East Pakistan
Province of East Pakistan পূর্ব পাকিস্তান ( Urdu )masẖriqī Pākistān | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1955–1971 | |||||||||
Anthem: Dacca | |||||||||
Official languages | Bengali | ||||||||
Demonym(s) | Pakistani, East Pakistani | ||||||||
Government |
| ||||||||
Chief Ministers | |||||||||
• 1955–1956, Twice in 1958 | Abu Hussain Sarkar | ||||||||
• 1956–1958, Twice again in 1958 | Ataur Rahman Khan | ||||||||
Governors | |||||||||
• 1955–1956 | Amiruddin Ahmad | ||||||||
• 1956–1958 | A. K. Fazlul Huq | ||||||||
• 1958–1960 | Zakir Husain | ||||||||
• 1962 | Ghulam Faruque Khan | ||||||||
• 1971 | Abdul Motaleb Malik | ||||||||
Administratora | |||||||||
• 1960–1962 | Zakir Husain | ||||||||
• 1962–1969 | Lt Gen, Sahabzada Yaqub Khan | ||||||||
• 1969–1971 | V/ADMPN Syed Mohammad Ahsan | ||||||||
• 1971 | Tikka Khan, PA | ||||||||
• 1971 | Lt Gen, A. A. K. Niazi, PA | ||||||||
Legislature | Legislative Assembly | ||||||||
History | |||||||||
14 October 1955 | |||||||||
1 July 1970 | |||||||||
• Disestablished | 16 December 1971 | ||||||||
Area | |||||||||
• Total | 148,460 km2 (57,320 sq mi) | ||||||||
Currency | Pakistani rupee | ||||||||
Time zone | UTC+06:00 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Today part of | Bangladesh[a] |
East Pakistan was the eastern provincial exclave of
East Pakistan was renamed from
The East Pakistan Provincial Assembly was the legislative body of the territory, it was the largest provincial legislature in Pakistan and elections were held only twice in 1954 and 1970. During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, most Bengali members elected to the Pakistani National Assembly and the East Pakistani provincial assembly became members of the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh.
Due to the strategic importance of East Pakistan, the Pakistani union was a member of the
Etymology
This section may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (March 2023) |
History
One Unit and Islamic Republic
In 1955, Prime Minister
Pakistan ended its dominion status and adopted a republican constitution in 1956, which proclaimed an Islamic republic. The populist leader H. S. Suhrawardy of East Pakistan was appointed prime minister of Pakistan. As soon as he became the prime minister, Suhrawardy initiated legal work reviving the joint electorate system. There was strong opposition and resentment to the joint electorate system in West Pakistan. The Muslim League had taken the cause to the public and began calling for the implementation of a separate electorate system. In contrast to West Pakistan, the joint electorate was highly popular in East Pakistan. The tug of war with the Muslim League to establish the appropriate electorate caused problems for his government.[citation needed]
The constitutionally obliged National Finance Commission Program (NFC Program) was immediately suspended by Prime Minister Suhrawardy despite the reserves of the four provinces of West Pakistan in 1956. Suhrawardy advocated for the USSR-based Five-Year Plans to centralise the national economy. In this view, East Pakistan's economy would be quickly centralised and all major economic planning would be shifted to West Pakistan.[citation needed]
Efforts leading to centralising the economy were met with great resistance in West Pakistan when the elite monopolist and the business community angrily refused to adhere to his policies.[citation needed] The business community in Karachi began its political struggle to undermine any attempts of financial distribution of the US$10 million ICA aid to the better part of East Pakistan and to set up a consolidated national shipping corporation. In the financial cities of West Pakistan, such as Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, and Peshawar, a series of major labour strikes against the economic policies of Suhrawardy were supported by the elite business community and the private sector.[5]
Furthermore, in order to divert attention from the controversial One Unit Program, Prime Minister Suhrawardy tried to end the crisis by calling a small group of investors to set up small businesses in the country. Despite many initiatives and holding off the NFC Award Program, Suhrawardy's political position and image deteriorated in the four provinces in West Pakistan. Many nationalist leaders and activists of the Muslim League were dismayed by the suspension of the constitutionally obliged NFC Program. His critics and Muslim League leaders observed that with the suspension of the NFC Award Program, Suhrawardy tried to give more financial allocations, aids, grants, and opportunities to East Pakistan than West Pakistan, including West Pakistan's four provinces. During the last days of his Prime ministerial years, Suhrawardy tried to remove the economic disparity between the Eastern and Western wings of the country but to no avail. He also tried unsuccessfully to alleviate the food shortage in the country.[6]
Suhrawardy strengthened relations with the United States by reinforcing Pakistani membership in the Central Treaty Organization and the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization. Suhrawardy also promoted relations with the People’s Republic of China.[7]
His contribution in formulating the 1956 constitution of Pakistan was substantial as he played a vital role in incorporating provisions for civil liberties and universal adult franchise in line with his adherence to the parliamentary form of liberal democracy.[citation needed]
Era of Ayub Khan
In 1958, President
In January 1962, the cabinet finally approved the text of the
Dacca was declared as the second capital of Pakistan in 1962. It was designated as the legislative capital and Louis Kahn was tasked with designing a national assembly complex. Dacca's population increased in the 1960s. Seven natural gas fields were tapped in the province. The petroleum industry developed as the Eastern Refinery was established in the port city of Chittagong.
