Historical evolution of the name of Bangladesh 1.

Bonga  means Sun God, it is an Austric word, the

Austronesian Languaguages are a language family widely spoken throughout Taiwan, Malay Peninsula,
Maritime Southeast Asia, Madagascar and the Island of the Pacific Ocean. (Amitabh Sen Gupta, Scroll
Paintings of Bengal: Art in the Village, Author House UK., 2012). 2. Bang  A name of Tribe. This was
Bronze Age Proto-Dravidian Tribe. The Bronze Age is a historical period that was characterized by the
use of Bronze, and in some areas Proto-writing, and other early features of urban civilization. This Age is
the second principal period of the three ages: Stone, Bronze and Iron. The Davidian Languages are a
language family spoken mainly in Southern India and Northern Sri Lanka, with pockets elsewhere in
SouthAsia.  Historians believe that Bengal, the area composing present-day Bangladesh and the Indian
State West Bengal, was settled in about 100 B.C by the Dravidian speaking peoples who were later
known as the Bang. their homeland bore various titles that reflected earlier tribal names, such as Vanga,
Bangla, Bangal and Bengal. ( Bangladesh: A Country Study, Library of Congress, Washington D.C.,
September, 1988, Retrieved 1 December, 2014. 3. Vanga  It mentioned in Mahabharata. A seafaring
state located in the eastern part of Indian Sub-Continent comprising today’s politically divided Bengal
region, West Bengal and Bangladesh.  It was an ancient kingdom and geopolitical division on the
Ganges Delta in the Indian Sub- Continent. The Kingdom is one of the namesakes of the Bengal region. It
was located in southern Bengal, with the core region including present-day southern West Bengal of
India and Southwestern Bangladesh. 4. Vangaladesa  This term found in South Indian records in the
11th century. ( H.H. Dodwell, The Cambridge Shorter History of India, Cambridge University Press. 1934.
5. Gauda or Gauro vanga  In Bengali Language called Gaur rajya. A Kingdom located in Bengal in
ancient and medieval period. During Pala dynastry, Pala emperors were referred to as Vangapati means
Lord of vanga and gaudesvara or Gaureshara means Lord of Gaur. During Sena dynastry, ruler also called
themselves Gaudesvara or Gaureshara means the Lord of Gaur. From then Gauda or Gaura semm to be
interchangeable names for the whole of Bengal.( R.C. Majumdar, History of Ancient Bengal, Tulshi
Prakashani, Kolkata, 1971.) 6. Bangala  A sovereign State that encompassed present day Bangladesh. In
1338 Bengal witnessed the beginning of an independent Sultanate under Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah
(00). From this time onward, for two hundred years, Bengal remained independent. This was a period of
overall development of the country both politically and culturally. But the most important development
of this period was that the country for the first time received a name Bangala.  Before this there was
no geo-political unity of Bengal, no common name for the whole country. Bengal was known by the
names of its different units such as Gauda or Gaura, Rarha Vanga etc. after Sultan Shamsuddin Iliyas
Shah (00) conquered all these three regions and united the whole of Bengal, the name Bangalah
emerged and he earned for himself the title of Sha-i-Bangalah and Sultan-i-Bangalah. Henceforth, the
Muslim kingdom of Bengal came to be known as the kingdom of Bangalah. Historians began to call the
kingdom Bangalah instead of Lakhnauti, and foreigners also used this name. Thus Bangla became the
most common name for the region during the Islamic perion. ( Salahuddin Ahmed, Bangladesh: Past and
Present, APH Publishing, 2004.) 7. Subah Bangla or Mughal Bangla  A state of the Mughal Empire
encompassing modern Bangladesh and the Indian West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa between the 16th and
18th centuries. It was established following the dissolution of the Bengal Sultanate. The Mughals played
an important role in developing modern Bengali culture and society. By the 18th century, Mughal Subah
Bangla had emerged as a quasi-independent state.  According to Historian Abul Fazl (00), the name
Bangla or Bangala was derived by suffixing the word ‘al’ to Banga or vanga which was the ancient name
of the major part of this region. The word ‘al’ means not only the boundary of farm-land; it also meant
embankment. So Banga+al=Bangal or Bangala. ( Dr. Nihar Ranjjon Rao, Bangalir Itihas ( bangala)) 8.
Bengala  In 16th century the Portuguese referred to the Bangla as Bengala. ( D.C. Sircar, Studies in the
Geography of Ancient and Medieval India, Motilal Banarsidass, 1990.) 9. Bengalen  In 17th century the
dutch East India Company referred this name Bengalen. 10.Bengal Presidency  It was the largest
colonial subdivision or presidency of British India. With its seats in Calcutta, the capital of British-held
territories in South Asia until 1911. At its territorial peak in the 19th century, the presidency extended
from the present day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan in the West to Burma, Singapore and
Penang in the east. The Governor of Bengal was concurrently the Viceroy of India for many years. Most
of the presidency's territories were eventually incorporated into other British Indian provinces and
crown colonies.  In 1905, this Presidency was partitioned such as:  Bengal: Including present Bihar,
Jharkhand and Orissa, head quartered in Calcutta.  Eastern Bengal and Assam: head quarter of this area
was in Dacca and Shillong for summer season. 11.British India was reorganized in 1912 and the
presidency was reunited into a single Bengali-speaking province. The 1947 Partition of British India
resulted in Bengal's division on religious grounds. Such as:  West Bengal  East Bengal and it renamed
East Pakistan in 1955 12. Bangladesh  East Bengal, which became a province of Pakistan according to
the provisions set forth in the Mountbatten Plan, the partition of India of 1947 was the division of British
India into two independent dominion states, the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The
Union of India is today the Republic of India and the Dominion of Pakistan is today the Islamic Republic
of Pakistan. From Pakistan, Bangladesh became an independent country named People’s Republic of
Bangladesh after the Liberation War in 1971.

An Overview on the Ancient, Medieval and Modern Period of Bengal Abdul Momen Assistant Professor
Department of Is. History and Culture Jagannath University Dhaka-1100 1 Course- HIS 2201: History of
Emergence of Bangladesh The history of Bangladesh is divided into three major phases. Ancient Period:
from the ancient age down to the advent of the Muslims in India. Medieval Period: it is covering the
history of the Muslim rule till the establishment of the British era. Modern Period: This is covering the
history of the British rule and thereafter till today. Pre-history Human settlement in Bengal can be traced
back 20,000 years. Archaeological evidence confirms that by the second millennium BC, rice-cultivating
communities inhabited the region. By the 11th century BC, the people of the area lived in systemically-
aligned housing, used human cemeteries and manufactured copper ornaments and fine black and red
pottery. They also developed metal weapons. The Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers were
natural arteries for communication and transportation Ancient Period Different groups of people settled
in different areas in Bengal. They were known as Janapad. Sush as: 1. Pundra: It was situated on the
western Bank of the Karatoya It was probably composed of the areas that at present Bogra, Rajshahi,
Rangpur and Dinajpur Districts. The Pundranagara was the capital city of this Human Settelment. It is the
earliest urban center in Bangladesh which goes back to the 4th century BC. The ruins of this have been
identified at Mahasthan in present Bogra district. It was the administrative headquaters of Maurya,
Gupta and Pala empir 2. Varendra: It was situated between Ganga and Karatoya rivers. It was a part of
Pundra. Rajshahi, Rangpur and Bogra were known as Varendra region. 3. Vanga or Banga: It was formed
with the south-eastern part of present Bangladesh. Its boundaries included the areas of greater districts
of Dhaka, Comilla, Faridpur Barishal and Patuakhali It was famous for its first quality white and soft
cotton Fabrics. 4. Radha: It was the West-southern part of ancient Bengal. The river Ajoy divided this
Janapada into two parts such as : North and Rarh and South Rarh 5. Samatata: It was formed at Comilla-
Noakhali areas and the adjacent part of hilly Tripura. From the Eastern bank of the Bhagirathi to the
mouth of the Meghna constituted this Janapath. 6. Harikela: Most of the evidence support that Harikel
was the similar with our present Sylhet region. Archeological evidence suggests that its location at
present Chitagoan districr. It was situated by the side of samatata. 7. Gauda or Gour: In 6th century, this
was formed with the central part of the Indian province of West Bengal. The first independent ruler of
Gour is Shashanka, Karnasuborna was its capital city. In the early part of the Muslim rule, Gour was the
capital city of the Kingdom of Lakhnauati, located at present Chapai Nawabgonj districr. In the 13th
century, under the Sultans, it denoted the entire area of the Muslim Sultanate and included Maldah,
Murshidabad, Birbhum and Bardwan. 11 12 Vanga Kingdom Vanga Kingdom was a kingdom located in
the eastern part of the Indian Subcontinent. 13 Maurya Dynasty ( 324 BC-185 BC) Chandragupta
Maurya’s empire flourished Bengal with riches and its naval fleet got stronger. Emperor Ashoka was the
most powerful king of the Mauryan Dynasty. 14 The Pala Empire ( 570-1174CE) The rulers of this dynasty
are in the bellow: 1. Gopala (750-770 CE) He is the founder of this dynasty. 2. Dharmapala ( 770-810) 3.
Devapala ( 810-850) 4. Vigrahapala 1 ( 850-854) 5. Narayanpala (854-908) 6. Rajjapala (908-940) 15 7.
Gopala 11 (940-960) 8. Vigrahapala 11 ( 960-988) 9. Mohipala (988-1038) 10. Nayapala (1038-1055) 11.
Vigrahapala 111 (1055-1070) 12. Mohipala 11 (1070-1075) 13. Shurapala ( 1075-1077) 14. Ramapala 1
(1077-1130) 15. Kumarpala (1130-1140) 16. Gopala 111 (1140-1188) 17. Modonpala (1188-1165) On his
death, however, the Pala dynasty was eclipsed by the rising power of the Senas, In 1174, Govindapala
defeated by the Ballal Sena and Pala Empire finally declined. 1 Sena Empire ( 1097-1260CE) 1. Samanta
Sena was the founder of this dynasty 2. Hemanta Sena was the first king 3. Vijaya Sena ( 1095-1158CE)
He was the founder of the Sena rule in Bengal. 4. Ballal Sena ( 1158-1179) 17 5. Lakshmana Sena (1179-
1205) His reign was famous for remarkable literary activity. Turkish invader, Mohammad Bakhtiyar khalji
defeated him and captured Nadia in 1204. 6. Bishorupa Sena 7. Keshap Sena According to Minhaj i Shiraj
( Tabaqat i Nasiri), they ruled in East and Eastern Bengal till 1260 CE. 18 Culture in ancient Bengal 1. Art
and architecture Evidence of Bengal being rich in art and architecture : huge structures and temples
found in Mahasthangarh, Paharpur and Mynamati 2. Economics activities: Agriculture was the main
occupation. Village weavers produced fabrics in handlooms. Market & business centre grew up by the
river side. 20 Coins from the Pala Empire Medieval Period Bengal Under Muslim Rule 21 Rule of
Bakhtiyar Khalji and his Maliks ( 1204-1227CE 1. IkhtiarUddin Mohammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji (1204-
1206 CE) He inaugurated Muslim rule in Bengal by conquering north western part of Bengal in 1204. He
also captured Gauro or Lakhanabati ( it is known Lakhnouti by Muslims) and declared capital city. He
introduces a new chapter of history. 2. Husamuddin Iwas Khalji (1208-1210) 3. Ali Mordan Khalji( 1210-
1212) 4. Ghiyas uddin ( Husamuddin) Iwas Khalji (1213-1227) 22 Rule of Delhi Sultanate in Bengal (1227-
1338) 23 Under Mamluk Sultanate (1227-1282) 1. Nasiruddin Mahmud ( 1227-1229) He is son of Delhi
Sultan Iltutmish 2. Bolka Khalji ( 1229-1230) 3. Alauddin Jani ( 1230-1232) 4. Saifuddin Aibok( 1232-1235)
5. Auar Khan Aibok ( 1235-1236) 24 6. Tughral Tughan Khan (1236-1245) 7. Tamar Khan (1245-1247) 8.
Jalal uddin Masud Jani(1247-1251) 9. Mughish uddin Ujbok(1251-1257) 10. Jalal uddin Masud Jani(1257)
11. Iwaj uddin Balbhan Jani( 1257-1258) 12. Tajuddin Arsalan Khan( 1258-1264) 13. Mohammad Tatar
Khan( 1264-1267) 14. Mugish Uddin Tugral Khan (1268-1281) 25 Under Balbhani Sultans of Delhi (1282-
1324) 1. Bugra Khan ( Sultan Nasir uddin Mahmud) ( 1282-1291) His son kaikobad was Delhi Sultan 2.
Sultan Rukonuddin Kaikaus (1291-1301) 3. Sultan Shams uddin Firoz Shah ( 1301-1322) 4. Bahdur Shah
Balbhani( 1322- 1324) 26 Under Tughlak Sultans of Delhi (1324-1338) 1. Nasiruddin Ibrahim(1324-1325)
2. Bahram Khan (1325-1338) 27 Rule of Indipendent Sultanate in Bengal 28 Rule of Ilyas Shahi Dynasty in
Bengal (1338-1487) 1. Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah(1338-1350) He is The founder of independent kingdom
in Bengal. His capital is Sonargaon. During his period, in 1346, Ibn Battuta visited this region. 2. Ikhtiar
uddin Ghaji Shah (1350-1353) 3. Alauddin Ali Shah (1353-1342) 4. Shamsuddin Iliyas Shah ( 1342-1357)
He is Founder of Ilyas Shahi dynasty (1342-1414). He is the pioneer of Bangali nationalism. 5. Sikandar
Shah ( 1358-1393) 29 6. Giyash uddin Azam Shah ( 1393-1409) He is famous for his patronizing
knowledge and culture specially Bengali Literature. He also founded Masque and Madrasa in Makka and
Madinah. 7. Saifuddin Hamza Shah ( 1409-1410) 8. Shihab uddin Bayzid Shah ( 1410-1413) 9. Alauddin
Firoz Shah ( 1413-1414) 10. Raja Gonesh ( 1414-1418) 11. Jalal uddin Muhammad Shah ( 1418-1431) 12.
Shams uddin Ahmd Shah (1431-1442) 13. Nashiruddin Abul Muzaffar Mahmud (1442-1459) 14.
Rukonuddin Borbok Shah (1459-1474) 15. Shams Uddin Yusuf Shah (1474-1481) 16. Jalal Uddin Fateh
Shah (1481-1487) 30 Rule of Habshi in Bengal (1487-1493) 1. Barbak Shah ( 1487) 2. Saifuddin Firoj Shah
( 1487-1490) 3. Nasiruddin Mahmud 11 ( 1490-1491) 4. Shams uddin Muzaffar Shah ( 1491-1493) 31
Rule of the Hussai Shahi Dynasty in Bengal (1493-1538) 1. Alauddin Hissain Shah ( 1493-1519) He was
the most popular ruler of Bengal. Literature … 2. Nasrat Shah ( 1519-1532) 3. Firiz Shah (b1532- 1533) 4.
Gyashuddin Mahmud Shah ( 1533- 1538) 32 Rule of the Pathan (shuri) in Bengal (1538-1555) 1. Khijir
Khan 2. Khauas Khan Famous for Grand Trank Road from Sonargaon to Sind 3. Muhammad Khan Shur
( 1553-1555) 4. Giyas uddin Bahdur Shah (1556-1560) 5. Jalal Uddin ( 1560-1564) 33 Rule of the Karrani
empire in Bengal (1564-1576) 1. Taj Khan Korrani ( 1564) 2. Sulaiman Korrani ( 1564-1572) 3. Daud Khan
Korrani ( 1572-1576) Rajmohal war in 1576, he Defeated by the Mughal and end of the Afghan or
Korrani rule and start of Mughal rule in Bengal. 34 Rule of the Mughal ( Subadar) in Bengal (1576-1757)
35 Emperor Akbar Reign 1. Subadar Munim Khan ( 1576) 2. Khan i Jahan ( 1576-1578) 3. Muzaffar Khan
Turbati ( 1578-1580) 4. Raja Todormal ( 1580-1582) 5. Aziz Keka (1582-1583) 6. Shah baz Khan ( 1584-
1587) 7. Raja Man Shinho ( 1587-1606) 36 Emperor Jahangir Reign 1. Islam Khan ( 1608-1613) 2. Kashim
Khan ( 1613-1618) 3. Ibrahim Khan ( 1618-1622) 4. Shahjada Shahjahan ( 1624-1625) 5. Mukram Khan
( 1625-1627) 6. Fidai Khan ( 1627-1628) 37 Emperor Shah Jahan Reign 1. Kashim Khan ( 1628-1632) 2.
Azim Khan (1632-1635) 3. Islam Khan Mashadi ( !635-1639) 5. Shahjada Mohammad Shuja ( 1639-1660)
38 Emperor Aurangazeb Reign 1. Mir Jumlah ( 1660-1663) 2. Shaesta Khan ( 1663-1678-1679-1688) 3.
Khan i Jahan ( 1688-1689) 4. Ibrahim Khan ( 1689-1698) 5. Shahjada Ajimush Shan ( 1698-1712) 39 Rule
of the Nawbab in Bengal (1717-1757) 1. Nawab Murshid Kuli Khan ( 1717-1727) 2. Suja Uddin
Mohammad Khan ( 1727-1739) 3. Sarafraj Khan ( 1739-1740) 4. Nawab Alibordi Khan (1740-1756) 5.
Nawab Siraj ud Dowla ( 1756-1757) Battle of Plassey and he defeated by British. It laid the foundation of
the British rule in Bengal. 6. Mir Jafar 1757-1760) 7. Mir Qashem ( 1760-1764) Battle of Boxer, Dewani
captured by British. From that time the English began to capture full power. 40 Modern Period Rule of
the British in Bengal up to 1905 41 After Siraj ud Dowla was defeated in the battle of Plassey the modern
period started with the British rule in three phases: 1. British management by the domestic puppets 2.
Company rule 3. Administration of British government 4 Administration of British government Mir Jafar
was the first to get appointment as the puppet Nawab by the British. Then Mir Quasim in 1760…. The
British Company rule continued here for about one hundred years till 1857.the first ruler was Lord Clive.
By the passing the regulating Act in British Parliament, the post of Governor was changed into Governor
General. In this time, there are many small and big revolts occurred against the British. The biggest of
these was the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. After the Sepoy mutiny, India Rule Act was passed in the British
Parliament. This act ended the company rule in this country. After 1857, the British Government began
to rule directly over the sub-continent in the name of Victoria, the Great Queen of England. Governor
General was changed into Viceroy. 44 THANKS 45

