Al - Shams ( East Pakistan ) The Al - Shams ( ) was a paramilitary wing of several Islamist parties in East Pakistan , that along with the Pakistan Army , Razakars and the Al - Badr , is held responsible for conducting a mass killing campaign against Bengali nationalists , civilians , religious and ethnic minorities during the Bangladesh Liberation War . The group was banned by the independent government of Bangladesh , but most of its members had fled the country during and after the Indo - Pakistani War of 1971 , which led to Bangladesh ' s independence . Very little is known about the structure and composition of the group . Newspaper coverage from that period indicate that it was an organ of the razakar para - military force . Jamaat - e - Islami was the largest Islamic party in Pakistan at that time . It seems that other Islamic factions , including Nezam - e - Islami and Muslim League , established the Al - Shams ( meaning " the Sun " ) , as a response to Jamaat - e - Islami ' s strong influence on the military junta . Jamaat ' s paramilitay , Al - Badr , was a close ally of the occupation army , and Al - Shams wanted to compete for that status . Naming and Inspirations . Al - Shams is an Arabic word meaning ' The Sun ' . Al Shams and Al - Badr were Pakistani armed groups formed by the Pakistan Army to fight out and resist Mukti Bahini and support the army in its campaigns in the former East Pakistan . Background . On 25 March 1971 , after Operation Searchlight , the exiled leadership of what is now Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan and armed struggle against the Pakistani Army began . This struggle was spearheaded by elements of Mukti Bahini with strong support from India . As most of the locals were in support of Mukti Bahini , the Pakistani Army , composed largely of elements from Punjab , found itself and its cause pretty much alienated from the local populace . In order to counter this situation , the Pakistan Army accepted help from Islamic fundamentalist parties including Jama´at E Islami , proclaiming Jihad against Indians , to seek unity among the population for the two wings of Pakistan , in the name of religion . This Jihad was between the Pakistani Army and the liberation forces and their supporters ( Indians and Mukti Bahini ) . To recruit the local populace into fighting the independence movement , two sister organizations Al Badr ( literally meaning The Moon , but also has a reference to the famous Battle of Badr ) and Al Shams were formed . Activities . The organizations failed to attract then East Pakistani population in the name of religion and Jihad and only a handful supporters joined the movement . The organization worked as the local guides for Pakistan Army supporting the troops providing logistics and information . However , as it failed to penetrate the general public which supported independence from Pakistan , its operational capabilities and efficiency remained low . According to witnesses before the International Crimes Tribunal , the Al Shams was under the command of Fazlul Quader Chowdhury and led on the ground by his son Salauddin Quader Chowdhury in Chittagong . The other important members were former M . P . Syed Wahidul Alam of Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Saifuddin Quader Chowdhury , the younger brother of Saluddin Quader Chowdhury . They used to patrol the neighbourhoods of Satkania , Rauzan , Boalkhali , Patia and Rangunia in a jeep . They would set fire to Hindu houses and arrest anybody they suspected of being supportive towards the Mukti Bahini . The suspects were taken to Salauddin Quader Chowdhury ' s residence Goods Hill , which had been converted to a torture cell , where they were tortured and killed . Their bodies were disposed off in the Karnafuli . On 12 December , the Al Shams and the Al Badr leadership jointly prepared the blueprint for killing the intellectuals . The Al Shams and Al Badar leadership met with Major General Rao Farman Ali and finalized the blueprint . Abolition . The general surrender of 16 December 1971 culminates all armed resistance from Pakistani side and the two organizations ceased to exist .