Quotes

[West Pakistani administrators] are keen to see East Pakistan’s population reduced to parity with West Pakistan so that they can never have the upper hand in politics and claim more than their constitutional parity. Getting rid of eight million more Hindus would more or less achieve this gambit.

Manchester Guardian (1956)

All Hindus will be forced to realize that even the tree leaves of Pakistan will proclaim the name of Allah and there should not be any Hindu in Pakistan.

Public speech (1964)

We could not think of a worst combination. Hindus and Bengalis. I told the Khawaja not to lose heart. If worse comes to the worst, we shall not hesitate to fight a relentless battle against the disruptionists of East Pakistan. Rivers of blood will flow if need be, unhappily. We will arise to save our crores Muslims from Hindu slavery.

Personal Diary (1967)

The Moslems of East Pakistan, who had played a leading part in the creation of Pakistan, are determined to keep it alive. However, the voice of the vast majority had been suppressed through coercion, threats to life and property by a vocal, violent and aggressive minority, which forced the Awami League to adopt the destructive course.

Pakistan Radio (1971)

I was second in command on 18th April my first action was scheduled at Faridpur… The briefing officer said ‘Listen Nadir, we have found the root of the problem and that is ‘Hindu’. It has been decided to kill the Hindus. If Hindus are eliminated then this problem will be over forever.

Aik Fauji Ki Yadasht, BBC Urdu (2007)

The Hindus had completely undermined the Muslim masses with their
money. They bled the province white. Money, food, and produce flowed across the borders to India. In some cases they made up more than half the teaching staff in the colleges and schools, and sent their own children to be educated in Calcutta. It had reached the point where Bengali culture was in fact Hindu culture, and East Pakistan was virtually under the control of the Marwari businessmen in Calcutta. We have to sort them out to restore the land to the people, and the people to their Faith.

Verbal communication to Anthony Mascarenhas (1971)

Now, he said they’re still coming at that time at 100,000 a day — the latest I heard was 150,000 a day — because they’re killing the Hindus.  And the thing that, in the beginning, these refugees were about in the proportion to the population — 85 percent Muslim, 15 percent Hindus.  Because when they started the killing it was indiscriminate. Now, having gotten control of the large centers, it is almost entirely a matter of genocide killing the Hindus.

Conversation with President Nixon and National Security Adviser Kissinger (15 Jun 1971)

I will mention a few incidents of Army atrocities in these areas but the main burden of my letter is to point out that it is the official government policy in action to deliberately and systematically exclude the Hindu community from all relief and rehabilitation. They are simply not recognized as citizens of Pakistan. Most of the bans against their receiving aid are by verbal orders and threats of the Pakistani Army officers, but the banks received official notices a month ago to freeze all Hindu accounts.

Letter to Senator Saxbe (1971)