Al-Badr (East Pakistan)
Paramilitary organisation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Al-Badr (Bengali: আল-বদর, romanised: āl-badara; Urdu: البدر, romanised: al-badar, lit. 'The Full moon') was an East Pakistani militia composed mainly of pro-Pakistan militants (mostly Muslim Biharis and Muhajirs), which operated in East Pakistan against the Bengali nationalist movement during the Bangladesh War of Independence, under the patronage of the Government of Pakistan.[1][2]
| Al-Badr | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Muhammad Ashraf Hossain |
| Foundation | September 1971 |
| Dates of operation | 1971 |
| Dissolved | 16 December 1971 |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan |
| Motives |
|
| Headquarters | East Pakistan |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Major actions | War crimes, genocide, mass murder, kidnapping, politicide, torture |
| Notable attacks | Bangladesh genocide
|
| Status | Dissolved |
| Allies |  Pakistan ArmyIJT East Pakistan wing |
| Opponents |  Provisional Government of Bangladesh
Bangladeshi nationalists |
| Battles and wars | Bangladesh War of Independence |
Etymology
The name 'Al-Badr' means the full moon and refers to the Battle of Badr.[3]
History
Organisation
Al-Badr and Al-Shams were first formed at the University of Dhaka by the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba's head organiser Matiur Rahman Nizami.[4] They operated in September 1971, under the auspices of General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, then chief of the Pakistan Army eastern command. The Pakistan army command initially planned to use locally recruited militias (Al-Badr, Razakar, Al-Shams) for policing cities of East Pakistan, and regular army units to defend the border with India. According to Brigadier Abdul Rahman Siddiqi, members of Al-Badr were mainly Biharis.[5]
Despite their similarities in opposing the independence of Bangladesh, the Razakar and Al-Badr had differences; Razakars opposed the Mukti Bahini in general, while Al-Badr's tactics were terrorism and political killings.[1] All three groups operated under Pakistani command.[6]
Dissolution
After the surrender of the Pakistan Army on 16 December 1971, Al-Badr was dissolved together with the Razakar and Al-Shams. Many members were arrested. During the 1972-1975 regime of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, all of the collaborators, including those of Al-Badr were pardoned conditionally.[7]
War crimes
Al-Badr were involved in atrocities against civilians during the war of 1971 in particular, the massacre of intellectuals, that occurred in Rayer Bazaar, Dhaka on 15 December 1971.[8][1] According to journalist Azadur Rahman Chandan, Al-Badr was experimentally launched in Jamalpur, Mymensingh in April 1971 as a voluntary force with Islami Chhatra Sangha later reorganised as Islami Chhatra Shibir activists as its first recruits to wage war against the nationalist fighters.[9][additional citation(s) needed]
Leaders of Al-Badr
- Motiur Rahman Nizami[10] was convicted of war crimes and executed on 11 May 2016[11]
- Mir Quasem Ali was convicted of war crimes[12] and executed on 3 September 2016[13]
- Ashrafuz Zaman Khan
- Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin
- Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed[14] was convicted of war crimes and executed on 22 November 2015.
- A. T. M. Azharul Islam [15] is a Bangladeshi politician of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and a former commander of the Al-Badr paramilitary force in the Rangpur District unit of East Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
See also
A modern political label, Lalbodor /লালবদর, emerged in Bangladesh in 2024. The term was coined as a pejorative parallel to Al-Badr and used to describe participants in contemporary political movements.