Six Points
In 1966, Awami League leader
- The Constitution should provide for a Federation of Pakistan in its true sense based on the Lahore Resolution, and the parliamentary form of government with supremacy of a Legislature directly elected on the basis of universal adult franchise.
- The federal government should deal with only two subjects: Defence and Foreign Affairs, and all other residual subjects should be vested in the federating states.
- Two separate, but freely convertible currencies for two wings should be introduced; or if this is not feasible, there should be one currency for the whole country, but effective constitutional provisions should be introduced to stop the flight of capital from East to West Pakistan. Furthermore, a separate Banking Reserve should be established and separate fiscal and monetary policy be adopted for East Pakistan.
- The power of taxation and revenue collection should be vested in the federating units and the federal centre would have no such power. The federation would be entitled to a share in the state taxes to meet its expenditures.
- There should be two separate accounts for the foreign exchange earnings of the two wings; the foreign exchange requirements of the federal government should be met by the two wings equally or in a ratio to be fixed; indigenous products should move free of duty between the two wings, and the constitution should empower the units to establish trade links with foreign countries.
- East Pakistan should have a separate military or paramilitary force, and Navy headquarters should be in East Pakistan.
Final years
Muhammad Ayub Khan was replaced by general Yahya Khan who became the Chief Martial Law Administrator. Khan organised the 1970 Pakistani general election. The 1970 Bhola cyclone was one of the deadliest natural disasters of the 20th century. The cyclone claimed half a million lives. The disastrous effects of the cyclone caused huge resentment against the federal government. After a decade of military rule, East Pakistan was a hotbed of Bengali nationalism. There were open calls for self-determination.[9]
When the federal general election was held, the Awami League emerged as the single largest party in the Pakistani parliament. The League won 167 out of 169 seats in East Pakistan, thereby crossing the half way mark of 150 in the 300-seat
As the Bangladesh Liberation War and the
Role of the Pakistani military
With Ayub Khan ousted from office in 1969, Commander of the Pakistani Army,
East Pakistan's Armed Forces, under the
The tense relations between East and West Pakistan reached a climax in 1970 when the Awami League, the largest East Pakistani political party, led by
The senior high command officers in Pakistan Armed Forces, and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, began to pressure General Yahya Khan to take armed action against Mujib and his party. Bhutto later distanced himself from Yahya Khan after he was arrested by Military Police along with Mujib. Soon after the arrests, a high-level meeting was chaired by Yahya Khan. During the meeting, high commanders of the Pakistan Armed Forces unanimously recommended an armed and violent military action. East Pakistan's Martial Law Administrator
Lieutenant-General Sahibzada Yaqub Khan was sent into East Pakistan in an emergency, following a major blow of the resignation of Vice Admiral Ahsan. General Yaqub temporarily assumed the control of the province, he was also made the corps-commander of
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made a declaration of independence at
The Pakistan Armed Forces were unable to counter such threats. With no intel and low morale, they performed poorly and were inexperienced in guerrilla tactics, Pakistan Armed Forces and their assets were defeated by the Bangladesh Liberation Forces. In April 1971, Lieutenant-General Tikka Khan succeeded General Yaqub Khan as the Corps Commander. General Tikka Khan led the massive violent and
The Indian Air Force dismantled the capability of the Pakistan Air Force in East Pakistan. Air Commodore Inamul Haque Khan, Dacca airbase's AOC, failed to offer any serious resistance to the actions of the Indian Air Force. For the most part of the war, the IAF enjoyed complete dominance in the skies over East Pakistan.
