Razakar (رضا کار) is etymologically an Farsi word which literally means volunteer. The word is also common in Urdu language as a loanword.[1]
In Pakistan and India[edit | edit source]
Razakars were an East Pakistani paramilitary force that aided the Pakistan Army against the Mukti Bahini during the Bangladesh Liberation War.[2]
Police Qaumi Razakars are a volunteer force in Pakistan which aids the Police in their duties.[3][4]
In Hyderabad, Razakars were volunteers sponsored by the Nizam's state of Hyderabad for opposition to its merger with India.[5]
In Bangladesh[edit | edit source]
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In Bangladesh and in Bengali, the term "Razakar" refers to individuals who opposed the country's independence and collaborated with the Pakistani Army during the 1971 Liberation War. It is a pejorative term, often equated to "traitor" or the biblical figure of Judas Iscariot. The term originates from the East Pakistani paramilitary force, the Razakars.[8]
However, during the premiership of Sheikh Hasina, the term "Razakar/Rajakar" was predominantly used by the Awami League and its supporters as a synonym for "traitor." It was used to describe individuals who supported Pakistan or opposed the India's foreign policies on Bangladesh.[9]
In 2024, the term resurfaced when it was used against protesters opposing the quota system. During the broader July Revolution in July 2024, many of these protesters adopted "Razakar slogans" to counter the Hasina administration’s labeling of them as "Razakars".[10][11]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Razakar - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
- ↑ "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) - ↑ "THE PUNJAB QAUMI RAZAKARS ORDINANCE, 1965". Punjab Laws. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ↑ Faisal, Muhammad (4 March 2014). "Failure to check corruption: Police mull razakar force abolition". The Dawn. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ↑ Moraes, Frank, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mumbai: Jaico. 2007, p.394
- ↑ "পত্রিকা (১৫ই জুলাই): 'তাহলে কি রাজাকারের নাতিপুতিরা পাবে- কোটা আন্দোলনকারীদের প্রধানমন্ত্রী". BBC News বাংলা (in Bengali). 15 July 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ↑ Mahmud, Faisal. "Sheikh Hasina: A critical misstep and the end of 15 years ruling Bangladesh". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Protests in Bangladesh: the reasons for the rage". France 24. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ↑ Ruma, Paul (15 July 2024). "Bangladesh students clash in job quota protests, at least 100 injured". Reuters.
- ↑ "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.