Dhaka: Student World Concern (SWC), an international student organization, had worked in favour of Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971, with branches in 19 countries including the USA, England, France and Germany.

The body, dedicated to eradication of social injustice, came down heavily on the atrocities of Pakistani occupation forces in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the War of Liberation in 1971.

It had also played a significant role in resolving the plight of refugees who took shelter in India immediately after invasion of Pakistani occupation forces in Bangladesh and put forwarded a five-point demand before the US President Nixon to stop the killings and help the refugees.

The student union started functioning with the motto of letting the pride and politics, bias and greed be set aside to ensure a better world thwarting the growth of deprivation and oppression.

It had also branches in Australia, Canada, Ethiopia, Ghana, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

The union expressed grave concern over carrying out 'Operation Search Light' on 25 March midnight in 1971 and killing of thousands of innocent people saying, ‘They (Pakistani occupation forces) wasted neither time not bullets. Doctors, teachers, writers, scientists, and artistes by the thousands summarily executed.’

Pakistan Relief Centre was formed by the union to help resolving the plight of around one crore refugees who took shelter in 160 camps in West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya of India.

It blamed the atrocities of Pakistan on Bangladeshis as the reason of the refugee problem, saying, ‘One crore people (Bangladeshis) were made refugee. It is like that half of the population of California had been forced to go in exile.’ It also criticized Pakistani occupation forces for killings lakhs of people.

They had collected donations from different people and organizations to help the refugees and published a brochure titled ‘Plight of Pakistani Refugees Worsens’.

The corps put forwarded five demands before the then USA President Nixon to stop killings of innocent Bangladeshis and take necessary measures to help one crore refugees.

The demands included stopping all kinds of assistances to West Pakistan, increasing donations of international relief organizations to reduce the plight of war affected people, issuing suspension of interest rate on debt taken by Indian government for one year as pressure on them created for helping refugees could reduce, giving assistance of 250 millions of dollar to India and creating pressure on President Yahya Khan to stop unnecessary killings and allow continuation of distributing relief.

Noted historian Professor Dr. Muntassir Mamoon in an article ‘Biswa Chhatra Parishader Awbhan’ (Call of World Student Council) in his edited book ‘Muktijuddher Chhinna Dalilpatra’ narrated the role of World Student Concern.