On 16 December 1971, the Pakistan Armed Forces surrendered to the
On 16 December 1971, the territory of East Pakistan was handed over to Indian Army under the surrender agreement from West Pakistan and in the Simla Agreement became the newly independent state of Bangladesh. The Eastern Command, civilian institutions, and paramilitary forces were disbanded in the following months.[citation needed]
Geography
In contrast to the desert and rugged mountainous terrain of West Pakistan, East Pakistan featured the
Administrative geography
East Pakistan inherited 17 districts from British Bengal.
In 1960, Lower Tippera was renamed Comilla.
In 1969, two new districts were created with Tangail separated from Mymensingh and Patuakhali from Bakerganj.
East Pakistan's districts are listed in the following.
Division | East Pakistani District | Current Bangladeshi Districts |
---|---|---|
Dacca Division | Dacca District | Greater Faridpur )
|
Faridpur District | Greater Faridpur
| |
Mymensingh District | Mymensingh Division, Tangail and Kishoreganj | |
Tangail District | Tangail (Part of Greater Mymensingh) | |
Chittagong Division | Hill Tracts District | Chittagong Hill Tracts |
Chittagong District | Chittagong, Cox's Bazar | |
Comilla (Lower Tippera) District | Comilla, Chandpur, Brahmanbaria | |
Noakhali District | Noakhali, Feni, Lakshmipur | |
Sylhet District | Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Sunamganj | |
Rajshahi Division | Bogra District | Bogra, Joypurhat |
Dinajpur District | Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh | |
Rajshahi District | ||
Rangpur District | Rangpur Division (without Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh) | |
Pabna District | Pabna, Sirajganj | |
Khulna Division | Bakerganj District | Barisal, Jhalokati, Pirojpur |
Jessore District | Jessore, Jhenaidah, Narail, Magura | |
Khulna District | Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat | |
Kushtia District | Kushtia, Meherpur, Chuadanga | |
Patuakhali District | Patuakhali, Barguna, Bhola |
Economy
At the time of the
An airline founded in British Bengal,
By the 1950s, East Bengal surpassed West Bengal in having the largest
The Comilla Model of the Pakistan Academy for Rural Development (present-day Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development) was conceived by Akhtar Hameed Khan and replicated in many developing countries.
In 1965, Pakistan implemented the Kaptai Dam hydroelectric project in the southeastern part of East Pakistan with American assistance. It was the sole hydroelectric dam in East Pakistan. The project was controversial for displacing over 40,000 indigenous people from the area.
The centrally located metropolis Dacca witnessed significant urban growth.
-
Central business district in Dacca, 1960s
-
Chittagong Port in 1960
-
Baitul Mukarram Market Area, Dacca, 1967
-
Pakistani banknotes included Bengali script until 1971.
-
A poster of the East Pakistan Helicopter Service
-
Pakistani Postage stamp issued on the occasion of first anniversary of New Railway Station—Dacca in 1969
Economic discrimination and disparity
Although East Pakistan had a larger population, West Pakistan dominated the divided country politically and received more money from the common budget. According to the World Bank, there was much economic discrimination against East Pakistan, including higher government spending on West Pakistan, financial transfers from East to West, and the use of the East's foreign exchange surpluses to finance the West's imports.
The discrimination occurred despite the fact that East Pakistan generated a major share of Pakistan's exports.
Year | Spending on West Pakistan (in millions of Pakistani rupees) | Spending on East Pakistan (in millions of Pakistani rupees) | Amount spent on East as percentage of West |
---|---|---|---|
1950–55 | 11,290 | 5,240 | 46.4 |
1955–60 | 16,550 | 5,240 | 31.7 |
1960–65 | 33,550 | 14,040 | 41.8 |
1965–70 | 51,950 | 21,410 | 41.2 |
Total | 113,340 | 45,930 | 40.5 |
Source: Reports of the Advisory Panels for the Fourth Five Year Plan 1970–75, Vol. I, published by the planning commission of Pakistan. |
The annual rate of growth of the gross domestic product per capita was 4.4% in West Pakistan versus 2.6% in East Pakistan from 1960 to 1965. Bengali politicians pushed for more autonomy, arguing that much of Pakistan's export earnings were generated in East Pakistan from the exportation of Bengali jute and tea. As late as 1960, approximately 70% of Pakistan's export earnings originated in East Pakistan, although this percentage declined as international demand for jute dwindled. By the mid-1960s, East Pakistan was accounting for less than 60% of the nation's export earnings, and by the time Bangladesh gained its independence in 1971, this percentage had dipped below 50%. In 1966, Mujib demanded that separate foreign exchange accounts be kept and that separate trade offices be opened overseas. By the mid-1960s, West Pakistan was benefiting from Ayub's "Decade of Progress" with its successful Green Revolution in wheat and from the expansion of markets for West Pakistani textiles, while East Pakistan's standard of living remained at an abysmally low level. Bengalis were also upset that West Pakistan, the seat of the national government, received more foreign aid. However, East Pakistan did nonetheless benefit from industrialisation and development, which was discerned by the Kaptai Dam in the Chittagong Hill Tracts for instance.
