{{Short description|Loanword from Arabic used in the subcontinent}} {{Use British English|date=September 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} '''Razakar''' (رضا کار) is etymologically an Farsi word which literally means volunteer. The word is also common in Urdu language as a loanword.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Razakar - Banglapedia |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Razakar |access-date=2026-05-02 |website=en.banglapedia.org}}</ref>
==In Pakistan and India== {{Main|Razakar (Pakistan)|Police Qaumi Razakars|Razakars (Hyderabad)}} Razakars were an East Pakistani paramilitary force that aided the Pakistan Army against the Mukti Bahini during the Bangladesh Liberation War.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icsforum.org/library/files/420_GovernmentofEastPakistan1971.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2013-02-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004235644/http://www.icsforum.org/library/files/420_GovernmentofEastPakistan1971.pdf |archivedate=2013-10-04 }}</ref>
Police Qaumi Razakars are a volunteer force in Pakistan which aids the Police in their duties.<ref>{{cite web|title=THE PUNJAB QAUMI RAZAKARS ORDINANCE, 1965|url=http://punjablaws.gov.pk/laws/192.html|website=Punjab Laws|accessdate=6 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Faisal|first1=Muhammad|title=Failure to check corruption: Police mull razakar force abolition|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/790176/failure-to-check-corruption-police-mull-razakar-force-abolition|access-date=6 January 2015|publisher=The Dawn|date=4 March 2014}}</ref>
In Hyderabad, Razakars were volunteers sponsored by the Nizam's state of Hyderabad for opposition to its merger with India.<ref>Moraes, Frank, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mumbai: Jaico. 2007, p.394</ref>
==In Bangladesh== [[File:Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Speaks at Press Conference Ganabhaban Dhaka July 14 2024 (PID-0007231).jpg|thumb|At this press conference on 14 July 2024, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina linked the quota reform protesters to Razakars, drawing sharp criticism and further escalating the unrest that ultimately culminated in her resignation.<ref>{{cite news |title=পত্রিকা (১৫ই জুলাই): 'তাহলে কি রাজাকারের নাতিপুতিরা পাবে- কোটা আন্দোলনকারীদের প্রধানমন্ত্রী |url=https://www.bbc.com/bengali/articles/cp68w004219o |access-date=6 March 2026 |work=BBC News বাংলা |date=15 July 2024 |language=bn}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Mahmud |first1=Faisal |title=Sheikh Hasina: A critical misstep and the end of 15 years ruling Bangladesh |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/5/sheikh-hasina-a-critical-misstep-and-the-end-of-15-years-of-rule |access-date=6 March 2026 |work=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref>]] 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 Bangladesh 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.<ref name=Mookherjee>{{cite book|last=Mookherjee|first=Nayanika|title=Traitors: Suspicion, Intimacy, and the Ethics of State-Building|year=2009|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=978-0-8122-4213-3|editor=Sharika Thiranagama, Tobias Kelly|page=49}}</ref>
However, during the premiership of Sheikh Hasina, the term "Razakar" 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-06 |title=Protests in Bangladesh: the reasons for the rage |url=https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20240806-why-has-bangladesh-been-consumed-by-a-month-of-protests |access-date=2024-11-02 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref>
In 2024, the term resurfaced when it was used against protesters opposing the quota system. During the broader July Uprising in July 2024, many of these protesters adopted "Razakar slogans" to counter the Hasina administration’s labeling of them as "Razakars".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ruma |first=Paul |date=July 15, 2024 |title=Bangladesh students clash in job quota protests, at least 100 injured |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bangladesh-students-clash-job-quota-protests-least-100-injured-2024-07-15/ |work=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-14 |title=Thousands of quota protesters take to streets as campuses across the country come alive with slogans |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/quota-reform-protesters-gathering-du-ju-campuses-899561 |access-date=2024-11-02 |website=The Business Standard |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Arabic words and phrases Category:Bengali words and phrases Category:Hindi words and phrases