Lecture-4 The Partition of the Sub-Continent in 1947 1. the creation of Pakistan and its Bacground 2.
Maountbatten Plan 3. The Indian Independent Act 1947. The Partition of the Sub-Continent in 1947 
The creation of Pakistan and its Bacground  After World War II (1939-1945) British were pressured to
reduce the size of their empire.  Lord Mountbatten agreed for the partition of British India.  Britain
declared two states Pakistan & India.  Pakistan was separated by East and West, and they were
separated by thousands of miles of Indian Territory. There are many causes and incidents which creates
a separate state for Muslims. 1. British Divide and Rule Policy 2. Indian National Congress: Retired British
civil service officer Allan Octavian Hume founded the Indian National Congress in 1885, A political party
of India (British India to Free India)) in order to form a platform for civil and political dialogue. Bipin
Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, Aurobindo Ghose and Moti lal Ghose were the Hindu nationalist, They tried
to create a Hindu State. Thus The Congress lost credit with the Muslims. Many Muslim community
leaders, like the prominent educationalist Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, viewed the Congress negatively, owing
to its membership being dominated by Hindus. Orthodox Hindu community and religious leaders were
also averse. Next Muslims formed the All India Muslim League in 1906, considering the Congress as
completely unsuitable for Indian Muslims. 3. Partition of Bengal in 1905: During Lord Curzon, in 1905 the
British divided the huge province of Bengal or Bengal Presidency ( formed in 1854) into a Western Part
( Bengal) and Eastern Part ( Eastern Bengal and Assam) The Muslims of East Bengal were much more
positive about this Partition because they believe that a separate region would give them more
opportunity for education, employment and so on. But the Hindu community were agitated and they
were widespread agitations across the state. 4. Formation of Muslim League in 1906: Indifferent attitude
of the Congress towards Muslims, Congress’s anti Muslim stance, anti-partition agitation, Urdu-Hindu
controversy- for these regions, Muslims have to organize themselves politically as separate community.
The birth of All Indian Muslim League was passed at Dacca on 30th December 1906 by the Proposal of
Nawab Salimullah Khan. 5. Sodeshi Andolon ( Sodeshi Movement): for the causes of Partition of Bengal,
the Hindu community extremely denied this decision. They boycott British goods and products and
western customs. Rabindranath Tagore wrote Amar shonar Bangla…..bankim wrote bande Mataram….
( Hindu Godess Kali), the party anthem of Congress and their official anthem of government. 6.
Annulment of the Partition of Bengal in 1911: The British King George the fifth and Queen Merry visited
India and Declared the Annulment of the Partition of Bengal in 1911. Capital city shifted Calcutta to
Delhi. This annulment sorely disappointed and had a negative affect not only the Muslims of Bengal but
also the Muslims of India. 7. Nehru Report in 1928 and Jinnah’s 14 Points in 1929: All party conference
was held at Bombay in May 1928, this conference appointed a drafting committee under Moti lal Nehru
to draw up a Constitution for India. This report was accepted by all sections of Indian society except by a
section of Indian Muslims. On the other hand, Jinnah in his histiric 14 points demanded provincial
autonomy and separate election for the Muslims. 8. The Two Nation Theory: In 1940, Jinnah addressed
that Hindu and Muslims belong to two different religious philosophies, social costoms and Literature.
They neither inter-marry nor inter dine together, and indeed they belong to two different civilizations
that are based mainly on conflicting ideas and conceptions. 9. The Lahore Resolution in 1940: 27th
annual session of All Indian Muslim League, the Resolution proposed by Fazlul Huq, the Prime Minister
of Bengal. They demanded separate States for Muslims. 10. Separate State thinking of Muslim
intellectuals: In 1930, the All Indian Muslim League Conference in Alahabad, Allama Iqbal demanded
separate Land for Muslim Community and in 1932, Choudhury Rahmat Ali, the Student of Cambridge
University gave an idea for creating state such as : Panjab-P, Afgahnistan-A, Kashmir-K, Sind-S and
Beluchistan-TAN=PAKISTAN. On the other hand, in 1935, Alighar Muslim University demanded a
separate state for Muslims. 11. Mountbatten Plan in 1947: He was the last Governor General in this
region. The British Government was to send Him in order to arrange how and when, power was finally to
be transferred into the hands of the Indian people. Making the future constitution under the
Constituent assembly of election of 1946. Separate Constituent assembly for separate state, Formation
of boundary Commission, creation of two Dominion States India and Pakistan were the main features of
his plan. 12. The Indian Independent Act in 1947: According to Mountbatten plan, the Indian
Independence Act, 1947 duly introduced in the British Parliament on 4 July received the Royal Assent on
18 July 1947. Salient Features are such as:  The Act provided for two dominion states: Pakistan and
India.  The boundaries between the two dominion states were to be determined by a Boundary
commission which was headed by Sir Cyril Radcliff.  Pakistan was to comprise the West Punjab, East
Bengal, Sind, North West frontier provinces, Sylhet divisions of Assam Baluchistan. India with rest of
teritories.  After 15 August 1947, the control of the British Parliament did not execute to this Dominion
States. Thus the end of about 200 years British rule in this region completed.  Muslim league
welcomed the Act and the constituent assembly of Pakistan met on August 11, 1947 and elected
Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the president and was revered as the Quaid-i-Azam. After three days he was
sworn in as Governor General and Liaquat Ali Khan became the priminister of Pakistan.  On the other
hand, the Constituent Assembly appointed Lord Maounbatten as the first Govenor General of the Indian
Dominion. In the morning of august 15, 1947, a new cabinet headed by Jawahar Lal Nehru who was
sworn in as the prime Minister of India.  So, after passing the different historical and communal events,
Pakistan in 14 August and India in 15 August were existed as a Sovereign States in world Map.

Lecture - 05 Structure of Pakistan state: 1. Central and provincial structure 2. Military and Civil
bureaucracy 3. Its Influences Structure of Pakistan state  Central and provincial structure of Pakistan:
Pakistan was an abnormal State. Difference between East Pakistan and west Pakistan was about 1200
Miles. Population was 43.7% in West Pakistan and 56.3% in East Bengal or East Pakistan. According to
Indian Act of 1935, pakistan Introduces Parliamentary System of Government. Head of the State was
Governor General and Head of the government was the prime Minister. Structures of the first
government of Pakistan were such as: Se. No. Person Name Appointed as : 1 Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Governor General 2 Liaquate Ali Khan Prime Minister 3 I .I. Chandrighar Commerce and Industry 4
Golam Mohammad Finace Ministry 5 Sardar Abdur Raf Nistar Communication 6 Raza Ali Khan Food and
Agriculture 7 Jogendronath Mondal Law and Loubor 8 Fajlur Rahman Education and Home Ministry 9 Sir
Mohammad Jafrullah Forign Ministry 10 Mouluvi Tamizuddin Speaker  Jinnah died in 1948 and Prime
Minister Liaquat Ali Khan died in 1951 so in that time, it is no possible to form a constitution. Introducing
the first constitution of Pakistan is in 1956 by Governor General Iskandar Mirza. Before this constitution,
there were four Governor General in Pakistan. Such as: Sl. No Name of Governor General Duration Party
Name 1 Mohammad Ali Jinnah 1947-1948 Pakistan Muslim League 2 Khaja Najimuddin 1948-1951
Pakistan Muslim League 3 Golam Mohammad 1951-1955 Individual Candidate 4 Iskandar Mirza 1955-
1956 Repuplican Party Structure of the Central Government of Pakistan 1. President: According to the
1956 Constitution the President was the head of the state. The tenure of his office was five years. He
had partial veto power. he elected by the Electoral College, which composed of National and Provincial
Legislative Body. The President of Pakistan upto 1971. Such as: Sl. No Name Duration Party Name 1
Iskandar Mirza 1956-1958 Republican Party 2 Ayub Khan 1958-1969 Military Ruler then Muslim League 3
Yahyah Khan 1969-1971 Military Ruler 2. The Cabinet: The prime Minister elected among the members
of National assembly and he was the head of the Government he was authorized to nominate his
cabinet among the member of the National Assembly. The Prime Minister of Pakistan up to 1971. Such
as: SL. No. Name of PM Duration Party Name 1 Liaquate Ali Khan 1947-1951 Muslim League 2 Khaza
Najimuddin 1951-1953 Muslim League 3 Mohammad Ali ( Bogra) 1953-1955 Muslim League 4
Chaoudury Mohammad Ali 1955-1956 Muslim League 5 Hossen Shahid Sahrawardi 1956-1957 Awami
League 6 Ibrahim Ismael( I.I) Chondrighar 1957 Muslim League 7 Firoz Khan Nun 1957-1958 Republican
Party Abolished This Post 1958-1971 8 Nurul Amin 1971 Muslim League 3. Central Legislative Body:
Before 1956, It formed with President and Nation Assembly. Member of this Assembly was 300. Equal
for East and West Pakistan. After 1956 it reduced to 156 and equal for East and West Pakistan. 4.
Judiciary: The constitution provided for an independent judiciary in the Country. A Supreme Court was
constituted. It was headed by a Chief Justice. 5. Secretariat: It was the centre of the Central
Government’s Functions. Minister was the Political head of the Ministry and Secretary was the
administrative head. Then additional Secretary- joint Secretary- Deputy Secretary –assistant Secretary.
Their functions expanded to the Division-District-Mahkuma-Thana. Structure of the Provincial
Government of Pakistan There were five provinces in Pakistan. It was Panjab, Sind, North-West Province,
Baluchistan and East Pakistan. 1. Governor: Head of the province was Governor. He was appointed by
the president. in 1954, the annulment of the cabinet of United Front and introduced Governor rule in
East Pakistan. About 19 Governors appointed for East Bengal or East Pakistan. Sir Frederick Chalmers
Bourne was First. During 1971, Tikka Khan (Operation Search Light held in his time) and Dr. M.A Malik
were the Governor. 2. Provincial Cabinet: Governor appointed a chief minister among the members of
provincial Assembly. Chief Minister divided different Departments among other cabinet. They executed
their duty on behalf of Governor. The Chief Ministers of East Pakistan were Such as: SL. No Name Chief
Minister Duration Party Name 1 Khaja Najimuddin 1947-1948 Muslim Leaque 2 Nurul Amin 1948-1954
Muslim Leaque 3 A K Fazlul Haque 1954 United Front 4 Abu Hosen Sarkar 1955-1956 Krishok Sromik
Party Central Rule 1956-1956 5 Abu Hosen Sarkar 1956 Krishok Sromik Party 6 Ataur Rahman Khan
1956-1958 Awami League 7 Abu Hosen Sarkar 1958 Krishok Sromik Party 8 Ataur Rahman Khan 1958
Awami League 9 Abu Hosen Sarkar 1958 Krishok Sromik Party 10 Ataur Rahman Khan 1958 Awami
League 3. Provincial Legislative Body: The provincial Legislature was to consist of one House and it
consisted of 300 members. In the constitution of 1962 it was reduced to 155 members. Provincial
Governor call for assembly meeting. 4. Provincial Administrative Structure: The central of Province was
Provincial Secretariat. Chief Minister was the head and Secretary was administrative head.

Lecture no. 08 Language Movement and its Significant Background of the Language Movement  The
question about the issue of state language was raised immediately after the creation of Pakistan.  The
central government of the Pakistan forcedly declared the only state language.  The intellectuals and
people of all classes started to raise their voice and it soon converted into a mass movement  Major
Events of Language Movement 1947  Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed a former Vice-Chancellor of the Alighar
University of India suggested that ‘Urdu’ should be the state language of Pakistan. At the same time Dr.
Md. Shahidullah , noted Bengali linguistic from Dhaka University opposed.  May17: Muslim league
leaders announced in Hydrabad, India, that Urdu will become the only state language of the future state
of Pakistan.  September 15: Tamadduin Majlish published a pamphlet “Pakistaner Rashtrobhasha
Bangla na Urdu?”  December 6: Teachers and students of the University Of Dhaka demanded Bangla as
an official Language.  December 30: First Rashtrobhasha Sangram Parishad was formed by
Tamauddin’s professor Nurul Haque Bhuiyan.  Major Events of Language Movement 1948  February
23: when it was proposed that the members of the constituent assembly would have to speak either in
Urdu or in English, Dhirendranath Datta requested Bangla as an official language in constituent assembly
of Pakistan held in Karachi. He noted that out of 69 million population of Pakistan, 44 million were from
East Pakistan and Bangla as their mother tongue. Liaquat Ali Khan, Khawaja Nazzimudding and others
opposed.  March11: A general strike was observed in the towns of East Pakistan in protest against the
omission of Bangla from the languages of the constituent assembly absence of the Bangla letters in
Pakistani coins and stamps and the use of urdu in recruitment tests for the Navy. In this situation
Khawaja Nazimuddin signed eight points agreement with the students leader where it was mentioned
that Bangla will also e honored as one of the official languages  21 March, Mohammad Ali Jinnah,
Declared that Urdu and only Urdu would be the only official language of Pakistan in Ramna Racecourse,
Dhaka, East Pakistan. The declaration raised a storm of protest in the East Pakistan.  Major Events of
Language Movement 1952  After death of Moahammad Ali Jinnah, Nazimudding became the new
governor general of Pakistan.  Jannuary 26: Nazimuddin also declared in Paltan Maidan that Urdu
would be the one and only state language  February 4: Abdul Matin formed “Dhaka University ‘s state
language committee”. They decided to declare February 21 as the day for strikes which is called ‘vasha
dibosh’. Gaziul haque and Abdul Matin led student procession.  February 20: The government banning
all sorts of public meetings and rallies to prevent movement for 30 days.  February 21: Students gather
in Dhaka university premises. They brought out a peaceful protest procession on 21 February.  The
procession reached near Dhaka Medical College. Police opened fire and killed a number of students.
Including Salam, Rafiq, Barkat and Jabbar.  Many political parties and political leaders got involved
with it. As a result, East Bengal experienced a new consciousness for fighting for its rights. The language
movement became the source of inspiration for the subsequent movements.  The negative attitude of
Muslim League led to the creation of Ganatantri Dal, Jubo League, Awami league which curbed the
dominance of East Bengal Muslim League. As a result in 1954 election the ML suffered a humiliating
defeat.  Declaration of state language 1954 May 7:  The constituent assembly resolved, to grant
official status to Bengali. Bengali was recognized as the second official language of Pakistan on 29
February 1956, and article 214(1) of the constitution of Pakistan was reworded to "The state language of
Pakistan shall be Urdu and Bengali." Significant:  The inspiration of Bhasha Andolan was the core
element in our Liberation War.  Catalyzing the assertion of Bengali national identity in the then
Pakistan.  Forerunner to Bengali nationalist movements.  The emergence of self-rule consciousness
in 1954 general election.  Student movement in 1962.  Six points of 1966.  Uprising in 1969 
Landside victory in the general election of 1970.  Great victory in 1971.  This Movement became an
epitome of the inspiration for sustaining self- consciousness and dignity as a nation.  UNESCO declare
in 26 November 1999, 21st February as the International Mother Language day in tribute to the
Language Movement and the ethno-linguistic rights of people around the world.  Even today, Ekushey
(21) has been a guiding philosophy for any movement against oppression, injustice, disparity and
denying of civic rights. Thank You  Picture no. 01 Student meeting at Amtala in Dhaka University (1952)
 Picture no. 02 Students gathering on a road in Dhaka University on 22 February 1952  Picture no. 03
22 February rally after Janaja at Dhaka Medical College on the University Dhaka road, Dhaka.  Picture
no. 04 Procession march held on 21 February 1952 in Dhaka  Picture no. 05 Muhammad Ali Jinnah on
21 March 1948 told at a public meeting that State language of Pakistan is going to be Urdu and no other
language.

Lecture -09 Formation of the United Front in 1954 And it’s Manifesto  The United Front  The United
Front was a coalition of political parties in East Bengal which contested and won Pakistan's first
provincial general election to the East Bengal Legislative Assembly.  The coalition consisted of the
Awami Muslim League, the Krishak Praja Party, the Ganatantri Dal (Democratic Party) and Nizam-e-
Islam.  The Front was formed on 4 December 1953.  The coalition was led by three major Bengali
populist leaders- A K Fazlul Huq, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Maulana Bhashani.  The Election
and Results  The election resulted in a crushing defeat for the Muslim League. Veteran student leader
of East Pakistan Khaleque Nawaz Khan defeated sitting Prime Minister of East Pakistan Mr. Nurul Amin
in Nandail Constituency of Mymensingh district and created history in political arena.  In the elections
of East Bengal Legislative Assembly held in March 1954, Front won 223 seats out of 237 Muslim seats,
whereas the ruling Muslim League managed to bag only 9 seats. (total seats 309) The Awami League
emerged as the majority party, with 143 seats.  A K Fazlul Huq of the Krishak Praja Party became Chief
Minister of East Pakistan upon the victory of the United Front.  Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Abul
Mansur Ahmed becoming key federal ministers. In the provincial government, young leaders such as
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Yusuf Ali Chowdhury and Khaleque Nawaz Khan rose to prominence. 
Activities  The United Front demanded greater provincial autonomy for East Pakistan.  It passed a
landmark order for the establishment of the Bangla Academy in Dhaka.  The Twenty One Point
Programme was their Manifesto.  The dismissal of the United Front  Within months of assuming
power, the newly elected government was dismissed by Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad, upon
of accusations against A K Fazlul Huq of attempting secession.  The dismissal of the United Front was a
key turning point in aggravating East Pakistan's grievances in the Pakistani union.  Maulana Bhashani to
openly call for separation and independence in 1957, in his Salaam, Pakistan (Farewell, Pakistan) speech.
Manifesto of Twenty One Point Programme Twenty One Point Programme objectives incorporated in
the election manifesto of the united front in 1954 against the then party in power, Muslim league The
21-point package programme in the election manifesto adopted by the United Front runs as follows: 1.
To recognize Bangla as one of the State Languages of Pakistan; 2. To abolish without compensation
zamindari and all rent receiving interest in land, and to distribute the surplus lands amongst the
cultivators; to reduce rent to a fair level and abolish the certificate system of realising rent; 3. To
nationalize the jute trade and bring it under the direct control of the government of East Bengal, secure
fair price of jute to the growers and to investigate into the jute-bungling during the Muslim League
regime to punish those found responsible for it; 4. To introduce co-operative farming in agriculture and
to develop cottage industries with full government subsidies; 5. To start salt industry (both small and
large scale) to make East Bengal self-sufficient in the supply of salt, and to investigate into the salt-
bungling during the Muslim League regime to punish the offenders; 6. To rehabilitate immediately all
the poor refugees belonging to the artisan and technician class; 7. To protect the country from flood and
famine by means of digging canals and improving irrigation system; 8. To make the country self-
sufficient by modernizing the method of cultivation and industrialization, and to ensure the rights of the
labourer as per ILO Convention; 9. To introduce free and compulsory primary education throughout the
country and to arrange for just pay and allowances to the teachers; 10. To restructure the entire
education system, introduce mother tongue as the medium of instruction, remove discrimination
between government and private schools and to turn all the schools into government aided institutions;
11. To repeal all reactionary laws including those of the Dhaka and Rajshahi Universities and to make
them autonomous institutions; to make education cheaper and easily available to the people; 12. To
curtail the cost of administration and to rationalise the pay scale of high and low paid government
servants. The ministers shall not receive more than 1000 taka as monthly salary; 13. To take steps to
eradicate corruption, nepotism and bribery, and with this end in view, to take stocks of the properties of
all government officers and businessmen from 1940 onward and forfeit all properties the acquisition of
which is not satisfactorily accounted for; 14. To repeal all Safety and Preventive Detention Acts and
release all prisoners detained without trial, and try in open court persons involved in anti-state activities;
to safeguard the rights of the press and of holding meetings; 15. To separate the judiciary from the
executive; 16. To locate the residence of the chief minister of the United Front at a less costly house,
and to convert Burdwan House into a students hostel now, and later, into an institute for research on
Bangla language and literature; 17. To erect a monument in memory of the martyrs of the Language
Movement on the spot where they were shot dead, and to pay compensation to the families of the
martyrs; 18. To declare 21 February as ‘Shaheed Day’ 19. The Lahore Resolution proposed full autonomy
of East Bengal leaving defense, foreign affairs and currency under the central government. In the matter
of defense, arrangements shall be made to set the headquarters of the army in West Pakistan and the
naval headquarters in East Bengal and to establish ordnance factories in East Bengal, and to transform
Ansar force into a full-fledged militia equipped with arms; 20. The United Front Ministry shall on no
account extend the tenure of the Legislature and shall resign six months before the general elections to
facilitate free and fair elections under an Election Commission; 21. All casual vacancies in the Legislature
shall be filled up through byelections within three months of the vacancies, and if the nominees of the
Front are defeated in three successive by-elections, ministry shall resign from office. Picture -01 Cabinet
of 1954