Economists in East Pakistan argued a "Two Economies Theory" within Pakistan itself, which was founded on the Two-Nation Theory with India. The so-called Two Economies Theory suggested that East and West Pakistan had different economic features which should not be regulated by a federal government in Islamabad.[12]
Demographics and culture
East Pakistan was home to 55% of Pakistan's population. The largest ethnic group of the province were
minority resided in East Pakistan.The
Among East Pakistan's newspapers, The Daily Ittefaq was the leading Bengali language title; while Holiday was a leading English title.
At the time of partition, East Bengal had 80 cinemas. The first movie produced in East Pakistan was The Face and the Mask in 1955.
Religion
As per the 1951 census, East Pakistan had a population of 44,251,826 people, of which 34,029,654 followed Islam, 9,757,527 people followed Hinduism and 464,644 people followed other religions: Buddhism, Christianity and Animism.[14] According to the 1961 census, Muslims made up 80.4% of the population, Hindus were 18.4%, and the remaining 1.2% belonged to other religions, mainly Christianity and Buddhism.[15][16]
Ethnic and linguistic discrimination
Bengalis were hugely under-represented in Pakistan's bureaucracy and military. In the federal government, only 15% of offices were occupied by East Pakistanis. Only 10% of the military were from East Pakistan. Cultural discrimination also prevailed, causing the eastern wing to forge a distinct political identity. There was a bias against
Military
Since its unification with Pakistan, the
The East Pakistan Navy had only one active-duty combatant destroyer, the
Governors
Tenure | Governor of East Pakistan[citation needed] | Political Affiliation |
---|---|---|
14 October 1955 – March 1956 | Amiruddin Ahmad | Muslim League |
March 1956 – 13 April 1958 | A. K. Fazlul Huq | Muslim League |
13 April 1958 – 3 May 1958 | Muhammad Hamid Ali (acting) | Awami League |
3 May 1958 – 10 October 1958 | Sultanuddin Ahmad | Awami League |
10 October 1958 – 11 April 1960 | Zakir Husain | Muslim League |
11 April 1960 – 11 May 1962 | Military Administration | |
11 May 1962 – 25 October 1962 | Ghulam Faruque | Independent |
25 October 1962 – 23 March 1969 | Abdul Monem Khan | Civil Administration |
23 March 1969 – 25 March 1969 | Mirza Nurul Huda | Civil Administration |
25 March 1969 – 23 August 1969 | Military Administration | |
23 August 1969 – 1 September 1969 | Lieutenant-General Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, PA |
Military Administration |
1 September 1969 – 7 March 1971 | Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan, PN |
Military Administration |
7 March 1971 – 25 March 1971 | Lieutenant-General Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, PA |
Military Administration |
25 March 1971 – 31 August 1971[20] | Lieutenant-General Tikka Khan, PA |
Military Administration |
31 August 1971 – 14 December 1971 | Abdul Motaleb Malik | Independent |
14 December 1971 – 16 December 1971 | Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, PA |
Military Administration |
16 December 1971 | Province of East Pakistan dissolved |
Chief ministers
Tenure | Chief Minister of East Pakistan[citation needed] | Political Party |
---|---|---|
20 June 1955 – 30 August 1956 | Abu Hussain Sarkar | |
1 September 1956 – March 1958 | Ataur Rahman Khan | Awami League |
March 1958 | Abu Hussain Sarkar | |
March 1958 – 18 June 1958 | Ataur Rahman Khan | Awami League |
18 June 1958 – 22 June 1958 | Abu Hussain Sarkar | |
22 June 1958 – 25 August 1958 | Governor's Rule | |
25 August 1958 – 7 October 1958 | Ataur Rahman Khan | Awami League |
7 October 1958 | Post abolished | |
16 December 1971 | Province of East Pakistan dissolved |
Tenure | Governor of East Pakistan | Political Affiliation |
---|---|---|
3 May 1958 – 10 October 1958 | Sultanuddin Ahmad | Awami League |
10 October 1958 – 11 April 1960 | Zakir Husain | Muslim League |
11 April 1960 – 11 May 1962 | Military Administration | |
11 May 1962 – 25 October 1962 | Ghulam Faruque | Independent |
25 October 1962 – 23 March 1969 | Abdul Monem Khan | Civil Administration |
23 March 1969 – 25 March 1969 | Mirza Nurul Huda | Civil Administration |
25 March 1969 – 23 August 1969 | Military Administration | |
23 August 1969 – 1 September 1969 | Lieutenant-General Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, PA |
Military Administration |
1 September 1969 – 7 March 1971 | Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan, PN |
Military Administration |
7 March 1971 – 25 March 1971 | Lieutenant-General Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, PA |
Military Administration |
25 March 1971 – 31 August 1971[22] | Lieutenant-General Tikka Khan, PA |
