Write to your Congressional Representative, Please sign the petition

On December 13, 1971, the last massacre of one of the largest genocides in the 20th century was perpetrated by the armed forces of Pakistan and its allied militias in Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan). On December 16, 1971, the Pakistan Army surrendered. In what has until now remained a largely unrecognized genocide of millions, the crimes against humanity that unfolded between March 1971 and December 1971 continue to influence not just the geopolitics of South Asia and the Indo-Pacific, but also diaspora politics in the United States. In October 2022, the historic bipartisan H Res 1430was introduced by Representatives Steve Chabot (R) in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It was co-sponsored by Representatives Ro Khanna, Katie Porter and Tom Malinowski. As we begin the 118thCongress, the Bangladeshi American Community, the American Hindu community and the broader Asian American diaspora across the country is eagerly looking forward to your support in sponsoring the resolution in the new Congress. More than 30 national organizations are partners in this effort. This resolution will send a much-needed message to the international community on the primacy of human rights in international relations and sets an encouraging and inspiring example for all those who want to build a just international society, based on the principles of mutual respect. We seek your support in reintroduction of this bi-partisan resolution, that will help bring closure to the millions who lost family and loved ones(see linked video). This is important not only as a tribute to the innocent victims in Bangladesh, who faced barbaric massacres for ten continuous months five decades ago, but also in terms of preventing the recurrence of similar crimes against humankind. To that effect, we hope that this resolution will ignite a conversation that will ensure that the Pakistan Army and its radical Islamist allies are held accountable for the crimes it has committed over the decades and we all will recommit ourselves to preventing such atrocities from ever occurring again.