1 Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History
of Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 13 Basic Democracy System  Figure of Basic Democracy
System  Tiers of Basic Democracy  Features of the basic democracy 2  Figure of Basic Democracy
System 3 Basic Democracy  Ayub Khan introduced basic democracy on 27th October, 1959. His
objective was: To institute a system that could be guided at the will of the rulers.  Ayub Khan stated
that the system suited the “genius” of the people of Pakistan because he did not believe that the
directly elected parliamentary system was suitable for the country. Instead, he introduced basic
democracy.  The only direct election would be at the union level, members of next levels would be
chairmen of the institutions immediately below them (eg members of Thana council would be chairmen
of union councils, members of district council would be chairmen of thana councils, and so on).  In
reality, however, the institutions above district level were never formed. The memberships of Thana and
district councils were also half filled with government officials.  The real purpose of basic democracy
would be revealed, however, in the 1962 constitution introduced by Ayub Khan. Under the 1962
constitution, the democrats elected at union level formed an electoral college to elect the president, the
National Assembly, and the provincial assemblies.  Since then, this electoral college of basic democrats
became the darling of the regime who formed the core group of support for the government and its
rulers. The lofty ideals of grass-root democracy with a coterie of supporters did not last long.  The
system collapsed with the fall of Ayub Khan in 1969 after mass upheaval all over Pakistan. The only
beneficiaries of the system were big landlords, industrialists, and the civil service whose powers were
greatly augmented in that period. 4  Tiers of Basic Democracy The Basic Democracies system set up
five tiers of institutions. Such as: Political and Administrative Pattern Under BD System 1959  5.
Commissioner/Head of Divisional Council  4. DC/Head of District Council  3. AC/Tehsildar Heads of
Tehsil/Thana Council  2. Councils in Urban Areas----- Councils in Rural Areas  * 1. Union Committee----
Municipal Committee Union Council---- Town Committee I. The Union Council  The lowest but most
important tier was composed of union councils, one each for groups of villages having an approximate
total population of 10,000.  Each union council comprised ten directly elected members and five
appointed members, all called Basic Democrats.  Controlling authority for the union councils was the
deputy commissioner.  Finally it was converted into an electoral college for election of the members of
provincial and national assemblies and then, a life –long president or king. II.Councils in Urban Areas-----
Councils in Rural Areas 5 The urban and rural areas had a similar arrangement, under which the smaller
union councils were grouped together into municipal committees to perform similar duties. III. The
Tehsil/ Thana Council  The next higher tier was called Tehsil council. There was no election to this
council and the members consisted of some official and some non-official members.  The non-official
members were the chairmen of all the Union Councils within the Tehsil and the official members were
the heads of all the nation building departments in the sub-division/ tehsil.  The no. of official members
was equal to those of non-official members. which performed coordination functions. IV. The District
Council  The most important tier was the district council. The head of the council was the Deputy
Commissioner of the district and the Vice-Chairman used to be selected from amongst the chairmen of
the tehsil council / Union Councils by the deputy commissioner.  This council consisted of elected and
non-elected members or official and non- official members. The non-official members were the
Chairmen of the tehsil councils and chairmen of the Municipal committees within the district to
represent both urban and rural areas.  One half of the appointed members were from amongst the
chairmen of the Union Councils. The no. of official and non-official members was equal. V. The Divisional
Council  The upper most tier was the divisional council, headed by the Divisional commissioner. The
members of the divisional councils consisted of the Deputy Commissioners as ex-officio members, the
Vice-chairmen of the districts within the division, the divisional level officers as official members,. 6 
some other prominent persons to be selected by the commissioner and some were recommended by
the deputy commissioners. The no. of official and non-official members was equal.  The highest tier
consisted of one development advisory council for each province, chaired by the governor and
appointed by the president.  Features of the basic democracy  "Basic democracies" that would steer a
middle road between authoritarian rule and untrammeled democracy.  Indirect democracy  Broad
mass of people would elect an electoral college  80,000 ( later 120000) Basic Democrats or Union
Councillors  Non-party basis elections  These local leaders would elect the legislature and the
President  Constitution of 1962 linked the office of the President to the local bodies  System of guided
democracy comprised elected and non-elected representatives with a local administration acting as the
eyes, ear and stick for the central government enabling it to maintain sufficient authority over the
politicians .  Under the system each province would have to elect 40,000 Basic Democrats each
representing at that time, about one thousand populations, out the total of 80,000 was eventually
raised to 120,000.  This system in its core was based on the political system without any politicians. 
Political culture was not developed.  Under the system of Basic Democracies the President established
autocratic rule in Pakistan with the help of bureaucracy.  There would be around 120000 such units,
each representing from 1000 to 15000 citizens.

Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History of
Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 14  Regime of Yahia Khan  The One Unit and its Abolition  The
Legal Framework Order Regime of Yahia Khan 1. Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan (4 February 1917 – 10
August 1980), widely known as Yahya Khan, was a Pakistani general who served as the third President of
Pakistan, serving in this post from 25 March 1969 until turning over his presidency in December 1971. 2.
After being controversially appointed to assume the army command in 1966, he took over the
presidency from unpopular former dictator and elected President Ayub Khan, who was not able to deal
with the 1969 uprising in East Pakistan, forced to resign by protests and offered him the office. 3. Yahya
Khan subsequently enforced martial law by suspending the constitution. Holding the nation's first
nationwide elections in 1970, 23 years after independence. 4. he delayed the power transition to
victorious Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from East Pakistan, which further inflamed the civil violent unrest in
the East, and authorized the East Pakistani authorities to violently suppress the rebellion in which
somewhere from several hundred thousand to about 3,000,000 were killed in what is today widely
considered the 1971 Bangladesh genocide. 5. On 25 March 1971, President Yahya initiated the
Searchlight in order to restore the writ of the government. The situation in East Pakistan worsened and
the gulf between the two wings now was too wide to be bridged. 6. Pakistan suffered a decisive defeat
in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, resulting in the dissolution of the Eastern Command of the
Pakistan Army and the secession of East Pakistan as Bangladesh – thus Yahya Khan's rule is widely
regarded as a leading cause of the break-up of the unity of Pakistan. 7. Following these events, he
turned over the leadership of the country to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the leading politician from West
Pakistan, and resigned from the command of the military in disgrace, both on 20 December 1971. 8. He
was then stripped of his service honours and put under house surveillance for most of the 1970s. 9.
After being released from these restrictions in 1977, he died in Rawalpindi in 1980. He is viewed largely
negatively by Pakistani historians and is considered among the least successful of the country's leaders.
(President of Pakistan Yahya Khan with United States President Richard Nixon in October 1970) The One
Unit Background 1. The One Unit was a geo-political programme launched by the Government of
Pakistan led by the then-Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra on 22 November 1954. 2. The
government claimed that the programme would overcome the difficulty of administering the two
unequal polities of West and East Pakistan separated from each other by more than a thousand miles. 3.
The Government had prolonged difficulty in administrating East Bengal, with its border with Eastern
India, and the four provinces, which border Western India, Iran, China, and Afghanistan. 4. One Unit was
conceived by then-Governor-General Malik Ghulam and drafting was completed by then-chief Minister
Mumtaz Ali Doltana. 5. The first official announcement about it was made on 22 November 1954.
Rationalizing the framework, Bogra enumerated the benefits of having one unit or province: "There will
be no Bengalis, no Punjabis, no Sindhis, no Pathans, no Balochis, no Bahawalpuris, no Khairpuris. The
disappearance of these groups will strengthen the integrity of Pakistan." 6. To diminish the differences
between the two regions, claimed the government, the 'One Unit' programme merged the four
provinces of West Pakistan into a single province to parallel the East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). 
Establishment The Prime Minister Chaudhry Muhammad Ali implemented the framework of the One
Unit program on 14 October 1955 after Pakistan National Assembly passed a bill merging all of West
Pakistan into a single province on 30 September 1955.  Purposes for establishment The reasons were
given to the Assembly for adopting the One Unit Scheme by Iskander Mirza in September 1955. Such as:
1. It would end the curse of provincial prejudices. 2. It would allow the development of backward areas.
3. It would reduce administrative expenses. 4. It would make it easier to draw up a new constitution. 5.
It would give East and West Pakistan maximum autonomy.  Abolition President General Yahya Khan
imposed Legal Framework Order No. 1970 to end the One Unit program and reinstate the provisional
status of the Four Provinces as of August 1947. Legal Framework Order  The Legal Framework Order,
1970 (LFO) was a decree issued by thenPresident of Pakistan Gen. Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan that
laid down the political principles and laws governing the 1970 general election, which was the first direct
elections in the history of Pakistan.  The LFO also dissolved the "One Unit" scheme of West Pakistan,
reestablishing the four provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and the Northwest Frontier Province.[1]
[2] Pakistan would be a democratic country and the complete name of the country would be Islamic
Republic of Pakistan.  Background  Gen. Yahya Khan had taken over from his predecessor President
Ayub Khan with the purpose of restoring law and order in Pakistan that had deteriorated in the final
days of Ayub's regime.  Yahya promised to transition the country to democracy and promised to hold
direct elections for that purpose.  However, Gen. Yahya also had to decide on how the two wings of
the country, East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) and West Pakistan would be represented. Although
geographically smaller and separated from West Pakistan by the whole width of India.  The Awami
League, the largest political party in East Pakistan, espoused Bengali nationalism and sought greater
autonomy for the province, which most West Pakistanis saw as secessionist.  Yahya Khan held talks
with East Pakistan's Governor, Vice-Admiral Ahsan, and concluded that Sheikh Mujib would soften his
demands after the election. Foundation Yahya instituted the Legal Framework Order (LFO) on March
30, 1970, with the aim to secure the future constitution. Provisions  The LFO called for direct
elections for a unicameral legislature, the National Assembly of Pakistan.  The LFO decreed that the
assembly would be composed of 313 seats. Departing from the precedent of the 1956 Constitution of
Pakistan, which stipulated for parity between the two wings, the LFO called for proportional
representation, giving the more populous East Pakistan 169 seats in turn for West Pakistan's 144.  The
LFO stipulated that the National Assembly would have to create a new constitution for the state of
Pakistan within 120 days  The LFO also dissolved the "One Unit scheme", which had combined the four
provinces of the western wing to constitute the political unit of West Pakistan. Outcome  Many East
Pakistanis criticised the LFO's reservation for the President the power to authenticate the Constitution.
 Yahya Khan ignored reports from the intelligence agencies about the increase in Indian influence in
East Pakistan and that Mujib intended to tear up the LFO after the elections. Thank You

Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History of
Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 25 The war of Liberation and Emergence of Bangladesh 
Homecoming of Bangabondhu  1 st constitution of Bangladesh  Related Persons to preparing the 1st
constitution of Bangladesh  Principals of 1st constitution of Bangladesh  Homecoming of
Bangabondhu  On 10 January, 1972, Bangabandhu had returned to independent and sovereign
Bangladesh after over nine and a half months of captivity in a Pakistan jail.  Bangabandhu was
subjected to inhuman torture in the jail where he had been counting moments for the execution of his
death sentence that was pronounced in a farcical trial.  Bangabandhu inspired the Bangalee nation. He
was the inspiration of the freedom fighters.  Under his undaunted leadership, the Bangalee nation
earned the ultimate victory through the nine-month Liberation War in 1971. The defeated Pakistani
rulers were finally compelled to release Bangabandhu from jail. The victory of the Bangalees attained its
fulfillment with his release.  All respected him for his uncompromising stance on the honor of Bangla
as a state language, the autonomy of East Bengal (later he called it Bangladesh), the stance on equality
as reflected in the historic ‘Six-Points’.  He used to speak out for the peasants not only in public
meetings but as well as in the parliament. Back in January 1971 when he was elected overwhelmingly as
the leader of the National Assembly of Pakistan he categorically said he would not compromise on the
interests of his people. He said: ‘I do not aspire to be the Prime Minister. Prime Ministers come and go. I
shall remember the love and respect my countrymen have shown for me all my life. I do not fear the
torture, oppression and the solitary cell of the jail. But the love of the people seems to have made me
emotionally weak.’ (Bangabandhu: At the Swearing-in ceremony of the MNAs and MPAs, Race Course
Grounds, Dhaka, January 3, 1971)  After returning from captivity to an independent Bangladesh on 10
January 1972 he promised to build a peaceful egalitarian Bangladesh following a homegrown
development strategy based on the fertile land and entrepreneurial people.  The developmental
journey under his leadership started in difficult global and natural shocks. There was not a single dollar
in the reserve of the central bank in 1972 and the total size of the economy was only eight billion USD. 
There was a huge shortfall in food and other daily necessities in addition to the challenges of
rehabilitating millions of refugees and displaced people. The country had to start from the scratch as
most roads, rails and ports were dysfunctional due to war.  No doubt the State Department of the US
government under Henry Kissinger ridiculed Bangladesh as an ‘international basket case’ which was
likely to fall into the ‘Malthusian Trap’ of too many people living in a disaster-prone country with too
little resources.  His interest in improving the fate of the peasants was deep-rooted. He came out with
various input supports for them in a substantial way so that they could produce enough food for their
own survival.  He was visibly annoyed with the state of governance of the country as the corruption
was showing its ugly head in many parts of the society of his beloved independent Bangladesh. He
blamed the educated people for this evil practice. He said, “The peasants of Bengal are not involved in
any corruption. The workers of Bengal are not involved in any corruption. … We, those who are studying
with their money, are involved in corruption.” (Bangabandhu: National Parliament, January 25, 1975) 
The observance of Bangabandhu’s Homecoming Day is very significant as the nation is going to celebrate
the great leader’s year-long birth centenary programmes from 17 March, 2020 to 17 March, 2021. The
government has already declared ‘Mujib Year’. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman received by
leaders of Awami League after his return to independent and sovereign Bangladesh after over nine and a
half months of captivity in a Pakistan jail.  1st constitution of Bangladesh  The Constitution of the
People's Republic of Bangladesh is the constitutional document of Bangladesh.  1 st constitution of
Bangladesh adopted on 4 November 1972 and effective from 16 December 1972.  It provides the
framework of the Bangladeshi republic with a parliamentary government, fundamental human rights
and freedoms, an independent judiciary, democratic local government and a national bureaucracy. 
The constitution includes references to socialism, Islam, secular democracy and the Bengali language. 
It commits Bangladesh to “contribute to international peace and co-operation in keeping with the
progressive aspirations of mankind”.  Judicial precedent is enshrined in Bangladesh's constitution
under Article 111, which makes Bangladesh an integral part of the common law world. Judicial review is
also supported by the constitution. (Page one of the original copy of the Bangladeshi Constitution) 
Related Persons to preparing the 1st constitution of Bangladesh  1972 which was handwritten on
parchment.  Handwriting – A K M Abdur Rauf  Design – A group of artists including Hashem Khan and
others  Supervised by Shilpacharja Zainul Abedin  Parchment work – Shah Syed Abu Shafi.  Author
(S)- Constitution Drafting Committee The Constitution Drafting Committee was formed on 11 April 1972.
It had 34 members with Kamal Hossain as chairman. Razia Banu was its only female member. Barrister
Amirul Islam and Advocate Suranjit Sengupta were among the prominent members on the committee.
Sengupta was a vocal member of the opposition bench.  Signatories- 404 members of the Constitution
Assembly The Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh was the constituent assembly of Bangladesh. It was
the country's provisional parliament between 1971 and 1973. In 1972, it drafted and adopted the
Constitution of Bangladesh. The assembly was dominated by the Awami League, with a minority being
independent lawmakers.  Principals of 1st constitution of Bangladesh  There are four main principles
of this constitution. Such as : 1. Nationalism 2. Socialism 3. Democracy 4. Secularism  The president
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman arrived Dhaka after the Liberation War on 10th January, 1972 and
in the next day he promulgated ‘The Provisional Constitution of Bangladesh order, 1972’ by the power
conferred on him by The Proclamation of Independence. Thank You
8Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History of
Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 28 Bangabondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and His Administration
 Reconstruction of the War ravaged country  Struggle for national reconstruction  Foreign policies
 Economic policies  Discontent against Mujib's government Reconstruction of the War ravaged
country  The effects of the 1970 cyclone had not worn off, and the state's economy had immensely
deteriorated by the conflict.  A new country, Bangladesh, begins with a lot of "rampage and rape of
Bangladesh economy" by the Pakistani occupation force. In January 1972 Time magazine reported: “In
the aftermath of the Pakistani army's rampage last March, a special team of inspectors from the World
Bank observed that some cities looked "like the morning after a nuclear attack." Since then, the
destruction has only been magnified. An estimated 6,000,000 homes have been destroyed, and nearly
1,400,000 farm families have been left without tools or animals to work their lands. Transportation and
communications systems are totally disrupted. Roads are damaged, bridges out and inland waterways
blocked. The rape of the country continued right up until the Pakistani army surrendered a month ago.
In the last days of the war, West Pakistani-owned businesses—which included nearly every commercial
enterprise in the country—remitted virtually all their funds to the West. Pakistan International Airlines
left exactly 117 rupees ($16) in its account at the port city of Chittagong. The army also destroyed bank
notes and coins, so that many areas now suffer from a severe shortage of ready cash. Private cars were
picked up off the streets or confiscated from auto dealers and shipped to the West before the ports
were closed.”  Mujib helped Bangladesh enter into the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement.
He travelled to the United States, the United Kingdom and other European nations to obtain
humanitarian and developmental assistance for the nation.  He signed a treaty of friendship with India,
which pledged extensive economic and humanitarian assistance and began training Bangladesh's
security forces and government personnel.  Mujib forged a close friendship with Indira Gandhi, strongly
praising India's decision to intercede, and professed admiration and friendship for India.  Major efforts
were launched to rehabilitate an estimated 10 million refugees.  The economy began recovering and a
famine was prevented. A constitution was proclaimed in 1972 and elections were held, which resulted in
Mujib and his party gaining power with an absolute majority.  He further outlined state programs to
expand primary education, sanitation, food, health care, water and electric supply across the country. A
five-year plan released in 1973 focused state investments in agriculture, rural infrastructure and cottage
industries.  A Constitution for the country was framed within a record time of one year (which came
into effect from 16 December 1972). The new constitution created a strong executive prime minister, a
largely ceremonial presidency, an independent judiciary, and a unicameral legislature on a modified
Westminster model. The 1972 constitution adopted as state policy the Awami League's (AL) four basic
principles of nationalism, secularism, socialism, and democracy. Struggle for national reconstruction 
Although the state was committed to secularism, Mujib soon began moving closer to political Islam
through state policies as well as personal conduct.[69]  He revived the Islamic Academy (which had
been banned in 1972 for suspected collusion with Pakistani forces)  banned the production and sale of
alcohol  Banned the practice of gambling, which had been one of the major demands of Islamic groups.
 He also declared a common amnesty to the suspected war criminals, on some conditions, to get the
support of far right groups as the communists were not happy with Mujib's regime. He declared, "I
believe that the brokers, who assisted the Pakistanis during the liberation war has realized their faults. I
hope they will involve themselves in the development of the country forgetting all their misdeeds. Those
who were arrested and jailed in the Collaborator act should be freed before the 16 December 1974".[69]
 He charged the provisional parliament in order to write a new constitution, and proclaimed the four
fundamental principles of "nationalism, secularism, democracy, and socialism," which would come to be
known as "Mujibism".  Mujib nationalised hundreds of industries and companies as well as abandoned
land and capital and initiated land reform aimed at helping millions of poor farmers.  A constitution was
proclaimed in 1973 and elections were held, which resulted in Mujib and his party gaining power with an
absolute majority.[5] He further outlined state programs to expand primary education in Bangladesh,
sanitation, food, healthcare, water and electric supply across the country.  Elections held under the
1972 constitution were in March 1973,Mujib was assured of victory, and the Awami League won 282 out
of 289 directly contested seats. Relying heavily on experienced civil servants and members of the Awami
League, the new Bangladesh Government focused on relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of the
economy and society.  After the election, the economic and security situations began to deteriorate
rapidly, and Mujib's popularity suffered further as a result of what many Bangladeshis came to regard as
his close alliance with India. Mujib's authoritarian personality and his paternalistic pronouncements to
"my country" and "my people" were not sufficient to divert the people's attention from the miserable
conditions of the country. Widespread flooding and famine created severe hardship, aggravated by
growing law-and-order problems.  Economic policies  The Mujib government faced serious
challenges, which including  The rehabilitation of millions of people displaced in 1971  Organizing the
supply of food  Health aids and other necessities.  Frustrated by crippling communications and
transportation systems.  Rampant corruption and black marketeering.  The effects of the 1970
cyclone had not worn off, and the economy of Bangladesh had been immensely deteriorated by the
conflict.  Economically, Mujib embarked on a huge nationalization program.  Major efforts were
launched to rehabilitate an estimated 10 million refugees.  The economy began recovering and a
famine was prevented.  A five-year plan released in 1973 focused state investments in agriculture, rural
infrastructure and cottage industries. [74]  But a famine occurred in 1974 when the price of rice rose
sharply. In that month there was "widespread starvation started in Rangpur district.  Government
mismanagement had been blamed for that."[75] During the Mujib regime the country witnessed,
industrial decline, growing Indian control over Bangladesh's industries, and counterfeit money scandals.
 Mujib's economic policies also directly contributed to his country's economic chaos. His large-scale
nationalization of Bangladeshi manufacturing and trading enterprises and international trading in
commodities strangled Bangladesh entrepreneurship in its infancy. The enforced use of the Bangla
language as a replacement for English at all levels of government and education was yet another policy
that increased Bangladesh's isolation from the dynamics of the world economy.  Foreign policies 
After Bangladesh achieved recognition from major countries, Mujibur helped Bangladesh enter into the
United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement.  He travelled to the United States, the United
Kingdom and other European nations obtain humanitarian and developmental assistance.  Mujibur
maintained close ties with India. He signed the 25-year IndoBangladeshi Treaty of Friendship,
Cooperation and Peace, which pledged extensive economic and humanitarian assistance and training
from India for Bangladesh's security forces and government personnel.  Mujibur forged a close
friendship with Indira Gandhi, strongly praising India's decision to intercede, and professed admiration
and friendship for India.  In the Delhi Agreement of 1974, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan pledged to
work for regional stability and peace. The agreement paved the way for the return of interned Bengali
officials and their families stranded in Pakistan, as well as the establishment of diplomatic relations
between Dhaka and Islamabad.  Mujibur sought Bangladesh's membership in the Organisation of the
Islamic Conference (OIC), the Commonwealth of Nations and the Islamic Development Bank. In the
sphere of foreign affairs. (Bangladesh obtained membership of the Commonwealth on 18 April 1972,
that of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1973, of the United Nations and that of the Organization of
Islamic Countries (OIC) in 1974).  He made a significant trip to Lahore in 1974 to attend the OIC summit,
which helped improve relations with Pakistan.  Mujib was invited to Washington DC and Moscow for
talks with American and Soviet leaders. He declared that Bangladesh would be the "Switzerland of the
East", meaning that Bangladesh would remain non-partisan in the Cold War between the US and the
Soviet Union.  Many Eastern European countries, particularly Yugoslavia, East Germany and Poland,
enjoyed excellent relations with Bangladesh. The Soviet Union supplied several squadrons of Mig-21
planes for the Bangladesh Air Force.  Japan became a major aid provider to the new country. 
Although Israel was one of the first countries to recognize Bangladesh, Bangladesh strongly supported
Egypt during the Arab-Israeli War of 1973. In return, Egypt gave Bangladesh's military 44 tanks. 
Discontent against Mujib's government  In 1974, Bangladesh experienced the deadliest famine ever,
which killed around 1.5 million Bangladeshi people from hunger. The Bangladesh famine of 1974 is a
major source of discontent against the Mujib's government. Bangladeshi people feel ashamed, insulted
and demoralised as a nation for this famine that was not due to a food crisis.  At the height of Sheikh
Mujib's power, left wing insurgents, organised by Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal's armed wing Gonobahini
fought against the government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to establish a Marxist government.  The
government responded by forming the Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini which began a campaign of brutal human
rights abuses against the general populace, including the force became involved in numerous charges of
human rights abuse including political killings, shooting by death squads, and rape. Members of Jatiyo
Rakkhi Bahini were granted immunity from prosecution and other legal proceedings. Thank You

