Razakar

Razakar (رضا کار) is etymologically an Arabic word which literally means volunteer. The word is also common in Urdu language as a loanword. On the other hand, in Bangladesh, razakar is a pejorative word meaning a traitor or Judas.

In Pakistan and India

Main articles: Razakar (Pakistan), Police Qaumi Razakars, and Razakars (Hyderabad)

Razakars were an East Pakistani paramilitary force that aided the Pakistan Army against the Mukti Bahini during the Bangladesh Liberation War.^[1]

Police Qaumi Razakars are a volunteer force in Pakistan which aids the Police in their duties.^[2][3]

In Hyderabad, Razakars were volunteers sponsored by the Nizam's state of Hyderabad for opposition to its merger with India.^[4]

In Bangladesh

In Bengali language, razakar is a term to indicate those who opposed Bangladeshi independence and collaborated with the Pakistani Army: a pejorative term akin to the western term "traitor" or Judas.^[5] The phrase comes from the East Pakistani paramilitary force (see above) who opposed the independence of Bangladesh. Although now it's mostly just a slur used by people of the political party Awami League, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Communist Party of Bangladesh (Barua), Worker's Party of Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JASAD), Jatiya Party (Ershad) in order to depict those who support Pakistan or go against India or against the liberation war that happened in 1971 or be against the freedom fighter quota. This word 'Razakar' has been used by Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh hasina which enraged the quota protestors who were wanting the Quota be reduced that happened in July 2024 which later turned to deadly anti-government protests.^[6] The sentence with the word 'Razakar' that was used by Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh on 14th July 2024 which enraged the Quota protests^[7] goes by following: "If the grandchildren of freedom fighters don't get quota benefits, will those then go to the grandchildren of Razakars? That's my question, the countrymen's question,".^[8] After hearing this sentence, they started to march on the streets giving the Razakar slogan by saying "Who are you?! Who am i?! Razakar! Razakar! Who said?! Who said?! Autocrat! Autocrat!, You're Razakar! You're Razakar!".

References

1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. "THE PUNJAB QAUMI RAZAKARS ORDINANCE, 1965". Punjab Laws. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
3. Faisal, Muhammad (4 March 2014). "Failure to check corruption: Police mull razakar force abolition". The Dawn. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
4. Moraes, Frank, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mumbai: Jaico. 2007, p.394
5. Mookherjee, Nayanika (2009). Sharika Thiranagama, Tobias Kelly (ed.). Traitors: Suspicion, Intimacy, and the Ethics of State-Building. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-8122-4213-3.
6. "Protests in Bangladesh: the reasons for the rage". France 24. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
7. Ruma, Paul (15 July 2024). "Bangladesh students clash in job quota protests, at least 100 injured". Reuters.
8. "Thousands of quota protesters take to streets as campuses across the country come alive with slogans". The Business Standard. 14 July 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.