East Pakistan.

Though 55 per cent of the total population - nearly 44 million - resided in East Pakistan, the country was still governed by leaders of the West. What followed next was resentment in the East due to a lack of resources and decision-making influence. During the 1970 parliamentary elections, a large number of people in East Pakistan voted for a party that had advocated autonomy for the East.
However, it was blocked from governing by the Pakistan Army, and its leader was jailed. 

This resulted in mass protests in the East, which were brutally suppressed by the Pakistani army, causing a massive influx of refugees into neighbouring India.

The 'Razakars' referred to the paramilitary force recruited by the Pakistani army at the time of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. It mainly comprised pro-Pakistani Bengalis as well as the Urdu-speaking Biharis. The involvement of 'Razakars' was traced to atrocities, including mass killings, torture, and rapes. 

At the time, the Indian Army fought alongside the liberation forces and eventually defeated Pakistan. After the Pakistani military's surrender before the Indian armed forces, many Razakars were attacked and killed by locals, Ali Usman Qasmi, a historian at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, told Al Jazeera.

The war in 1971 witnessed immense suffering, with estimates of civilian deaths ranging from 300,000 to three million.

Qasmi said the Razakars were mainly Urdu-speaking migrants and were part of an auxiliary force established by the Pakistani military to support its operation to quell the rebellion in East Pakistan.

Author and scholar Anam Zakaria told the news outlet that Razakars were created to secure local support and intelligence on targets and locations.

Role in Bangladesh's war of liberation

The Pakistani army was involved in a “brutal military operation,” Qasmi said and added that 'Razakars' were "central to the way the military conducted its operations in 1971, including the accusations of war crimes that they allegedly committed”.

In 2010, the Sheikh Hasina-led government set up an International Crimes Tribunal to prosecute those accused of war crimes during the 1971 conflict. This was part of her major strategy to address historical injustices. It was looked upon as a fulfilment of her party's electoral promises. The tribunal convicted several individuals, mainly from the Jamaat-e-Islami party.

In December 2019, a list of 10,789 individuals identified as "Razakars" was published, including names of a few prominent figures. This marked the first official recognition of these collaborators. It was intended to make sure that the upcoming generations know the historical context of their actions.