1 Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History
of Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 19  Background of The election of 1970  Parties 
Nominations and candidates  Election campaign in East Pakistan  Results  Reaction  Aftermath
and Significant Leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Party Awami League PPP Leader's seat
Dacca Larkana Seats won 160 81 Popular vote 12,937,162 6,148,923 Percentage 39.2% 18.6% 2 
Background of The election of 1970  General elections were held in Pakistan on 7 December 1970. 
They were the first general elections held in Pakistan (East and West Pakistan) and ultimately only
general elections held prior to the independence of Bangladesh.  Voting took place in 300
parliamentary constituencies of Pakistan to elect members of the National Assembly of Pakistan, which
was then the only chamber of a unicameral Parliament of Pakistan.  The elections were a fierce contest
between two social democratic parties, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Awami League.  On 31
March 1970, President Yahya Khan announced a Legal Framework Order (LFO) which called for direct
elections for a unicameral legislature. Many in the West feared the East wing's demand for countrywide
provincial autonomy. The purpose of the LFO was to secure the future Constitution which would be
written after the election so that it would include safeguards such as preserving Pakistan's territorial
integrity and Islamic ideology.  Parties  The Awami League was the sole major party in East Pakistan,
while in the four provinces of West Pakistan, the PPP faced severe competition from the conservative
factions of Muslim League, the largest of which was Muslim League (Qayyum), as well as Islamist parties
like Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP).  The general
elections of 1970 are considered one of the fairest and cleanest elections in the history of Pakistan, with
about twenty-four political parties taking part.  The general elections presented a picture of a Two-
party system, with the Awami League, a Bengali nationalist party, competing against the extremely
influential and widely popular Pakistan Peoples Party, 3  A leftist and democratic socialist party which
had been a major powerbroker in West Pakistan. The Pakistani government supported the pro-Islamic
parties since they were committed to strong federalism. The Jamaat-e-Islami suspected that the Awami
League had secessionist intentions.  Nominations and candidates  A total of 1,957 candidates filed
nomination papers for 300 National Assembly seats. After scrutiny and withdrawals, 1,579 eventually
contested the elections.  The Awami League ran 170 candidates, of which 162 were for constituencies
in East Pakistan.  Jamaat-e-Islami had the second-highest number of candidates with 151.  The
Pakistan People’s Party ran only 120 candidates, of which 103 were from constituencies in Punjab and
Sindh, and none in East Pakistan.  The PML (Convention) ran 124 candidates,  the PML (Council) 119 
The PML (Qayyum) 133.  Election campaign in East Pakistan  The continuous public meetings of the
Awami League in East Pakistan and the Pakistan People’s Party in Western Pakistan attracted huge
crowds.  The Awami League, a Bengali nationalist party, mobilized support in East Pakistan on the basis
of its Six-Points Program (SPP), which was the main attraction in the party's manifesto.  In East
Pakistan, a huge majority of the Bengali nation favoured the Awami League, under Sheikh Mujib. 4  The
party received a huge percentage of the popular vote in East Pakistan and emerged as the largest party
in the nation as a whole, gaining the exclusive mandate of Pakistan in terms both of seats and of votes.
 Results The government claimed a high level of public participation and a voter turnout of almost
63%. The total number of registered voters in the country was 56,941,500 of which 31,211,220 were
from East Pakistan and 25,730,280 were from West Pakistan.  The Awami League won a landslide
victory by winning an absolute majority of 160 seats in the National Assembly and 288 of the 300 seats
in the Provincial Assembly of East Pakistan in the provincial elections held ten days later.  The PPP won
only 81 seats in the National Assembly, but were the winning party in Punjab and Sindh. The Marxist
National Awami Party emerged victorious in Northwest Frontier Province and Balochistan.  The
Pakistan Peoples Party failed to win any seats in East Pakistan. On the other hand, the Awami League
had failed to gather any seats in West Pakistan. Party Votes % Seats Awami League 12,937,162 39.2 160
Pakistan Peoples Party 6,148,923 18.6 81 Jamaat-e-Islami 1,989,461 6.0 4 Council Muslim League
1,965,689 6.0 7 Muslim League (Qayyum) 1,473,749 4.5 9 Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam 1,315,071 4.0 7 Jamiat
Ulema-e-Pakistan 1,299,858 3.9 7 Convention Muslim League 1,102,815 3.3 2 National Awami Party (W)
801,355 2.4 6 Pakistan Democratic Party 737,958 2.2 1 Other parties 387,919 1.2 0 Independents
2,322,341 7.0 16 Total 33,004,065 100 300 Registered voters / turnout 56,941,500 – 5  Reaction  The
Assembly was initially not inaugurated as President Yahya Khan and the PPP did not want a party from
East Pakistan in government.  This caused great unrest in East Pakistan, which soon escalated into a
civil war that led to the formation of the independent state of Bangladesh.  The Assembly was
eventually opened when President Yahya resigned a few days later and PPP leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
took over. Bhutto became Prime Minister in 1973, after the post was recreated by the new Constitution.
 The then leaders of Pakistan, all from West Pakistan and PPP leaders, strongly opposed the idea of an
East Pakistani-led government.  Bhutto uttered his infamous phrase "idhar hum, udhar tum" (We rule
here, you rule there) – thus dividing Pakistan for the first time orally.  Some Bengalis sided with the
Pakistan Peoples' Party and tacitly or openly supported Bhutto and the democratic socialists, such as
Jalaludin Abdur Rahim, an influential Bengali in Pakistan and mentor of Bhutto.  several prominent
figures from West Pakistan supported allowing the Awami League to rule, including the poet Faiz Ahmad
Faiz and rights activist Malik Ghulam Jilani, father of Asma Jahangir, G.M Syed the founder of Sindhi
nationalist party.  Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) 6  Aftermath and Significant  The elected
Assembly initially did not meet as President Yahya Khan and the Pakistan People’s Party did not want
the majority party from East Pakistan forming government.  This caused great unrest in East Pakistan
which soon escalated into the call for independence on March 26, 1971 and ultimately led to war of
independence with East Pakistan becoming the independent state of Bangladesh.  The Assembly
session was eventually held when Khan resigned four days after Pakistan surrendered in Bangladesh and
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto took over.  Bhutto became the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1973, after the post was
recreated by the new Constitution. Thank You