Military Administration |
31 August 1971 – 14 December 1971 | Abdul Motaleb Malik | Independent |
14 December 1971 – 16 December 1971 | Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, PA |
Military Administration |
16 December 1971 | Province of East Pakistan dissolved |
Legacy in Pakistan
The trauma was extremely severe in
Prime Minister Amin invited then-President
According to William Langewiesche, writing for The Atlantic, "it may seem obvious that the loss of Bangladesh was a blessing"[25]—but it has never been seen that way in Pakistan.[25] In the book Scoop! Inside Stories from the Partition to the Present, Indian politician Kuldip Nayar opined, "Losing East Pakistan and Bhutto's releasing of Mujib did not mean anything to Pakistan's policy—as if there was no liberation war".[27] Bhutto's policy, and even today the policy of Pakistan, is that "she will continue to fight for the honour and integrity of Pakistan".[27]
See also
- The Blood telegram
- Bangladesh–Pakistan relations
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
- List of East Pakistan first-class cricketers
- Partition of India
- Provincial Government of East Pakistan
- West Pakistan
Notes
- ^ See territorial exchanges between Bangladesh and India (India–Bangladesh enclaves).
References
- ^ "Special report: The Breakup of Pakistan 1969-1971". Dawn. Pakistan. 23 September 2017. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ "National Assembly Building of Bangladesh". Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "What does 'Bangladesh' mean?". The Express Tribune. 6 September 2011. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Pakistan - Political decline and bureaucratic ascendancy | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ Singh, Dr Rajkumar (10 January 2020). "Sea of difference between East and West Pakistan". Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- ^ admin (1 July 2003). "H. S. Suhrawardy Becomes Prime Minister". Story Of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, China, Volume III - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "All you need to know about the Six-Point Movement in East Pakistan". Centre for Research and Information. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "1971: Bangladesh's "Liberation War" | Workers' Liberty". www.workersliberty.org. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ Dummett, Mark (16 December 2011). "Bangladesh war: The article that changed history". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ Ahmad, Kazi S. (1969). A Geography of Pakistan (2nd ed.). Karachi: Pakistan Branch, Oxford University Press.
- ^ "Birth of Bangladesh". Economic and Political Weekly. 51 (28). 5 June 2015. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ a b lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/7452/1/1422_1951_POP.pdf
- ^ "Population". Banglapedia. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-415-56566-0
- JSTOR 41258062.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link - ^ Major Nasir Uddin, Juddhey Juddhey Swadhinata, pp49
- ^ Major Nasir Uddin, Juddhey Juddhey Swadhinata, pp47, pp51
- ^ (acting martial law administrator and governor as he was the GOC 14th Infantry Division)
- ^ Bose, Sarmila (2011). Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War. London: Hurst.
- ^ (acting martial law administrator and governor as he was the GOC 14th Infantry Division)
- ^ Bose, Sarmila (2011). Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War. London: Hurst.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-87003-214-1. Archivedfrom the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2020., Chapter 3, pp 87.
- ISBN 0-14-02-2401-7.
The defeat of the Pakistan army traumatized West Pakistan and considerably dented the prestige of the armed services ... The defeat suffered in Dacca and the break-up of the country traumatized the population from top to bottom.
- ^ a b c Langewiesche, William (November 2005). "The Wrath of Khan". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
Thirty-four years later it may seem obvious that the loss of Bangladesh was a blessing—but it is still not seen so today in Pakistan, and it was certainly not seen so at the time ... One month after the surrender of Pakistan's army in Bangladesh [Bhutto] called a secret meeting of about seventy Pakistani scientists ... He asked them for a nuclear bomb, and they responded enthusiastically.
- ^ Abbas Naqvi (17 December 2006). "Falling back". Daily Times. Pakistan. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
Few people in Karachi's Chittagong Colony can forget Dec 16, 1971 – the Fall of Dhaka
- ^ ISBN 978-8172236434. Archivedfrom the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.