East Pakistan Provincial Assembly
East Bengal Legislative Assembly (1947–1955) East Pakistan Provincial Assembly (1955–1971) পূর্ববঙ্গ আইন সভা পূর্ব পাকিস্তান প্রাদেশিক সভা | |
|---|---|
Unicameral | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Disbanded | 1971 |
| Preceded by | Bengal Legislative Council Bengal Legislative Assembly |
| Succeeded by | Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 300 (1971)[1] |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
First election | Dacca, East Bengal, Pakistan |
The East Pakistan Provincial Assembly, known as the East Bengal Legislative Assembly between 1947 and 1955, was the provincial legislature of East Pakistan between 1947 and 1971. It was known as the East Bengal Assembly from 1947 to 1955 when the provincial name was changed. The legislature was a successor to the Bengal Legislative Council and the Bengal Legislative Assembly, which were divided between East Bengal and West Bengal during the partition of Bengal in 1947. It was the largest provincial legislature in Pakistan. Elections were held only twice in 1954 and 1970.
During the Bangladesh War of Independence 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. [citation needed]
History
Partition of Bengal
On 20 June 1947, 141 East Bengali legislators from the
Land reform
The assembly passed the
United Front comes to power
The
One Unit and 1956 Constitution
As a result of the
In 1957, the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution demanding full autonomy.[6] Ataur Rahman Khan became chief minister in 1956.
Martial law
In 1958, a brawl broke out between political factions in the assembly, resulting in the deputy speaker
1962 Constitution
The
In 1962, Dacca was declared Pakistan's legislative capital.[10] During the 1960s, the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly was housed in Parliament House in Tejgaon. The National Assembly of Pakistan would periodically convene in the same building. The building is now the Prime Minister's Office of Bangladesh.
In 1966, the six points of the Awami League demanded a federal parliamentary democracy.
Return of Martial Law
In 1969, President Ayub Khan was deposed by the army chief
Bangladeshi Constituent Assembly
Following the Pakistani military crackdown in East Pakistan that began on 25 March 1971, most members of the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly and the Bengali members of the National Assembly of Pakistan convened in Boiddonathtala, Meherpur on 17 April 1971, where they signed the Proclamation of Bangladesh Independence that was declared on 26 March and rebroadcast on 27 March.
Elections
East Bengal legislative election, 1954
The 1954 election in East Bengal was the first election since Pakistan was created. It was held on the basis of
| Awami League | Krishak Sramik Party | Nizam-e-Islam | Gonotantri Party | Khilafat-e-Rabbani | Muslim League | Pakistan National Congress | Minority United Front | Scheduled Caste Federation | Communist Party of Pakistan | Christian | Buddhist | Independent Caste (Hindu) | Independents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 143 | 48 | 19 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 24 | 10 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
The Awami League emerged as the single largest party. However, in response to popular demands, the United Front Legislative Party elected Krishak Sramik Party leader A K Fazlul Huq, a former Prime Minister of Bengal, as Leader of the House. Huq was invited by the governor on 3 April 1954 to form the government. The election ended the dominance of the Muslim League in the politics of East Bengal.[12] It heralded a younger generation of legislators from the vernacular middle class.[13] But verdict had little impact on Pakistan's central leadership and bureaucracy.[12]
East Pakistan general election, 1970
The 1970 general election broke with the tradition of separate electorates and was organized on the basis of
| Awami League | Pakistan Democratic Party | National Awami Party | Jamaat-e-Islami | Others | Independents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 288 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
The newly elected assembly could not convene due to the Pakistani military crackdown in East Pakistan. During the Bangladesh War of Independence, the Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence was signed by most of its members, which transformed the assembly into a part of the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh, alongside Bengali members of the National Assembly of Pakistan.
Ministries
A total of five ministries (parliamentary governments) were formed by chief ministers in the assembly.
List of chief ministers
| No | Name | Image | Term(s) | Party | Governor | Governor General/President |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin |  |
15 August 1947 – 14 September 1948 | Muslim League | Sir Frederick Chalmers Bourne | Muhammad Ali Jinnah |
| 2 | Nurul Amin |  |
14 September 1948 – 3 April 1954 | Muslim League | Feroz Khan Noon | Khawaja Nazimuddin Ghulam Muhammad |
| 3 | Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fazlul Huq |
 |
3 April 1954 – 29 May 1954 | Awami League ) |
Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman | Ghulam Muhammad |
| 4 | Abu Hussain Sarkar |  |
20 June 1955 – 30 August 1956 | Krishak Sramik Party |
Iskander Mirza (acting)Muhammad Shahabuddin |
Iskander Mirza
|
| 5 | Ataur Rahman Khan | 1 September 1956 – March 1958 | Awami League |
Amiruddin Ahmad A. K. Fazlul Huq |
Iskandar Mirza
|
See also
- Parliament of Bangladesh
References
- ISBN 978-1-4408-4361-7. "300 seats in East Pakistan's provincial assembly"
- ISBN 978-0-521-30448-1.
- ^ The All Pakistan Legal Decisions. The All-Pakistan Legal Decisions. 1949. p. 6.
- ISBN 978-1-317-55973-3.
- ISBN 978-81-85119-79-3.
- ^ Pakistan. National Assembly (1957). Parliamentary Debates. Official Report. p. 276.
- ISBN 978-0-87003-285-1.
- ISBN 978-1-317-40544-3.
- ISBN 978-81-7648-469-5.
- ^ Pakistan Affairs. Information Division, Embassy of Pakistan. 1968. p. 19.
- ISBN 978-0-8108-7453-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-139-50257-3.
- ^ Journal of International Affairs. Board of Editors of the Journal of International Affairs. 1984."the vernacular elite was Bengal- and Bengali-based and represented by Fazlul Huq."
- JSTOR 3024655.
