[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 239 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 239

    Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 16, 2021

 Ms. Ocasio-Cortez (for herself, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Gomez, and Mr. Meeks) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Foreign Affairs

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                               RESOLUTION


 
    Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence.

Whereas the region of Bengal in South Asia is home to an ancient civilization 
        with a rich cultural and literary tradition;
Whereas the 1947 partition of India created an East Bengal province, which 
        became part of Pakistan, and in 1954, as part of the One-Unit program, 
        East Bengal became East Pakistan;
Whereas, in December 1970, Pakistan held its first election, and despite East 
        Pakistan winning a majority of seats in Parliament, the West Pakistan-
        based military leadership refused to cede power to the majority and 
        instead imposed martial law in East Pakistan;
Whereas, on March 26, 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladesh's 
        independence from West Pakistan;
Whereas, in December 1971, following a nine-month long war that resulted in 
        millions of displaced people and deaths, the Pakistani Army surrendered 
        to Indian and Bangladeshi allied forces;
Whereas, on February 14, 1972, the late Senator Edward Kennedy at a speech at 
        Dhaka University said, ``The struggle of the people of Bangladesh . . . 
        evokes the greatest memories of our past'' and exemplifies a shared love 
        of freedom with the American people; and
Whereas, in August 2017, citing parallels between the displacement of Bengalis 
        during the 1971 war, the Government of Bangladesh accepted more than 
        700,000 Rohingya refugees fleeing genocide in Burma: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the people of Bangladesh on the 50th 
        anniversary of their independence;
            (2) recognizes the historical significance of this 
        milestone to those of Bangladeshi heritage;
            (3) recognizes the courage of freedom fighters in the 
        struggle for independence and democracy;
            (4) expresses support for the principles of democratic 
        governance to which the people of Bangladesh are committed; and
            (5) recognizes the contributions of Bangladesh for hosting 
        Rohingya refugees fleeing genocide in Burma.
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