Al-Badr (East Pakistan)

The Al-Badr (আল বদর, originally from the البدر meaning full moon) was a paramilitary wing of the West Pakistan Army, which operated in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) against the Bengali nationalist movement during the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Members of Al-Badr were recruited from public schools and madrasas (religious schools). The unit was used for raids and special operations; the West Pakistan army command initially planned to use the locally recruited militias (Al-Badr, Razakar, Al-Shams) for policing cities of East Pakistan, and regular army units to defend the border with India. Most members of Al-Badr appear to have been Biharis.

Background
The name of the paramilitary formation, Al-Badr, may refer to the Battle of Badr.

Together with the Razakar and Al-Shams, Al-Badr was formed in order to counter the guerrilla activities of the Mukti Bahini which grew increasingly organised and militarily successful during in the second half of 1971. All three groups operated under Pakistani command,

Organisation
Citing excerpts from Hussain Haqqani’s (Pakistani diplomat) book,'Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military', journalist and researcher Azadur Rahman Chandan said in his book, The Jamaat-e-Islami and especially its student wing,the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba [IJT], joined the military’s effort in May 1971 to launch two paramilitary counterinsurgency units.'... 'The IJT provided a large number of recruits….The two special brigades of Islamists cadres were named Al-Shams and Al-Badr…. A separate Razakars Directorate was established… Two separate wings called Al-Badr and Al-Shams were recognised... 'Well educated and properly motivated students from schools and madrasas were put in Al-Badr wing, where they were trained to undertake specialised operations… the remainder were grouped together under Al-Shams.'

Leaders of Al-Badr

 * Motiur Rahman Nizami
 * Ashrafuz Zaman Khan
 * Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin
 * Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed

Abolition
After the surrender of the West Pakistani army on December 16, 1971, Al-Badr was dissolved together with the Razakar and Al-Shams. Many of the members of this elite unit were arrested. However during the time of President Ziaur Rahman, all of the collaborators including Al Badr were pardoned.

Allegations of war crimes
It is alleged that Al-Badr perpetrated atrocities against civilians during the war of 1971, in particular, the massacre of intellectuals in Dhaka that occurred on December 15, 1971. According to journalist Azadur Rahman Chandan The Al-Badr was experimentally launched in Jamalpur, Mymensingh on April 1971 as a voluntary force with Islami Chhatra Sangha activists as its first recruits to wage war against the freedom fighters. They were enlisted and trained under the guidance of Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, the assistant secretary general of Jamaat.

Al-Badr is accused of carrying out a planned massacre and particularly the killing of the leading intelligentsia just two days ahead of the finalvictory on December 16, 1971. Citing excerpts from an investigative report published in the New York Times on January 3, 1972, Azadur Rahman Chandan said, 'Dressed in black sweaters and khaki pants, members of the group, known as Al-Badar, rounded up their victims on the last three nights of the war.'... 'Their goal, captured members have since said, was to wipe out all Bengali intellectuals who advocated independence from Pakistan and the creation of a secular, non-Moslem state.'