1 Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History
of Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 21 Operation Searchlight  Background  Requirements for
success  Creation of Mukti Bahini  Evaluation and importance  Declaration of independence by
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Operation Searchlight  Operation Searchlight was a planned military
operation carried out by the Pakistan Army to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in the erstwhile
East Pakistan in 25 March, 1971.  which the Pakistani state retrospectively justified on the basis of anti-
Bihari violence by Bengalis in early March. 2  Ordered by the central government in West Pakistan,The
original plan envisioned taking control of all of East Pakistan's major cities on 26 March, and then
eliminating all Bengali opposition, political or military, within one month.  Pakistani President Yahya
Khan at a conference in February 1971 said "Kill three million of them and the rest will eat out of our
hands." Prolonged Bengali resistance was not anticipated by the Pakistani military leaders.  The main
phase of Operation Searchlight ended with the fall of the last major Bengali-held town in mid-May. The
operation also precipitated the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, in which 300,000-3,000,000 civilians were
killed and roughly 10 million refugees fled to India.  Bengali intelligentsia, academics and Hindus were
targeted for the harshest treatment, with significant indiscriminate killing taking place.  These
systematic killings enraged the Bengalis, who declared independence from Pakistan, to establish the
new nation of Bangladesh.  The violence resulting from Operation Searchlight led to the Bangladesh
Liberation War, in which Mukti Bahini fought to remove Pakistani occupation forces from Bangladesh. 
Following the ill-fated Operation Chengiz Khan, Indian intervention resulted in the Pakistan Army's
unconditional surrender to the joint command of the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini on 16 December
1971. Background  After the Awami League had won a decisive majority (capturing 167 out of 313
seats) in the 1970 Pakistan parliamentary elections, the Bengali population expected a swift transfer of
power to the Awami League based on the Six Point Programme.  On 28 February 1971, Yahya Khan, the
President of Pakistan, under the pressure of PPP of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, postponed the national assembly
meeting scheduled for March. The Pakistan Peoples Party had already started lobbying to weaken the
stand of Sheikh Mujib, and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was heard saying that he wanted the Bengalis to stay
away.  The Awami League, in response to the postponement, launched a program of non-co-operation
(largely outlined in the 7 March Awami League rally) which was so successful that the authority of the
Pakistan government 3 became limited to the cantonments and government institutions in East
Pakistan.  Clashes between civilians and the Pakistani Army, and between Bengali and Bihari
communities erupted and became commonplace. President Yahya Khan flew to Dhaka to hold talks with
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, leader of the Awami League, in March, and was later joined by Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto, then the leader of Pakistan Peoples Party, which had secured the second largest share of seats
(81 out of 300) in the elections.[21]  Unwilling to transfer power to East Pakistan as demanded by
Awami League (fearing a transfer of power would weaken or destroy the federation), or to lose face by
backing down in face of the non-co-operation movement, the Pakistani generals, most of which
including Gul Hassan Khan supported the Pakistan Peoples Party, finally decided on a military
crackdown.  After the convening of the National Assembly was postponed by Yahya Khan on 1 March,
ethnic Biharis in East Pakistan, who supported West Pakistan, were targeted. In early March 1971 300
Biharis were killed in rioting by mobs in Chittagong. The Government of Pakistan used the 'Bihari
massacre' to justify its military intervention in East Pakistan on 25 March, when it initiated Operation
Searchlight.  Prior to the launch of the operation, a final meeting was held in General Headquarters
(GHQ). Governor of East Pakistan Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan objected to the planned
operation. Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of Dhaka airbase Air Commodore Mitty Masud also objected
to the operation, fearing that violence would provoke East-Pakistan into more violence. However, under
pressure  during the meeting from Pakistan's Army and Air Force's general, General Yahya Khan gave
orders to his Army and Air Force commanders to launch the operation. Requirements for success 1.
Operation to be launched simultaneously all across East Pakistan. 2. Maximum number of political and
student leaders, and those among cultural organisations and teaching staff to be arrested. 3. Operation
must achieve 100% success in Dhaka. Dhaka University would be occupied and searched. 4. Free and
greater use of fire authorised for securing cantonments. 5. All internal and international
communications to be cut off, including telephone, television, radio and telegraph. 4 6. All East Pakistani
(Bengali) troops to be neutralised by seizing weapons and ammunition. 7. To deceive the Awami League,
President Yahya Khan to pretend to continue dialogue, even if Mr. Bhutto disagrees, and to agree to
Awami League demands.  The designated centres of offensive operations under that plan were Dhaka,
Khulna, Chittagong, Comilla, Jessore, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Saidpur and Sylhet, areas where West Pakistani
army units were concentrated. Creation of Mukti Bahini The initial resistance, which started on 26
March, functioned without any central command structure. Senior Bengali army officers met at
Teliapara in Sylhet on 10 April, and selected Col. (ret) M. A. G. Osmani as commander of Bengali armed
forces. On 11 April Osmani designated four sector commanders: Major Zia for the Chittagong area,
Major Khaled Mussarraf for Comilla, Major Shafiullah for Sylhet and Major Abu Osman Chowdhury for
Jessore area. The Bangladesh government in exile was formed by the Awami League leadership on 17
April at Meherpur in Kushtia, which confirmed Col. Osmani as commander of Mukti Bahini (regular
armed forces and insurgents) under the authority of Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmad. Bangladesh Forces
Headquarters were set up in Kolkata (Calcutta) with Col. MAG Osmani as commander in chief, Lt. Col.
MA Rab as Chief of Staff (based in Agartala, Tripura), and Group Captain AR Khandker as deputy Chief of
Staff. The Bengali resistance, after being driven out of Bangladesh, began reorganising to focus on
irregular warfare.  Evaluation and importance  The Pakistani army maintained operational security,
for the most part, before the operation commenced. They also airlifted 2 infantry divisions (the 9th and
the 16th) to Bangladesh in a span of 4 weeks after 26 March, despite a ban on flights over India.  The
disorganised initial resistance of Bengali units was crushed by mid June, and the country was under
Pakistani control. As insurgent activity slacked off in July, civilians returned to work and trade resumed,
and Pakistanis could claim the country was almost "normal". On the surface, Operation Searchlight had
achieved most of its goals. Pakistani military leadership were satisfied with the results, even General Gul
Hasan, no admirer of the Pakistani operation in East Pakistan in General and of Gen. Niazi in 5 particular,
praised the efforts of Pakistani troops and their achievements in April 1971.[187]  The capture of
Sheikh Mujib might have been a big blow for the resistance had Tajuddin Ahmad failed to rally support
for his leadership from the other Awami League senior members and create the Bangladesh government
in exile.[188] The Pakistanis failed to capture the Awami League political leaders during the operation,
which was a crucial part of the plan. Out of the 167 elected Members of National Assembly and 299
members of Provential Assembly from Awami League, Pakistinis managed to kill 4, 4 surrendered
themselves while 2 were captured.[189] The rest moved to India, and using their networks and popular
support in Bangladesh, effectively organised the insurgency and joined the Bangladesh government in
Exile in various capacity.  The survival of the Awami League political apparatus permitted India to
channel aid through a structured organisation, rather than dealing with various resistance groups
competing for their support. The Awami League included elected members of parliament who claimed
to be legitimate representatives of the people, thus enhancing the credibility of the organisation in
international circles. Bengali army officers worked under civilian leaders, so there was no serious
struggle for power in the resistance. While civilian leadership ran the administration and coordinated
logistics, army personnel fought the war and trained freedom fighters.  Pakistani planners assumed
that if the political leadership was captured, the Bengali armed units disarmed, and the civilians
sufficiently terrorised, after a month no organised resistance would remain in East Pakistan. Their
assumptions were proven wrong in the long run. The political leadership escaped to organise the
resistance and lobby for international support, Bengali soldiers formed the core of the armed resistance,
and civilians, despite the terror campaign, supported the insurgency with logistics, intelligence and
volunteers for the irregular warfare.  Operation Searchlight included no follow-up plan. Anticipating a
relatively quick success, Pakistani planners did not plan for a long irregular war or the eventual
involvement of India. Pakistan had no regular troops to spare after stationing 4 divisions in Bangladesh
by November 1971 since they needed to maintain parity with the Indian army in the west. With the EPR
and police defecting, a large number of para military units were needed to police the country. Siddique
Salik estimated that Pakistan needed at least 250,000 to 300,000 troops, but even after organising the
Razakars (estimated strength 40,000), Pakistan could field only 150,000 (45,000 regular army, rest
paramilitary units) soldiers in Bangladesh. 6 The eventual strain of combating the insurgency caused
Pakistan to attack India on 3 December 1971, with the objective to stop Indian support for the Mukti
Bahini. This attack initiated the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which concluded with the unconditional
surrender of Pakistan forces on 16 December. Declaration of independence by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
 The violence unleashed by the Pakistani forces on 25 March 1971 proved the last straw to the efforts
to negotiate a settlement. Following these incidents, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman signed an official
declaration that read: Today Bangladesh is a sovereign and independent country. On Thursday night,
West Pakistani armed forces suddenly attacked the police barracks at Razarbagh and the EPR
headquarters at Pilkhana in Dacca. Many innocent and unarmed have been killed in Dhaka city and
other places of Bangladesh. Violent clashes between EPR. and Police on the one hand and the armed
forces of Pakistan on the other are going on. The Bengalis are fighting the enemy with great courage for
an independent Bangladesh. May Allah aid us in our fight for freedom. Joy Bangla [May Bangladesh be
victorious.  Sheikh Mujib also called upon the people to resist the occupation forces through a radio
Message. He was arrested on the night of 25–26 March 1971 at about 1:30 am (as per Radio Pakistan's
news on 29 March 1971).  the message was read several times by the independent Swadhin Bangla
Betar Kendro Radio established by some rebel Bangali Radio workers in Kalurghat.  Major Ziaur
Rahman was requested to provide security of the station and he also read the Declaration on 27 March
1971. Major Ziaur Rahman broadcast announcement of the declaration of independence on behalf of
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Such as: This is Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra. I, Major Ziaur Rahman, at the
direction of Bangobondhu Mujibur Rahman, hereby declare that Independent People's Republic of
Bangladesh has been established. At his direction, I have taken the command as the temporary Head of
the Republic. In the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I call upon all Bengalis to rise against the attack by
the West Pakistani Army. We shall fight to the last to free our motherland. Victory is, by the Grace of
Allah, ours. Joy Bangla.  The Kalurghat Radio Station's transmission capability was limited, but the
message was picked up by a Japanese ship in the Bay of Bengal. It was then 7 re-transmitted by Radio
Australia and later by the British Broadcasting Corporation. (Following the Pakistan Army's brutal
Operation Searchlight on 25 March 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the Independence of
Bangladesh and called for nationwide resistance on 26 March midnight, which led the Bangladesh
Liberation War to officially start within hours.) Thank You 8 Composition of Pakistan Armed Forces in
East Pakistan Operation Searchlight: Location of Pakistani and Bengali units on 25 March 1971. Some
unit locations are not shown. Operation Searchlight: Location of Pakistani targets in Dhaka on 25 March
1971. Map is not to exact scale. 9 Pakistani troops in Dhaka, commanded by Maj. Gen. Farman, had the
following objectives:[51]  Impose curfew at 0110 hrs and close telephone/telegraph/radio station and
shut all presses down  Seal off the city by taking over road, rail and river communication and patrol
river  Arrest Sheikh Mujib and 15 top Awami League leaders during operation  Conduct house to
house search in Dhanmondi and Hindu areas  Subdue Dhaka University, EPR HQ and Rajarbagh police
line, disarm 2nd and 10th EBR  Take over and protect Ammunition factory at Gazipur and Arms depot
at Rajendrapur. Course of events:[59] The Pakistani plan of action for Dhaka, as drawn up by Maj. Gen.
Farman, was: 1. 13th Frontier Force to stay in cantonment as reserve and provide security 2. 43rd Light
Ack Ack regiment was to secure Tejgaon airport 3. 22nd Baluch regiment would disarm the EPR and
seize wireless at Pilkhana EPR HQ 4. 32nd Punjab was to neutralise Rajarbag Police line 5. 18th Punjab
was to fan out and secure Nawabpur and old Dhaka 6. 31st Field was to secure Second capital,
Mohammadpur and Mirpur 7. A platoon from 3 SSG was to capture Sheikh Mujib 8. 22nd Baluch and
32nd Punjab was to neutralise Dhaka University "rebels" 9. 22 Baluch would be reinforced at Pilkhana
Chittagong Operation Searchlight: Location of Pakistani targets in Chittagong on 25 March 1971. Map is
not to exact scale. 10 Aftermath Operation Searchlight: Pakistan army operation 10 April – 19 June. Not
to exact scale and some troop movements/location are indicative only.

1 Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History
of Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 21 Operation Searchlight  Background  Requirements for
success  Creation of Mukti Bahini  Evaluation and importance  Declaration of independence by
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Operation Searchlight  Operation Searchlight was a planned military
operation carried out by the Pakistan Army to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in the erstwhile
East Pakistan in 25 March, 1971.  which the Pakistani state retrospectively justified on the basis of anti-
Bihari violence by Bengalis in early March. 2  Ordered by the central government in West Pakistan,The
original plan envisioned taking control of all of East Pakistan's major cities on 26 March, and then
eliminating all Bengali opposition, political or military, within one month.  Pakistani President Yahya
Khan at a conference in February 1971 said "Kill three million of them and the rest will eat out of our
hands." Prolonged Bengali resistance was not anticipated by the Pakistani military leaders.  The main
phase of Operation Searchlight ended with the fall of the last major Bengali-held town in mid-May. The
operation also precipitated the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, in which 300,000-3,000,000 civilians were
killed and roughly 10 million refugees fled to India.  Bengali intelligentsia, academics and Hindus were
targeted for the harshest treatment, with significant indiscriminate killing taking place.  These
systematic killings enraged the Bengalis, who declared independence from Pakistan, to establish the
new nation of Bangladesh.  The violence resulting from Operation Searchlight led to the Bangladesh
Liberation War, in which Mukti Bahini fought to remove Pakistani occupation forces from Bangladesh. 
Following the ill-fated Operation Chengiz Khan, Indian intervention resulted in the Pakistan Army's
unconditional surrender to the joint command of the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini on 16 December
1971. Background  After the Awami League had won a decisive majority (capturing 167 out of 313
seats) in the 1970 Pakistan parliamentary elections, the Bengali population expected a swift transfer of
power to the Awami League based on the Six Point Programme.  On 28 February 1971, Yahya Khan, the
President of Pakistan, under the pressure of PPP of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, postponed the national assembly
meeting scheduled for March. The Pakistan Peoples Party had already started lobbying to weaken the
stand of Sheikh Mujib, and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was heard saying that he wanted the Bengalis to stay
away.  The Awami League, in response to the postponement, launched a program of non-co-operation
(largely outlined in the 7 March Awami League rally) which was so successful that the authority of the
Pakistan government 3 became limited to the cantonments and government institutions in East
Pakistan.  Clashes between civilians and the Pakistani Army, and between Bengali and Bihari
communities erupted and became commonplace. President Yahya Khan flew to Dhaka to hold talks with
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, leader of the Awami League, in March, and was later joined by Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto, then the leader of Pakistan Peoples Party, which had secured the second largest share of seats
(81 out of 300) in the elections.[21]  Unwilling to transfer power to East Pakistan as demanded by
Awami League (fearing a transfer of power would weaken or destroy the federation), or to lose face by
backing down in face of the non-co-operation movement, the Pakistani generals, most of which
including Gul Hassan Khan supported the Pakistan Peoples Party, finally decided on a military
crackdown.  After the convening of the National Assembly was postponed by Yahya Khan on 1 March,
ethnic Biharis in East Pakistan, who supported West Pakistan, were targeted. In early March 1971 300
Biharis were killed in rioting by mobs in Chittagong. The Government of Pakistan used the 'Bihari
massacre' to justify its military intervention in East Pakistan on 25 March, when it initiated Operation
Searchlight.  Prior to the launch of the operation, a final meeting was held in General Headquarters
(GHQ). Governor of East Pakistan Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan objected to the planned
operation. Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of Dhaka airbase Air Commodore Mitty Masud also objected
to the operation, fearing that violence would provoke East-Pakistan into more violence. However, under
pressure  during the meeting from Pakistan's Army and Air Force's general, General Yahya Khan gave
orders to his Army and Air Force commanders to launch the operation. Requirements for success 1.
Operation to be launched simultaneously all across East Pakistan. 2. Maximum number of political and
student leaders, and those among cultural organisations and teaching staff to be arrested. 3. Operation
must achieve 100% success in Dhaka. Dhaka University would be occupied and searched. 4. Free and
greater use of fire authorised for securing cantonments. 5. All internal and international
communications to be cut off, including telephone, television, radio and telegraph. 4 6. All East Pakistani
(Bengali) troops to be neutralised by seizing weapons and ammunition. 7. To deceive the Awami League,
President Yahya Khan to pretend to continue dialogue, even if Mr. Bhutto disagrees, and to agree to
Awami League demands.  The designated centres of offensive operations under that plan were Dhaka,
Khulna, Chittagong, Comilla, Jessore, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Saidpur and Sylhet, areas where West Pakistani
army units were concentrated. Creation of Mukti Bahini The initial resistance, which started on 26
March, functioned without any central command structure. Senior Bengali army officers met at
Teliapara in Sylhet on 10 April, and selected Col. (ret) M. A. G. Osmani as commander of Bengali armed
forces. On 11 April Osmani designated four sector commanders: Major Zia for the Chittagong area,
Major Khaled Mussarraf for Comilla, Major Shafiullah for Sylhet and Major Abu Osman Chowdhury for
Jessore area. The Bangladesh government in exile was formed by the Awami League leadership on 17
April at Meherpur in Kushtia, which confirmed Col. Osmani as commander of Mukti Bahini (regular
armed forces and insurgents) under the authority of Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmad. Bangladesh Forces
Headquarters were set up in Kolkata (Calcutta) with Col. MAG Osmani as commander in chief, Lt. Col.
MA Rab as Chief of Staff (based in Agartala, Tripura), and Group Captain AR Khandker as deputy Chief of
Staff. The Bengali resistance, after being driven out of Bangladesh, began reorganising to focus on
irregular warfare.  Evaluation and importance  The Pakistani army maintained operational security,
for the most part, before the operation commenced. They also airlifted 2 infantry divisions (the 9th and
the 16th) to Bangladesh in a span of 4 weeks after 26 March, despite a ban on flights over India.  The
disorganised initial resistance of Bengali units was crushed by mid June, and the country was under
Pakistani control. As insurgent activity slacked off in July, civilians returned to work and trade resumed,
and Pakistanis could claim the country was almost "normal". On the surface, Operation Searchlight had
achieved most of its goals. Pakistani military leadership were satisfied with the results, even General Gul
Hasan, no admirer of the Pakistani operation in East Pakistan in General and of Gen. Niazi in 5 particular,
praised the efforts of Pakistani troops and their achievements in April 1971.[187]  The capture of
Sheikh Mujib might have been a big blow for the resistance had Tajuddin Ahmad failed to rally support
for his leadership from the other Awami League senior members and create the Bangladesh government
in exile.[188] The Pakistanis failed to capture the Awami League political leaders during the operation,
which was a crucial part of the plan. Out of the 167 elected Members of National Assembly and 299
members of Provential Assembly from Awami League, Pakistinis managed to kill 4, 4 surrendered
themselves while 2 were captured.[189] The rest moved to India, and using their networks and popular
support in Bangladesh, effectively organised the insurgency and joined the Bangladesh government in
Exile in various capacity.  The survival of the Awami League political apparatus permitted India to
channel aid through a structured organisation, rather than dealing with various resistance groups
competing for their support. The Awami League included elected members of parliament who claimed
to be legitimate representatives of the people, thus enhancing the credibility of the organisation in
international circles. Bengali army officers worked under civilian leaders, so there was no serious
struggle for power in the resistance. While civilian leadership ran the administration and coordinated
logistics, army personnel fought the war and trained freedom fighters.  Pakistani planners assumed
that if the political leadership was captured, the Bengali armed units disarmed, and the civilians
sufficiently terrorised, after a month no organised resistance would remain in East Pakistan. Their
assumptions were proven wrong in the long run. The political leadership escaped to organise the
resistance and lobby for international support, Bengali soldiers formed the core of the armed resistance,
and civilians, despite the terror campaign, supported the insurgency with logistics, intelligence and
volunteers for the irregular warfare.  Operation Searchlight included no follow-up plan. Anticipating a
relatively quick success, Pakistani planners did not plan for a long irregular war or the eventual
involvement of India. Pakistan had no regular troops to spare after stationing 4 divisions in Bangladesh
by November 1971 since they needed to maintain parity with the Indian army in the west. With the EPR
and police defecting, a large number of para military units were needed to police the country. Siddique
Salik estimated that Pakistan needed at least 250,000 to 300,000 troops, but even after organising the
Razakars (estimated strength 40,000), Pakistan could field only 150,000 (45,000 regular army, rest
paramilitary units) soldiers in Bangladesh. 6 The eventual strain of combating the insurgency caused
Pakistan to attack India on 3 December 1971, with the objective to stop Indian support for the Mukti
Bahini. This attack initiated the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which concluded with the unconditional
surrender of Pakistan forces on 16 December. Declaration of independence by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
 The violence unleashed by the Pakistani forces on 25 March 1971 proved the last straw to the efforts
to negotiate a settlement. Following these incidents, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman signed an official
declaration that read: Today Bangladesh is a sovereign and independent country. On Thursday night,
West Pakistani armed forces suddenly attacked the police barracks at Razarbagh and the EPR
headquarters at Pilkhana in Dacca. Many innocent and unarmed have been killed in Dhaka city and
other places of Bangladesh. Violent clashes between EPR. and Police on the one hand and the armed
forces of Pakistan on the other are going on. The Bengalis are fighting the enemy with great courage for
an independent Bangladesh. May Allah aid us in our fight for freedom. Joy Bangla [May Bangladesh be
victorious.  Sheikh Mujib also called upon the people to resist the occupation forces through a radio
Message. He was arrested on the night of 25–26 March 1971 at about 1:30 am (as per Radio Pakistan's
news on 29 March 1971).  the message was read several times by the independent Swadhin Bangla
Betar Kendro Radio established by some rebel Bangali Radio workers in Kalurghat.  Major Ziaur
Rahman was requested to provide security of the station and he also read the Declaration on 27 March
1971. Major Ziaur Rahman broadcast announcement of the declaration of independence on behalf of
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Such as: This is Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra. I, Major Ziaur Rahman, at the
direction of Bangobondhu Mujibur Rahman, hereby declare that Independent People's Republic of
Bangladesh has been established. At his direction, I have taken the command as the temporary Head of
the Republic. In the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I call upon all Bengalis to rise against the attack by
the West Pakistani Army. We shall fight to the last to free our motherland. Victory is, by the Grace of
Allah, ours. Joy Bangla.  The Kalurghat Radio Station's transmission capability was limited, but the
message was picked up by a Japanese ship in the Bay of Bengal. It was then 7 re-transmitted by Radio
Australia and later by the British Broadcasting Corporation. (Following the Pakistan Army's brutal
Operation Searchlight on 25 March 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the Independence of
Bangladesh and called for nationwide resistance on 26 March midnight, which led the Bangladesh
Liberation War to officially start within hours.) Thank You 8 Composition of Pakistan Armed Forces in
East Pakistan Operation Searchlight: Location of Pakistani and Bengali units on 25 March 1971. Some
unit locations are not shown. Operation Searchlight: Location of Pakistani targets in Dhaka on 25 March
1971. Map is not to exact scale. 9 Pakistani troops in Dhaka, commanded by Maj. Gen. Farman, had the
following objectives:[51]  Impose curfew at 0110 hrs and close telephone/telegraph/radio station and
shut all presses down  Seal off the city by taking over road, rail and river communication and patrol
river  Arrest Sheikh Mujib and 15 top Awami League leaders during operation  Conduct house to
house search in Dhanmondi and Hindu areas  Subdue Dhaka University, EPR HQ and Rajarbagh police
line, disarm 2nd and 10th EBR  Take over and protect Ammunition factory at Gazipur and Arms depot
at Rajendrapur. Course of events:[59] The Pakistani plan of action for Dhaka, as drawn up by Maj. Gen.
Farman, was: 1. 13th Frontier Force to stay in cantonment as reserve and provide security 2. 43rd Light
Ack Ack regiment was to secure Tejgaon airport 3. 22nd Baluch regiment would disarm the EPR and
seize wireless at Pilkhana EPR HQ 4. 32nd Punjab was to neutralise Rajarbag Police line 5. 18th Punjab
was to fan out and secure Nawabpur and old Dhaka 6. 31st Field was to secure Second capital,
Mohammadpur and Mirpur 7. A platoon from 3 SSG was to capture Sheikh Mujib 8. 22nd Baluch and
32nd Punjab was to neutralise Dhaka University "rebels" 9. 22 Baluch would be reinforced at Pilkhana
Chittagong Operation Searchlight: Location of Pakistani targets in Chittagong on 25 March 1971. Map is
not to exact scale. 10 Aftermath Operation Searchlight: Pakistan army operation 10 April – 19 June. Not
to exact scale and some troop movements/location are indicative only.

