Al-Badar (1971)

Al-Badar (আল বদর) was a paramilitary force formed in Bangladesh in 1971 by the army of Pakistan.

Naming and Inspirations

Al-Badar means The Battlefield of Badar. The politics of the force were intermingled with Jihad, the religious war or holy war of Muhammad 1400 years earlier. However, the war between Pakistan and Bangladesh was a nationalistic war, not a religious one.

Background

On 1971-03-25, after beginning the Bangladesh Liberation War, Pakistani military forces required military support from Bengali supporters who still wants to live with Pakistan, or don't like indian interaction in the movement; as well as the non-Bengali muhajirs in order to abolish the independence fighters of Bangladesh, the Mukti Bahini, Hemayet Bahini and Kaderiya Bahini. The Al Badar were formed to detect these independence fighters and to have guides as well as co-fighters who were familiar with the local terrain.

The force was composed of madrasa students-teachers, Bengali supporters of Muslim League and Jamaat E Islami, and "muhajirs" coming from non-Bengali part of India.
There were three type of Paramilitry forces Pakistan formed,
1. Razakars: refuges who were came from other parts of india during sepration of India and Pakistan, and setteled in East PAkistan.
2. Al-Shams: Bengali Madarsah Students- Teachers & supporters of Jamat-E-Islami.
3. Al-Badar: Bengali Muslim Students from Colleges and universities especially from Dhaka university.
Al-Badarwas very organized para military force among those three forces, they had their own hirarchy of organization & reporting sysem. Some time Al-Badar was refuses the orders of milatry commaders against rules. Al-Badar people was against indian interaction and they helps Pakistan Army as Pakistani National.

Tasks

The Al Badar were assigned a variety of combat and non-combat tasks including:
*Taking part in the operations
*Spying against Muktibahini
*Interrogation
*Working as the guides of the regular army
*Assassination
*Detecting and killing Mukti Bahni Soildiers
*Providing supply line to front army

Abolition

On 16 December, 1971, Pakistan surrendered. Members of Al Badar, along with Razakar, Al-Shams, and Shanti Committee were also surrendered. As they all were Bangali it was supposed that Bangladesh would traet them as oppsition party, would arrest them and treat them as Prison of War, but most of them were tourchered, killed by Mukti Bahni, or forced to out from Bangla Desh.