1 Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History
of Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 20 The Historical Speech of 7th March  Background  The
speech  Reaction of this Speech  Recording  Cultural Works of this Speech  Significance of this
Speech 2 7 March Speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivering his speech on 7 March
1971 Native nam e বঙ্গবন্ধু র ৭ই মার্েচর ভাষণ Date 7th March, 1971 Time 2:45 pm — 3:03 pm Duration
Approximately 19 Minutes Venue Race Course (Race Course Moydan in native language), Bangladesh
(then East Pakistan ) Location 3 Ramna, Dhaka Background 1. Pakistan was created in 1947, during the
Partition of India, as a Muslim homeland in South Asia. Its territory comprised most of the
Muslimmajority provinces of British India, including two geographically and culturally separate areas,
one east of India and the other west. 2. The western zone was popularly (and, for a period, officially)
called West Pakistan; the eastern zone (modern-day Bangladesh) was called East Bengal and then East
Pakistan. 3. West Pakistan dominated the country politically, and its leaders exploited the East
economically, leading to popular grievances. 4. In 1966, the Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujib,
launched the Six Point Movement to demand provincial autonomy for East Pakistan. The Pakistani
establishment rejected the league's proposals. 5. the military government arrested Sheikh Mujib and
charged him with treason in the Agartala Conspiracy Case. After three years in jail, Mujib was released in
1969, and the case against him was dropped in the face of mass protests and widespread violence in
East Pakistan. 6. In 1970, the Awami League, the largest East Pakistani political party, won a landslide
victory in national elections, winning 167 of the 169 seats allotted to East Pakistan and a majority of the
313 seats in the National Assembly. This gave it the constitutional right to form a government. 7.
However, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party and a member of the Sindhi ethnic
group, refused to allow Sheikh Mujib to become prime minister. Instead, he proposed having two prime
ministers, one for each wing. 8. Negotiations began in Dhaka between the two sides. In January 1971,
after the first round of negotiations, President Yahya Khan promised in the Dhaka airport that Sheikh
Mujib would be the next prime minister and that the newly elected National Assembly would convene
on 3 March 1971. 4 9. However, Bhutto was vehemently opposed to a Bengali becoming prime minister,
and he began a campaign of racially charged speeches across West Pakistan to invoke fear of Bengali
domination. He warned West Pakistani MPs-elect not to travel to the East. 10. Fearing a civil war, Bhutto
secretly sent an associate, Mubashir Hassan, to meet with Sheikh Mujib and members of his inner circle.
It was decided that Sheikh Mujib would serve as prime minister, with Bhutto as president. These talks
were kept hidden from the public and from the armed forces. Meanwhile, Bhutto pressured Yahya Khan
to take a stance. 11. On 3 March, the convening of the National Assembly was postponed until 25
March, leading to an outcry across East Pakistan. 12. Violence broke out in Dhaka, Chittagong, Rangpur,
Comilla, Rajshahi, Sylhet, and Khulna, and the security forces killed dozens of unarmed protesters.
13.There were open calls for Sheikh Mujib to declare independence from Pakistan, and the Awami
League called a large public gathering at Dhaka's Ramna Race Course on 7 March to respond. The
speech  Bangabandhu started with the lines, "Today, I appeared before you with a heavy heart. You
know everything and understand as well. We tried with our lives. But the painful matter is that today, in
Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi and Rangpur, the streets are dyed red with the blood of our
brethren. Today the people of Bengal want freedom, the people of Bengal want to survive, the people of
Bengal want to have their rights. What wrong did we do?"  He mentioned four conditions for joining
the National Assembly on 25 March: 1. The immediate lifting of martial law; 2. The immediate
withdrawal of all military personnel to their barracks; 3. The immediate transfer of power to elected
representatives of the people; 4. A proper inquiry into the loss of life during the conflict.  He also gave
several directives for a civil disobedience movement, instructing that: 5 1. People should not pay taxes;
2. Government servants should take orders only from him; 3. The secretariat, government and semi-
government offices, and courts in East Pakistan should observe strikes, with necessary exemptions
announced from time to time; 4. Only local and inter-district telephone lines should function; 5.
Railways and ports could continue to function, but their workers should not co-operate if they were
used to repress the people of East Pakistan.  The speech lasted about 19 minutes and concluded with,
"Our struggle, this time, is a struggle for our freedom. Our struggle, this time, is a struggle for our
independence. Joy Bangla!" It was a de facto declaration of Bangladesh's independence. Reaction of
this Speech  Between 10 and 13 March, Pakistan International Airlines cancelled all their international
routes to urgently fly "government passengers" to Dacca. These "government passengers" were almost
all Pakistani soldiers in civilian dress. MV Swat, a ship of the Pakistan Navy carrying ammunition and
soldiers, was harbored in Chittagong Port.  The Bengali workers and sailors at the port refused to
unload the ship. A unit of East Pakistan Rifles refused to obey commands to fire on the Bengali
demonstrators, beginning a mutiny among the Bengali soldiers. Recording  The Pakistan government
didn't give permission to live broadcast the speech through radio and television on 7 March 1971. 
AHM Salahuddin who was the then chairman of Pakistan International Film Corporation and M Abul
Khayer, a then member of the National Assembly from East Pakistan, made arrangements to record the
video and audio of the speech.  The video was recorded by actor Abul Khair who was the Director of
Films under Ministry of Information of Pakistan at the time. The audio of the speech was recorded by HN
Khondokar, a technician of the Ministry of Information. 6  The audio record was developed and
archived by Dhaka Record, a record label owned by M Abul Khayer. Later on, copy of the audio and
video recording was handed over to Sheikh Mujib and a copy of the audio was sent to India.  3000
copies of the audio were distributed by Indian record label HMV Records throughout the world.
Cultural Works o this Speech  The documentary film Muktir Gaan, by Tareque Masud and Catherine
Masud, begins with a video of the speech.  The novelist and columnist Anisul Hoque incorporated the
speech into his historical novel Maa, published in 2004.  In his novel The Black Coat, Bangladeshi-
Canadian author Neamat Imam created a character called Nur Hussain who memorised the speech
during the Bangladesh famine of 1974. Significance of this Speech  Ziaur Rahman (later President of
Bangladesh) wrote in the magazine Bichittra on 26 March 1974 that the speech had inspired him to take
part in the 1971 Liberation War.  The speech was included in the book We Shall Fight on the Beaches:
The Speeches That Inspired History, by Jacob F. Field.  The speech is on the Memory of the World
Register of UNESCO, a list of world's important documentary heritage. Irina Bokova, Director General of
UNESCO announced the decision at its headquarter in Paris on 30 October 2017. Thank You 7

1 Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History
of Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 23 The war of Liberation 1971  Formation of Bangladesh
government (Mujibnagar Government)  proclamation of Independence  Resistance:  Mukti Fouz 
Mukti Bahini  Mujib Bahini  Publicity Campaign:  Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendra  The Campaigns
abroad  Formation of Bangladesh government (Mujibnagar Government)  Mujibnagar Government
the government constituted at Mujibnagar to conduct the Bangladesh war of liberation.  It formed on
10 April 1971 after the declaration of independence on 26 March 1971.  The Mujibnagar government
headed by Tajuddin Ahmad took oath on 17 April 1971 at Mujibnagar. 2  This government had also
been known as Mujibnagar Government in-exile, as the activities of the government had been
conducted from outside of the territory of Bangladesh.  Formation of the government  On 10 April a
government was formed consisting of the top ranking leaders of awami league. The oath taking
ceremony of the government took place on 17 April at Baidyanathtala, in the district of Meherpur.  The
oath taking ceremony was conducted by Abdul Mannan and the proclamation of independence was
read out by Professor Mohammad Yusuf Ali. In this place a guard of honour was given to Syed nazrul
Islam, the Acting President of the newly formed government.  Assignment of portfolios  Although the
government was formed on 10 April and its oath was taken on 17 April 1971, the portfolios were
assigned among the ministers on 18 April. The incumbents of the government were: Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman President Syed Nazrul Islam Vice President, (Entrusted with the powers,
functions and responsibilities of the President since the President himself was then detained in
Pakistan). Tajuddin Ahmad Prime Minister, In charge of Defence, Information, Broadcasting and
Communications, Economic Affairs, Planning Division, Education, Local Government, Health, Labour,
Social Welfare, Establishment as well as other affairs the responsibility of which was not yet entrusted to
any one. Khondakar Mostaq Ahmad Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Law and Parliamentary Affairs.
M Mansur Ali Minister, Ministry of Finance, Industry and Commerce. AHM Qamaruzzaman Minister,
Ministry of Home, Civil Supplies, Relief and Rehabilitation, Agriculture. 3  Mujibnagar government was
divided into fifteen ministries and divisions. Besides, some divisions were placed under the Cabinet. 
Proclamation of Independence  The independence of Bangladesh was declared on 26 March 1971 at
the onset of the Bangladesh Liberation War by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Later on March
27, the declaration was broadcast by Major Ziaur Rahman over radio, (declaration by Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman and the radio broadcast by Ziaur Rahman were widely circulated in the international press in
late March 1971).  On 10 April, the Provisional Government of Bangladesh issued a proclamation on
the basis of the previous declaration and established an interim constitution for the independence
movement.  On 17 April 1971, the Provisional Government of Bangladesh was formed in Mujibnagar. It
converted the elected Bengali members of the national and provincial assemblies of Pakistan into the
Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh.  The constituent assembly issued a second proclamation of
independence, which also served as the fundamental law of Bangladesh until the adoption of the
constitution in 1972. The text is given in the following: Declaration by the Constituent Assembly
PROCLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE Mujibnagar, Bangladesh Dated 10th day of April 1971. Whereas
free elections were held in Bangladesh from 7 December 1970 to 17 January 1971, to elect
representatives for the purpose of framing a Constitution, AND Whereas at these elections the people of
Bangladesh elected 167 out of 169 representatives belonging to the Awami League, AND 4 Whereas
General Yahya Khan summoned the elected representatives of the people to meet on 3 March 1971, for
the purpose of framing a Constitution, AND Whereas the Assembly so summoned was arbitrarily and
illegally postponed for indefinite period, AND Whereas instead of fulfilling their promise and while still
conferring with the representatives of the people of Bangladesh, Pakistan authorities declared an unjust
and treacherous war, AND Whereas in the facts and circumstances of such treacherous conduct
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the undisputed leader of the 75 million people of Bangladesh, in
due fulfillment of the legitimate right of self-determination of the people of Bangladesh, duly made a
declaration of independence at Dacca on 26 March 1971, and urged the people of Bangladesh to defend
the honour and integrity of Bangladesh, AND Whereas in the conduct of a ruthless and savage war the
Pakistani authorities committed and are still continuously committing numerous acts of genocide and
unprecedented tortures, amongst others on the civilian and unarmed people of Bangladesh, AND
Whereas the Pakistan Government by levying an unjust war and committing genocide and by other
repressive measures made it impossible for the elected representatives of the people of Bangladesh to
meet and frame a Constitution, and give to themselves a Government, AND Whereas the people of
Bangladesh by their heroism, bravery and revolutionary fervour have established effective control over
the territories of Bangladesh, We the elected representatives of the people of Bangladesh, as honour
bound by the mandate given to us by the people of Bangladesh whose will is supreme duly constituted
ourselves into a Constituent Assembly, and having held mutual consultations, and in order to ensure for
the people of Bangladesh equality, human dignity and social justice, declare and constitute Bangladesh
to be sovereign People's Republic and thereby confirm the declaration of independence already made
by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and do hereby affirm and resolve that till such time as a
Constitution is framed, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman shall be the President of the Republic and
that Syed Nazrul Islam shall be the Vice President of the Republic, and that the President shall be the
Supreme Commander of all the Armed Forces of the Republic, shall exercise all the Executive and
Legislative powers of the Republic including the power to grant pardon, shall have the power to appoint
a Prime Minister and such other Ministers as he considers necessary, shall have the power to levy taxes
and expend monies, shall have the power to summon and adjourn the Constituent Assembly, and do all
other things that may be necessary to give to the people of Bangladesh an orderly and just Government,
We the elected representatives of the people of Bangladesh do further resolve that in the event of there
being no President or the President being unable to enter upon his office or being unable to 5 exercise
his powers and duties, due to any reason whatsoever, the Vice-President shall have and exercise all the
powers, duties and responsibilities herein conferred on the President, We further resolve that we
undertake to observe and give effect to all duties and obligations that devolve upon us as a member of
the family of nations and under the Charter of United Nations, We further resolve that this proclamation
of independence shall be deemed to have come into effect from 26th day of March 1971. We further
resolve that in order to give effect to this instrument we appoint Prof. Yusuf Ali our duly Constituted
Potentiary and to give to the President and the Vice-President oaths of office. PROF. YUSUF ALI Duly
Constituted Potentiary By and under the authority of the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh Vice
President, Prime Minister, Ministers and Commander-in-Chief Incharge of Mujibnagar Government 6
েঘাষণাপত্েরর পূর্ণ িববরণ বাংলােদশ গণপিরষদ দ্বারা েঘাষণা স্বাধীনতার েঘাষণাপত্র মুিজবনগর, বাংলােদশ
তািরখ: ১০ এপ্িরল ১৯৭১ েযেহতু ১৯৭০ সােলর ৭ িডেসম্বর েথেক ১৯৭১ সােলর ১৭ জানুয়াির পর্যন্ত বাংলােদেশ
অবাধ িনর্বাচেনর মাধ্যেম শাসনতন্ত্র রচনার উদ্েদশ্েয প্রিতিনিধ িনর্বািচত করা হেয়িছল; এবং েযেহতু এই িনর্বাচেন
বাংলােদেশর জনগণ ১৬৯িট আসেনর মধ্েয আওয়ামী লীগ দলীয় ১৬৭ জন প্রিতিনিধ িনর্বািচত কেরিছল; এবং
েযেহতুে জনােরল ইয়ািহয়া খান ১৯৭১ সেনর ৩রা মার্চ তািরেখ শাসনতন্ত্র রচনার উদ্েদশ্েয িনর্বািচত প্রিতিনিধেদর
অিধেবশন আহ্বান কেরন; এবং েযেহতুি তিন আহূত এই অিধেবশন স্েবচ্ছাচার এবং েবআইিনভােব অিনর্িদষ্টকােলর
জন্য বন্ধ েঘাষণা কেরন; এবং েযেহতু পািকস্তান কর্তৃ পক্ষ তােদর প্রিতশ্রুিত পালন করার পিরবর্েত বাংলােদেশর
জনপ্রিতিনিধেদর সঙ্েগ পারষ্পিরক আেলাচনাকােল ন্যায়নীিত বিহর্ভূ ত এবং িবশ্বাসঘাতকতামূলক যুদ্ধ েঘাষণা কেরন;
7 এবং েযেহতু উল্িলিখত িবশ্বাসঘাতকতামূলক কােজর জন্য উদ্ভূ ত পিরস্িথিতর পিরপ্েরক্িষেত বাংলােদেশর
সােড়সাত েকািট মানুেষর অিবসংবািদত েনতা েশখ মুিজবুর রহমান জনগেণর আত্মিনয়ন্ত্রণািধকার অর্জে নর আইনানুগ
অিধকার প্রিতষ্ঠার জন্য ১৯৭১ সােলর ২৬েশ মার্চ ঢাকায় যথাযথভােব স্বাধীনতা েঘাষণা কেরন, এবং বাংলােদেশর অখণ্ডতা
ও মর্যাদা রক্ষার জন্য বাংলােদেশর জনগেণর প্রিত উদাত্ত আহ্বান জানান; এবং েযেহতু পািকস্তান কর্তৃ পক্ষ বর্বর ও নৃশংস
যুদ্ধ পিরচালনা কেরেছ এবং এখনও বাংলােদেশর েবসামিরক ও িনরস্ত্র জনগেণর িবরুদ্েধ নিজরিবহীন গণহত্যা ও
িনর্যাতন চালাচ্েছ; এবং েযেহতু পািকস্তান সরকার অন্যায় যুদ্ধ ও গণহত্য এবং নানািবধ নৃশংস অত্যাচার পিরচালনার
দ্বারা বাংলােদেশর গণপ্রিতিনিধেদর পক্েষ একত্িরত হেয় শাসনতন্ত্র প্রণয়ন কের জনগেণর সরকার প্রিতষ্ঠা করা অসম্ভব
কের তুে লেছ; এবং েযেহতু বাংলােদেশর জনগণ তােদর বীরত্ব, সাহিসকতা ও িবপ্লবী কার্যক্রেমর মাধ্যেম বাংলােদেশর উপর
তােদর কার্যকির কর্তৃ ত্ব প্রিতষ্ঠা কেরেছ; সার্বেভৗম ক্ষমতার অিধকারী বাংলােদেশর জনগণ িনর্বািচত প্রিতিনিধেদর প্রিত েয
ম্যান্েডট িদেয়েছন েস ম্যান্েডট েমাতােবক আমরা, িনর্বািচত প্রিতিনিধরা, আমােদর সমবােয় গণপিরষদ গঠন
কের পারষ্পিরক আলাপ-আেলাচনার মাধ্যেম বাংলােদেশর জনগেণর জন্য সাম্য, মানিবক মর্যাদা ও সামািজক ন্যায়িবচার
প্রিতষ্ঠা করার উদ্েদশ্েয বাংলােদশেক একিট সার্বেভৗম গণপ্রজাতন্ত্র েঘাষণা করিছ এবং এর দ্বারা পূর্বাহ্েন
বঙ্গবন্ধুে শখ মুিজবুর রহমােনর স্বাধীনতা েঘাষণা অনুেমাদন করিছ; এবং এতদ্বারা আমরা আরও িসদ্ধান্ত েঘাষণা করিছ
েয শাসনতন্ত্র প্রণীত না হওয়া পর্যন্ত বঙ্গবন্ধু েশখ মুিজবুর রহমান প্রজাতন্ত্েরর রাষ্ট্রপ্রধান এবং ৈসয়দ নজরুল ইসলাম
উপ-রাষ্ট্রপ্রধান পেদ অিধষ্িঠত থাকেবন; এবং রাষ্ট্রপ্রধান প্রজাতন্ত্েরর সশস্ত্র বািহনীসমূেহর সর্বািধনায়ক পেদ অিধষ্িঠত
থাকেবন; ক্ষমা প্রদর্শেনর ক্ষমতাসহ সর্বপ্রকার প্রশাসিনক ও আইন প্রণয়েনর ক্ষমতার অিধকারী থাকেবন; এবং তার কর ধার্য
ও অর্থব্যেয়র ক্ষমতা থাকেব; এবং বাংলােদেশর জনসাধারেণর জন্য আইনানুগ ও িনয়মতান্ত্িরক সরকার প্রিতষ্ঠার জন্য
অন্যান্য প্রেয়াজনীয় সকল ক্ষমতারও িতিন অিধকারী হেবন। বাংলােদেশর জনগণ দ্বারা িনর্বািচত প্রিতিনিধ িহসােব
আমরা আরও িসদ্ধান্ত েঘাষণা করিছ েয, েকােনা কারেণ যিদ রাষ্ট্রপ্রধান না থােকন অথবা যিদ রাষ্ট্রপ্রধান কােজ
েযাগদান করেত না পােরন অথবা তার দািয়ত্ব ও কর্ত ব্য পালেন যিদ অক্ষম হন, তেব রাষ্ট্রপ্রধান প্রদত্ত সকল দািয়ত্ব উপ-
রাষ্ট্রপ্রধান পালন করেবন। আমরা আরও িসদ্ধান্ত েঘাষণা করিছ েয, িবশ্েবর একিট জািত িহসােব এবং
জািতসংেঘর সনদ েমাতােবক আমােদর উপর েয দািয়ত্ব ও কর্ত ব্য বর্েতেছ তা যথাযথভােব আমরা পালন করব।
আমরা আরও িসদ্ধান্ত েঘাষণা করিছ েয, আমােদর এই স্বাধীনতার েঘাষণা ১৯৭১ সেনর ২৬েশ মার্চ েথেক কার্যকর
বেল গণ্য হেব। আমরা আরও িসদ্ধান্ত েঘাষণা করিছ েয, আমােদর এই িসদ্ধান্ত কার্যকর করার জন্য আমরা 8
অধ্যাপক এম. ইউসুফ আলীেক যথাযথভােব রাষ্ট্রপ্রধান ও উপ-রাষ্ট্রপ্রধােনর শপথ গ্রহণ অনুষ্ঠান পিরচালনার জন্য দািয়ত্ব
অর্পণ ও িনযুক্ত করলাম। স্বাক্ষর: অধ্যাপক এম. ইউসুফ আলী বাংলােদশ গণপিরষেদর ক্ষমতা দ্বারা এবং ক্ষমতাবেল
যথািবিধ সর্বািধক ক্ষমতািধকারী।  Resistance: Mukti Fouz, Mukti Bahini, Mujib Bahini  Mukti Fouz :during
the War of Liberation, an earlier Bangladesh Forces, named Mukti Fauj. They consisted of the
Bangladeshi military, paramilitary and civilians during the War of Liberation that transformed East
Pakistan into Bangladesh in 1971.  Mukti Bahini: The initial resistance, which started on 26 March,
functioned without any central command structure. Senior Bengali army officers met at Teliapara in
Sylhet on 10 April, and selected Col. (ret) M. A. G. Osmani as commander of Bengali armed forces. On 11
April Osmani designated four sector commanders: Major Zia for the Chittagong area, Major Khaled
Mussarraf for Comilla, Major Shafiullah for Sylhet and Major Abu Osman Chowdhury for Jessore area.
The Bangladesh government in exile was formed by the Awami League leadership on 17 April at
Meherpur in Kushtia, which confirmed Col. Osmani as commander of Mukti Bahini (regular armed forces
and insurgents) under the authority of Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmad. Bangladesh Forces Headquarters
were set up in Kolkata (Calcutta) with Col. MAG Osmani as commander in chief, Lt. Col. MA Rab as Chief
of Staff (based in Agartala, Tripura), and Group Captain AR Khandker as deputy Chief of Staff. The
Bengali resistance, after being driven out of Bangladesh, began reorganising to focus on irregular
warfare.  Mujib Bahini: The Mujib Bahini, or Bangladesh Liberation Force (BLF), was an armed force
formed during the Bangladesh Liberation War to fight against Pakistan in 1971. The force was mainly
composed of activists drawn from the Awami League and its student front, the Chhatra League. At its 9
height, it had reportedly 13000 members. It was organised with the active assistance of Major General
Sujan Singh Uban of the Indian Army. Student League leaders Serajul Alam Khan and Sheikh Fazlul
Haque Mani, Tofael Ahmed, and Abdur Razzaq, MP were the organizers of this special force. Famous
business person Mr. Anjan Chowdhury was also an active member of this force.  Publicity Campaign:
Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendra  Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra ('Free Bengal Radio Centre') was the radio
broadcasting centre of Bengali nationalist forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.  This
station played a vital role in liberation struggle, broadcasting the Declaration of Independence and
increasing mental state of Bangladeshis during the war. In 1971, radio was the only media reaching to
the far ends of Bangladesh.  It ran a propaganda campaign through the war. Mr Sufi barkat-e-khoda
was one of the artists in this show. Thank You

Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History of
Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 24 The war of Liberation 1971  The role of foreign countries 
The Anti-liberation activities:  The Peace Committee  Al-Badar  Al-Shams  Rajakars  The role of
foreign countries Following Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's declaration of independence in March 1971, a
worldwide campaign was undertaken by the Provisional Government of Bangladesh to drum up political
support for the independence of East Pakistan as well as humanitarian support for the Bengali people.
India: Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi provided extensive diplomatic and political support to the
Bangladesh movement. She toured many countries in a bid to create awareness of the Pakistani
atrocities against Bengalis. This effort was to prove vital later during the war, in framing the world's
context of the war and to justify military action by India. Also, following Pakistan's defeat, it ensured
prompt recognition of the newly independent state of Bangladesh. France: French minister Andre
Malraux vowed to fight alongside the Mukti Bahini in the Liberation War. The USA The US government
stood by its old ally Pakistan in terms of diplomacy and military threats. US President Richard Nixon and
his National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger feared Soviet expansion into South and Southeast Asia.
Pakistan was a close ally of the People's Republic of China, with whom Nixon had been negotiating a
rapprochement and which he intended to visit in February 1972. Nixon feared that an Indian invasion of
West Pakistan would mean total Soviet domination of the region, and that it would seriously undermine
the global position of the United States and the regional position of America's new tacit ally, China. To
demonstrate to China the bona fides of the United States as an ally, and in direct violation of the US
Congress-imposed sanctions on Pakistan, Nixon sent military supplies to Pakistan and routed them
through Jordan and Iran, while also encouraging China to increase its arms supplies to Pakistan. The
Nixon administration also ignored reports it received of the genocidal activities of the Pakistani Army in
East Pakistan, most notably the Blood telegram. The Nixon administration was widely criticised for its
close ties with the military junta led by General Yahya Khan. American diplomats in East Pakistan
expressed profound dissent in the Blood Telegram. Nixon denied getting involved in the situation, saying
that it was an internal matter of Pakistan, but when Pakistan's defeat seemed certain, Nixon sent the
aircraft carrier USS Enterprise to the Bay of Bengal. Senator Ted Kennedy led US congressional support
for Bangladeshi independence The Soviet Union (USSR) The Soviet Union supported Bangladesh and
Indian armies, as well as the Mukti Bahini during the war, recognizing that the independence of
Bangladesh would weaken the position of its rivals—the United States and the People's Republic of
China. It gave assurances to India that if a confrontation with the United States or China developed, the
USSR would take countermeasures. This was enshrined in the Indo-Soviet friendship treaty signed in
August 1971. The Soviets also sent a nuclear submarine to ward off the threat posed by USS Enterprise
in the Indian Ocean. At the end of the war, the Warsaw Pact countries were among the first to recognise
Bangladesh. The Soviet Union accorded recognition to Bangladesh on 25 January 1972. The United
States delayed recognition for some months, before according it on 8 April 1972. China As a long-
standing ally of Pakistan, the People's Republic of China reacted with alarm to the evolving situation in
East Pakistan and the prospect of India invading West Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. On
December 10, 1971, US President Nixon instructed Henry Kissinger to ask the Chinese to move some
forces toward the frontier with India. Nixon said, "Threaten to move forces or move them, Henry, that's
what they must do now." Kissinger met with Huang Hua, China's Permanent Representative to the
United Nations, later that evening. The Chinese did not, however, respond to this encouragement,
because unlike the 1962 Sino-Indian War when India was caught entirely unaware, this time the Indian
Army was prepared and had deployed eight mountain divisions to the Sino-Indian border to guard
against such an eventuality. China instead threw its weight behind demands for an immediate ceasefire.
When Bangladesh applied for membership to the United Nations in 1972, China vetoed their application
because two United Nations resolutions regarding the repatriation of Pakistani prisoners of war and
civilians had not yet been implemented. China was also among the last countries to recognize
independent Bangladesh, refusing to do so until 31 August 1975. Sri Lanka Sri Lanka saw the partition of
Pakistan as an example for themselves and feared India might use its enhanced power against them in
the future. Despite the left wing government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike following a neutral non-aligned
foreign policy, Sri Lanka decided to help Pakistan in the war. As Pakistani aircraft could not fly over the
Indian Territory, they would have to take a longer route around India and so they stopped at
Bandaranaike Airport in Sri Lanka where they were refuelled before flying to East Pakistan. Bhutan As
the Bangladesh Liberation War approached the defeat of the Pakistan Army, the Himalayan kingdom of
Bhutan became the first state in the world to recognise the newly independent country on 6 December
1971. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first President of Bangladesh visited Bhutan to attend the coronation
of Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth King of Bhutan in June 1974. Arab World As many Arab countries
were allied with both the United States and Pakistan, it was easy for Kissinger to encourage them to
participate. He sent letters to both, the King of Jordan and the King of Saudi Arabia. President Nixon
gave permission for Jordan to send ten F-104s and promised to provide replacements. According to
author Martin Bowman, "Libyan F-5s were reportedly deployed to Sargodha AFB, perhaps as a potential
training unit to prepare Pakistani pilots for an influx of more F-5s from Saudi Arabia." Libyan dictator
Gaddafi also personally directed a strongly worded letter to Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
accusing her of aggression against Pakistan, which endeared him to all Pakistanis. In addition to these
three countries, an unidentified Middle Eastern ally also supplied Pakistan with Mirage IIIs. However,
other countries such as Syria and Tunisia were against interfering describing it as an internal matter of
Pakistan. Iran During the course of the conflict, Iran also stood with Pakistan politically and
diplomatically. It was concerned with the imminent break-up of Pakistan which, it feared, would have
caused the state to fractionalise into small pieces, ultimately resulting in Iran's encirclement by rivals. At
the beginning of the conflict, Iran had helped Pakistan by sheltering PAF's fighter jets and providing it
with free fuel to take part in the conflict, in an attempt to keep Pakistan's regional integrity united When
Pakistan called for unilateral ceasefire and the surrender was announced, the Shah of Iran hastily
responded by preparing the Iranian military to come up with contingency plans to forcefully invade
Pakistan and annex its Balochistan province into its side of Balochistan, by any means necessary, before
anybody else did it. United Nations Though the United Nations condemned the human rights violations
during and following Operation Searchlight, it failed to defuse the situation politically before the start of
the war. Following India's entry into the war, Pakistan, fearing certain defeat, made urgent appeals to
the United Nations to intervene and force India to agree to a ceasefire. The UN Security Council
assembled on 4 December 1971 to discuss the hostilities in South Asia. After lengthy discussions on 7
December, the United States made a resolution for "immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of troops".
While supported by the majority, the USSR vetoed the resolution twice. In light of the Pakistani
atrocities against Bengalis, the United Kingdom and France abstained on the resolution. Anti Liberation
Activities Razakar: It means volunteer was an anti-Bangladesh paramilitary force organized by the
Pakistan Army in then East Pakistan, now called Bangladesh, during the Bangladesh Liberation War in
1971. Since the 1971 war, it has become a pejorative term (implying traitor) in Bangladesh due to the
numerous atrocities committed by the Razakars during the War. The Razakar force was composed of
mostly anti-Bangladesh and pro-Pakistan Bengalis and Urdu-speaking migrants who lived in Bangladesh
at the time. The Al-Shams The Razakars had two branches they were Al-Badr and Al-Shams paramilitary
forces. It was an anti-Bangladesh paramilitary wing of several Islamist parties in East Pakistan composed
of local Bengalis and Muhajirs that along with the Pakistan Army and the Al-Badr, is accused of
conducting a mass killing campaign against Bengali nationalists, civilians, religious and ethnic minorities
during 1971Al-Shams is an Arabic word meaning 'The Sun'. Al Shams and Al-Badr were local Bengali and
Bihari armed groups formed by the Pakistan Army. The Al-Badr It was a paramilitary force composed
mainly of Bihari Muslims which operated in East Pakistan against the Bengali nationalist movement
during the Bangladesh Liberation War, under the patronage of the Pakistani government The name of
the paramilitary formation, Al-Badr, means the full moon. East Pakistan Central Peace Committee It
known as the Nagorik Shanti Committee (Citizen's Peace Committee), or more commonly Peace
Committee or Shanti Committee, was one of several committees formed in East Pakistan (present-day
Bangladesh) in 1971 by the Pakistan Army to aid its efforts in crushing the rebellion for Bangladesh
independence. Nurul Amin, as a leader of Pakistan Democratic Party, led the formation of the Shanti
Committee to thwart the Mukti Bahini who fought for the independence of Bangladesh. On 25 March
1971, the liberation war began. On 4 April 1971, twelve pro-Pakistan leaders, including Nurul Amin,
Ghulam Azam and Khwaja Khairuddin, met General Tikka Khan of the Pakistan Army and assured him of
co-operation in opposing the Bangladesh rebellion. After subsequent meetings, they announced the
formation of the Citizen Peace Committee, with 140 members. The first recruits included 96 Jamaat-e-
Islami members, who started training in an Ansar camp at Khanjahan Ali Road, Khulna. The Shanti
Committee is also alleged to have recruited Razakars. Thank You

Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History of
Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 25 The war of Liberation and Emergence of Bangladesh 
Homecoming of Bangabondhu  1 st constitution of Bangladesh  Related Persons to preparing the 1st
constitution of Bangladesh  Principals of 1st constitution of Bangladesh  Homecoming of
Bangabondhu  On 10 January, 1972, Bangabandhu had returned to independent and sovereign
Bangladesh after over nine and a half months of captivity in a Pakistan jail.  Bangabandhu was
subjected to inhuman torture in the jail where he had been counting moments for the execution of his
death sentence that was pronounced in a farcical trial.  Bangabandhu inspired the Bangalee nation. He
was the inspiration of the freedom fighters.  Under his undaunted leadership, the Bangalee nation
earned the ultimate victory through the nine-month Liberation War in 1971. The defeated Pakistani
rulers were finally compelled to release Bangabandhu from jail. The victory of the Bangalees attained its
fulfillment with his release.  All respected him for his uncompromising stance on the honor of Bangla
as a state language, the autonomy of East Bengal (later he called it Bangladesh), the stance on equality
as reflected in the historic ‘Six-Points’.  He used to speak out for the peasants not only in public
meetings but as well as in the parliament. Back in January 1971 when he was elected overwhelmingly as
the leader of the National Assembly of Pakistan he categorically said he would not compromise on the
interests of his people. He said: ‘I do not aspire to be the Prime Minister. Prime Ministers come and go. I
shall remember the love and respect my countrymen have shown for me all my life. I do not fear the
torture, oppression and the solitary cell of the jail. But the love of the people seems to have made me
emotionally weak.’ (Bangabandhu: At the Swearing-in ceremony of the MNAs and MPAs, Race Course
Grounds, Dhaka, January 3, 1971)  After returning from captivity to an independent Bangladesh on 10
January 1972 he promised to build a peaceful egalitarian Bangladesh following a homegrown
development strategy based on the fertile land and entrepreneurial people.  The developmental
journey under his leadership started in difficult global and natural shocks. There was not a single dollar
in the reserve of the central bank in 1972 and the total size of the economy was only eight billion USD. 
There was a huge shortfall in food and other daily necessities in addition to the challenges of
rehabilitating millions of refugees and displaced people. The country had to start from the scratch as
most roads, rails and ports were dysfunctional due to war.  No doubt the State Department of the US
government under Henry Kissinger ridiculed Bangladesh as an ‘international basket case’ which was
likely to fall into the ‘Malthusian Trap’ of too many people living in a disaster-prone country with too
little resources.  His interest in improving the fate of the peasants was deep-rooted. He came out with
various input supports for them in a substantial way so that they could produce enough food for their
own survival.  He was visibly annoyed with the state of governance of the country as the corruption
was showing its ugly head in many parts of the society of his beloved independent Bangladesh. He
blamed the educated people for this evil practice. He said, “The peasants of Bengal are not involved in
any corruption. The workers of Bengal are not involved in any corruption. … We, those who are studying
with their money, are involved in corruption.” (Bangabandhu: National Parliament, January 25, 1975) 
The observance of Bangabandhu’s Homecoming Day is very significant as the nation is going to celebrate
the great leader’s year-long birth centenary programmes from 17 March, 2020 to 17 March, 2021. The
government has already declared ‘Mujib Year’. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman received by
leaders of Awami League after his return to independent and sovereign Bangladesh after over nine and a
half months of captivity in a Pakistan jail.  1st constitution of Bangladesh  The Constitution of the
People's Republic of Bangladesh is the constitutional document of Bangladesh.  1 st constitution of
Bangladesh adopted on 4 November 1972 and effective from 16 December 1972.  It provides the
framework of the Bangladeshi republic with a parliamentary government, fundamental human rights
and freedoms, an independent judiciary, democratic local government and a national bureaucracy. 
The constitution includes references to socialism, Islam, secular democracy and the Bengali language. 
It commits Bangladesh to “contribute to international peace and co-operation in keeping with the
progressive aspirations of mankind”.  Judicial precedent is enshrined in Bangladesh's constitution
under Article 111, which makes Bangladesh an integral part of the common law world. Judicial review is
also supported by the constitution. (Page one of the original copy of the Bangladeshi Constitution) 
Related Persons to preparing the 1st constitution of Bangladesh  1972 which was handwritten on
parchment.  Handwriting – A K M Abdur Rauf  Design – A group of artists including Hashem Khan and
others  Supervised by Shilpacharja Zainul Abedin  Parchment work – Shah Syed Abu Shafi.  Author
(S)- Constitution Drafting Committee The Constitution Drafting Committee was formed on 11 April 1972.
It had 34 members with Kamal Hossain as chairman. Razia Banu was its only female member. Barrister
Amirul Islam and Advocate Suranjit Sengupta were among the prominent members on the committee.
Sengupta was a vocal member of the opposition bench.  Signatories- 404 members of the Constitution
Assembly The Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh was the constituent assembly of Bangladesh. It was
the country's provisional parliament between 1971 and 1973. In 1972, it drafted and adopted the
Constitution of Bangladesh. The assembly was dominated by the Awami League, with a minority being
independent lawmakers.  Principals of 1st constitution of Bangladesh  There are four main principles
of this constitution. Such as : 1. Nationalism 2. Socialism 3. Democracy 4. Secularism  The president
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman arrived Dhaka after the Liberation War on 10th January, 1972 and
in the next day he promulgated ‘The Provisional Constitution of Bangladesh order, 1972’ by the power
conferred on him by The Proclamation of Independence. Thank You

Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History of
Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 25 The war of Liberation and Emergence of Bangladesh 
Homecoming of Bangabondhu  1 st constitution of Bangladesh  Related Persons to preparing the 1st
constitution of Bangladesh  Principals of 1st constitution of Bangladesh  Homecoming of
Bangabondhu  On 10 January, 1972, Bangabandhu had returned to independent and sovereign
Bangladesh after over nine and a half months of captivity in a Pakistan jail.  Bangabandhu was
subjected to inhuman torture in the jail where he had been counting moments for the execution of his
death sentence that was pronounced in a farcical trial.  Bangabandhu inspired the Bangalee nation. He
was the inspiration of the freedom fighters.  Under his undaunted leadership, the Bangalee nation
earned the ultimate victory through the nine-month Liberation War in 1971. The defeated Pakistani
rulers were finally compelled to release Bangabandhu from jail. The victory of the Bangalees attained its
fulfillment with his release.  All respected him for his uncompromising stance on the honor of Bangla
as a state language, the autonomy of East Bengal (later he called it Bangladesh), the stance on equality
as reflected in the historic ‘Six-Points’.  He used to speak out for the peasants not only in public
meetings but as well as in the parliament. Back in January 1971 when he was elected overwhelmingly as
the leader of the National Assembly of Pakistan he categorically said he would not compromise on the
interests of his people. He said: ‘I do not aspire to be the Prime Minister. Prime Ministers come and go. I
shall remember the love and respect my countrymen have shown for me all my life. I do not fear the
torture, oppression and the solitary cell of the jail. But the love of the people seems to have made me
emotionally weak.’ (Bangabandhu: At the Swearing-in ceremony of the MNAs and MPAs, Race Course
Grounds, Dhaka, January 3, 1971)  After returning from captivity to an independent Bangladesh on 10
January 1972 he promised to build a peaceful egalitarian Bangladesh following a homegrown
development strategy based on the fertile land and entrepreneurial people.  The developmental
journey under his leadership started in difficult global and natural shocks. There was not a single dollar
in the reserve of the central bank in 1972 and the total size of the economy was only eight billion USD. 
There was a huge shortfall in food and other daily necessities in addition to the challenges of
rehabilitating millions of refugees and displaced people. The country had to start from the scratch as
most roads, rails and ports were dysfunctional due to war.  No doubt the State Department of the US
government under Henry Kissinger ridiculed Bangladesh as an ‘international basket case’ which was
likely to fall into the ‘Malthusian Trap’ of too many people living in a disaster-prone country with too
little resources.  His interest in improving the fate of the peasants was deep-rooted. He came out with
various input supports for them in a substantial way so that they could produce enough food for their
own survival.  He was visibly annoyed with the state of governance of the country as the corruption
was showing its ugly head in many parts of the society of his beloved independent Bangladesh. He
blamed the educated people for this evil practice. He said, “The peasants of Bengal are not involved in
any corruption. The workers of Bengal are not involved in any corruption. … We, those who are studying
with their money, are involved in corruption.” (Bangabandhu: National Parliament, January 25, 1975) 
The observance of Bangabandhu’s Homecoming Day is very significant as the nation is going to celebrate
the great leader’s year-long birth centenary programmes from 17 March, 2020 to 17 March, 2021. The
government has already declared ‘Mujib Year’. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman received by
leaders of Awami League after his return to independent and sovereign Bangladesh after over nine and a
half months of captivity in a Pakistan jail.  1st constitution of Bangladesh  The Constitution of the
People's Republic of Bangladesh is the constitutional document of Bangladesh.  1 st constitution of
Bangladesh adopted on 4 November 1972 and effective from 16 December 1972.  It provides the
framework of the Bangladeshi republic with a parliamentary government, fundamental human rights
and freedoms, an independent judiciary, democratic local government and a national bureaucracy. 
The constitution includes references to socialism, Islam, secular democracy and the Bengali language. 
It commits Bangladesh to “contribute to international peace and co-operation in keeping with the
progressive aspirations of mankind”.  Judicial precedent is enshrined in Bangladesh's constitution
under Article 111, which makes Bangladesh an integral part of the common law world. Judicial review is
also supported by the constitution. (Page one of the original copy of the Bangladeshi Constitution) 
Related Persons to preparing the 1st constitution of Bangladesh  1972 which was handwritten on
parchment.  Handwriting – A K M Abdur Rauf  Design – A group of artists including Hashem Khan and
others  Supervised by Shilpacharja Zainul Abedin  Parchment work – Shah Syed Abu Shafi.  Author
(S)- Constitution Drafting Committee The Constitution Drafting Committee was formed on 11 April 1972.
It had 34 members with Kamal Hossain as chairman. Razia Banu was its only female member. Barrister
Amirul Islam and Advocate Suranjit Sengupta were among the prominent members on the committee.
Sengupta was a vocal member of the opposition bench.  Signatories- 404 members of the Constitution
Assembly The Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh was the constituent assembly of Bangladesh. It was
the country's provisional parliament between 1971 and 1973. In 1972, it drafted and adopted the
Constitution of Bangladesh. The assembly was dominated by the Awami League, with a minority being
independent lawmakers.  Principals of 1st constitution of Bangladesh  There are four main principles
of this constitution. Such as : 1. Nationalism 2. Socialism 3. Democracy 4. Secularism  The president
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman arrived Dhaka after the Liberation War on 10th January, 1972 and
in the next day he promulgated ‘The Provisional Constitution of Bangladesh order, 1972’ by the power
conferred on him by The Proclamation of Independence. Thank You

Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History of
Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 25 The war of Liberation and Emergence of Bangladesh 
Homecoming of Bangabondhu  1 st constitution of Bangladesh  Related Persons to preparing the 1st
constitution of Bangladesh  Principals of 1st constitution of Bangladesh  Homecoming of
Bangabondhu  On 10 January, 1972, Bangabandhu had returned to independent and sovereign
Bangladesh after over nine and a half months of captivity in a Pakistan jail.  Bangabandhu was
subjected to inhuman torture in the jail where he had been counting moments for the execution of his
death sentence that was pronounced in a farcical trial.  Bangabandhu inspired the Bangalee nation. He
was the inspiration of the freedom fighters.  Under his undaunted leadership, the Bangalee nation
earned the ultimate victory through the nine-month Liberation War in 1971. The defeated Pakistani
rulers were finally compelled to release Bangabandhu from jail. The victory of the Bangalees attained its
fulfillment with his release.  All respected him for his uncompromising stance on the honor of Bangla
as a state language, the autonomy of East Bengal (later he called it Bangladesh), the stance on equality
as reflected in the historic ‘Six-Points’.  He used to speak out for the peasants not only in public
meetings but as well as in the parliament. Back in January 1971 when he was elected overwhelmingly as
the leader of the National Assembly of Pakistan he categorically said he would not compromise on the
interests of his people. He said: ‘I do not aspire to be the Prime Minister. Prime Ministers come and go. I
shall remember the love and respect my countrymen have shown for me all my life. I do not fear the
torture, oppression and the solitary cell of the jail. But the love of the people seems to have made me
emotionally weak.’ (Bangabandhu: At the Swearing-in ceremony of the MNAs and MPAs, Race Course
Grounds, Dhaka, January 3, 1971)  After returning from captivity to an independent Bangladesh on 10
January 1972 he promised to build a peaceful egalitarian Bangladesh following a homegrown
development strategy based on the fertile land and entrepreneurial people.  The developmental
journey under his leadership started in difficult global and natural shocks. There was not a single dollar
in the reserve of the central bank in 1972 and the total size of the economy was only eight billion USD. 
There was a huge shortfall in food and other daily necessities in addition to the challenges of
rehabilitating millions of refugees and displaced people. The country had to start from the scratch as
most roads, rails and ports were dysfunctional due to war.  No doubt the State Department of the US
government under Henry Kissinger ridiculed Bangladesh as an ‘international basket case’ which was
likely to fall into the ‘Malthusian Trap’ of too many people living in a disaster-prone country with too
little resources.  His interest in improving the fate of the peasants was deep-rooted. He came out with
various input supports for them in a substantial way so that they could produce enough food for their
own survival.  He was visibly annoyed with the state of governance of the country as the corruption
was showing its ugly head in many parts of the society of his beloved independent Bangladesh. He
blamed the educated people for this evil practice. He said, “The peasants of Bengal are not involved in
any corruption. The workers of Bengal are not involved in any corruption. … We, those who are studying
with their money, are involved in corruption.” (Bangabandhu: National Parliament, January 25, 1975) 
The observance of Bangabandhu’s Homecoming Day is very significant as the nation is going to celebrate
the great leader’s year-long birth centenary programmes from 17 March, 2020 to 17 March, 2021. The
government has already declared ‘Mujib Year’. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman received by
leaders of Awami League after his return to independent and sovereign Bangladesh after over nine and a
half months of captivity in a Pakistan jail.  1st constitution of Bangladesh  The Constitution of the
People's Republic of Bangladesh is the constitutional document of Bangladesh.  1 st constitution of
Bangladesh adopted on 4 November 1972 and effective from 16 December 1972.  It provides the
framework of the Bangladeshi republic with a parliamentary government, fundamental human rights
and freedoms, an independent judiciary, democratic local government and a national bureaucracy. 
The constitution includes references to socialism, Islam, secular democracy and the Bengali language. 
It commits Bangladesh to “contribute to international peace and co-operation in keeping with the
progressive aspirations of mankind”.  Judicial precedent is enshrined in Bangladesh's constitution
under Article 111, which makes Bangladesh an integral part of the common law world. Judicial review is
also supported by the constitution. (Page one of the original copy of the Bangladeshi Constitution) 
Related Persons to preparing the 1st constitution of Bangladesh  1972 which was handwritten on
parchment.  Handwriting – A K M Abdur Rauf  Design – A group of artists including Hashem Khan and
others  Supervised by Shilpacharja Zainul Abedin  Parchment work – Shah Syed Abu Shafi.  Author
(S)- Constitution Drafting Committee The Constitution Drafting Committee was formed on 11 April 1972.
It had 34 members with Kamal Hossain as chairman. Razia Banu was its only female member. Barrister
Amirul Islam and Advocate Suranjit Sengupta were among the prominent members on the committee.
Sengupta was a vocal member of the opposition bench.  Signatories- 404 members of the Constitution
Assembly The Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh was the constituent assembly of Bangladesh. It was
the country's provisional parliament between 1971 and 1973. In 1972, it drafted and adopted the
Constitution of Bangladesh. The assembly was dominated by the Awami League, with a minority being
independent lawmakers.  Principals of 1st constitution of Bangladesh  There are four main principles
of this constitution. Such as : 1. Nationalism 2. Socialism 3. Democracy 4. Secularism  The president
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman arrived Dhaka after the Liberation War on 10th January, 1972 and
in the next day he promulgated ‘The Provisional Constitution of Bangladesh order, 1972’ by the power
conferred on him by The Proclamation of Independence. Thank You

8Abdul Momen BA & MA (DU) Assistant Professor Jagannath University 01716991440 Subject: History of
Emergence of Bangladesh Lecture no. 28 Bangabondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and His Administration
 Reconstruction of the War ravaged country  Struggle for national reconstruction  Foreign policies
 Economic policies  Discontent against Mujib's government Reconstruction of the War ravaged
country  The effects of the 1970 cyclone had not worn off, and the state's economy had immensely
deteriorated by the conflict.  A new country, Bangladesh, begins with a lot of "rampage and rape of
Bangladesh economy" by the Pakistani occupation force. In January 1972 Time magazine reported: “In
the aftermath of the Pakistani army's rampage last March, a special team of inspectors from the World
Bank observed that some cities looked "like the morning after a nuclear attack." Since then, the
destruction has only been magnified. An estimated 6,000,000 homes have been destroyed, and nearly
1,400,000 farm families have been left without tools or animals to work their lands. Transportation and
communications systems are totally disrupted. Roads are damaged, bridges out and inland waterways
blocked. The rape of the country continued right up until the Pakistani army surrendered a month ago.
In the last days of the war, West Pakistani-owned businesses—which included nearly every commercial
enterprise in the country—remitted virtually all their funds to the West. Pakistan International Airlines
left exactly 117 rupees ($16) in its account at the port city of Chittagong. The army also destroyed bank
notes and coins, so that many areas now suffer from a severe shortage of ready cash. Private cars were
picked up off the streets or confiscated from auto dealers and shipped to the West before the ports
were closed.”  Mujib helped Bangladesh enter into the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement.
He travelled to the United States, the United Kingdom and other European nations to obtain
humanitarian and developmental assistance for the nation.  He signed a treaty of friendship with India,
which pledged extensive economic and humanitarian assistance and began training Bangladesh's
security forces and government personnel.  Mujib forged a close friendship with Indira Gandhi, strongly
praising India's decision to intercede, and professed admiration and friendship for India.  Major efforts
were launched to rehabilitate an estimated 10 million refugees.  The economy began recovering and a
famine was prevented. A constitution was proclaimed in 1972 and elections were held, which resulted in
Mujib and his party gaining power with an absolute majority.  He further outlined state programs to
expand primary education, sanitation, food, health care, water and electric supply across the country. A
five-year plan released in 1973 focused state investments in agriculture, rural infrastructure and cottage
industries.  A Constitution for the country was framed within a record time of one year (which came
into effect from 16 December 1972). The new constitution created a strong executive prime minister, a
largely ceremonial presidency, an independent judiciary, and a unicameral legislature on a modified
Westminster model. The 1972 constitution adopted as state policy the Awami League's (AL) four basic
principles of nationalism, secularism, socialism, and democracy. Struggle for national reconstruction 
Although the state was committed to secularism, Mujib soon began moving closer to political Islam
through state policies as well as personal conduct.[69]  He revived the Islamic Academy (which had
been banned in 1972 for suspected collusion with Pakistani forces)  banned the production and sale of
alcohol  Banned the practice of gambling, which had been one of the major demands of Islamic groups.
 He also declared a common amnesty to the suspected war criminals, on some conditions, to get the
support of far right groups as the communists were not happy with Mujib's regime. He declared, "I
believe that the brokers, who assisted the Pakistanis during the liberation war has realized their faults. I
hope they will involve themselves in the development of the country forgetting all their misdeeds. Those
who were arrested and jailed in the Collaborator act should be freed before the 16 December 1974".[69]
 He charged the provisional parliament in order to write a new constitution, and proclaimed the four
fundamental principles of "nationalism, secularism, democracy, and socialism," which would come to be
known as "Mujibism".  Mujib nationalised hundreds of industries and companies as well as abandoned
land and capital and initiated land reform aimed at helping millions of poor farmers.  A constitution was
proclaimed in 1973 and elections were held, which resulted in Mujib and his party gaining power with an
absolute majority.[5] He further outlined state programs to expand primary education in Bangladesh,
sanitation, food, healthcare, water and electric supply across the country.  Elections held under the
1972 constitution were in March 1973,Mujib was assured of victory, and the Awami League won 282 out
of 289 directly contested seats. Relying heavily on experienced civil servants and members of the Awami
League, the new Bangladesh Government focused on relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of the
economy and society.  After the election, the economic and security situations began to deteriorate
rapidly, and Mujib's popularity suffered further as a result of what many Bangladeshis came to regard as
his close alliance with India. Mujib's authoritarian personality and his paternalistic pronouncements to
"my country" and "my people" were not sufficient to divert the people's attention from the miserable
conditions of the country. Widespread flooding and famine created severe hardship, aggravated by
growing law-and-order problems.  Economic policies  The Mujib government faced serious
challenges, which including  The rehabilitation of millions of people displaced in 1971  Organizing the
supply of food  Health aids and other necessities.  Frustrated by crippling communications and
transportation systems.  Rampant corruption and black marketeering.  The effects of the 1970
cyclone had not worn off, and the economy of Bangladesh had been immensely deteriorated by the
conflict.  Economically, Mujib embarked on a huge nationalization program.  Major efforts were
launched to rehabilitate an estimated 10 million refugees.  The economy began recovering and a
famine was prevented.  A five-year plan released in 1973 focused state investments in agriculture, rural
infrastructure and cottage industries. [74]  But a famine occurred in 1974 when the price of rice rose
sharply. In that month there was "widespread starvation started in Rangpur district.  Government
mismanagement had been blamed for that."[75] During the Mujib regime the country witnessed,
industrial decline, growing Indian control over Bangladesh's industries, and counterfeit money scandals.
 Mujib's economic policies also directly contributed to his country's economic chaos. His large-scale
nationalization of Bangladeshi manufacturing and trading enterprises and international trading in
commodities strangled Bangladesh entrepreneurship in its infancy. The enforced use of the Bangla
language as a replacement for English at all levels of government and education was yet another policy
that increased Bangladesh's isolation from the dynamics of the world economy.  Foreign policies 
After Bangladesh achieved recognition from major countries, Mujibur helped Bangladesh enter into the
United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement.  He travelled to the United States, the United
Kingdom and other European nations obtain humanitarian and developmental assistance.  Mujibur
maintained close ties with India. He signed the 25-year IndoBangladeshi Treaty of Friendship,
Cooperation and Peace, which pledged extensive economic and humanitarian assistance and training
from India for Bangladesh's security forces and government personnel.  Mujibur forged a close
friendship with Indira Gandhi, strongly praising India's decision to intercede, and professed admiration
and friendship for India.  In the Delhi Agreement of 1974, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan pledged to
work for regional stability and peace. The agreement paved the way for the return of interned Bengali
officials and their families stranded in Pakistan, as well as the establishment of diplomatic relations
between Dhaka and Islamabad.  Mujibur sought Bangladesh's membership in the Organisation of the
Islamic Conference (OIC), the Commonwealth of Nations and the Islamic Development Bank. In the
sphere of foreign affairs. (Bangladesh obtained membership of the Commonwealth on 18 April 1972,
that of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1973, of the United Nations and that of the Organization of
Islamic Countries (OIC) in 1974).  He made a significant trip to Lahore in 1974 to attend the OIC summit,
which helped improve relations with Pakistan.  Mujib was invited to Washington DC and Moscow for
talks with American and Soviet leaders. He declared that Bangladesh would be the "Switzerland of the
East", meaning that Bangladesh would remain non-partisan in the Cold War between the US and the
Soviet Union.  Many Eastern European countries, particularly Yugoslavia, East Germany and Poland,
enjoyed excellent relations with Bangladesh. The Soviet Union supplied several squadrons of Mig-21
planes for the Bangladesh Air Force.  Japan became a major aid provider to the new country. 
Although Israel was one of the first countries to recognize Bangladesh, Bangladesh strongly supported
Egypt during the Arab-Israeli War of 1973. In return, Egypt gave Bangladesh's military 44 tanks. 
Discontent against Mujib's government  In 1974, Bangladesh experienced the deadliest famine ever,
which killed around 1.5 million Bangladeshi people from hunger. The Bangladesh famine of 1974 is a
major source of discontent against the Mujib's government. Bangladeshi people feel ashamed, insulted
and demoralised as a nation for this famine that was not due to a food crisis.  At the height of Sheikh
Mujib's power, left wing insurgents, organised by Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal's armed wing Gonobahini
fought against the government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to establish a Marxist government.  The
government responded by forming the Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini which began a campaign of brutal human
rights abuses against the general populace, including the force became involved in numerous charges of
human rights abuse including political killings, shooting by death squads, and rape. Members of Jatiyo
Rakkhi Bahini were granted immunity from prosecution and other legal proceedings. Thank You