FIVE BIG REASONS FOR THE

SEPARATION OF EAST PAKISTAN

BYEASTWEST
SEPTEMBER 2, 2020
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1. INTRODUCTION.
1. THE RISE OF BENGALI SUB-NATIONALISM.
2. Causes and effects of separation of east Pakistan
3. [1] THE GEOGRAPHICAL AND SOCIO-CULTURAL DIFFERENCES.
4. [2] THE LANGUAGE ISSUE.
5. [3] economic causes of separation of east Pakistan
6. [4]DISPARITY IN DEVELOPMENT PLANNING.
7. [5] DISPARITY IN CIVIL SERVICES AND ARMED FORCES.
8. [6]DIFFERENCES OVER CONSTITUTION MAKING.
9. [7]DEGENERATION OF MUSLIM LEAGUE & THE RISE OF REGIONAL
BENGALI PARTIES.
10. [8] THE 1970 CYCLONE.
11. [9] RESULTS OF 1970 ELECTION.
12. Two Major Problems.
2. THE CRISIS DEEPENS.
3. THE OUTBREAK OF CIVIL WAR.
4. WAR WITH INDIA.
5. CONSEQUENCES OF WAR.

The separation of East Pakistan did not develop overnight. Separation of Pakistan
involves various factors, like involvement of foreign hand, economic disparity,
geographical and socio-cultural differences.(https://eastwestknowledge.com/general-
zia/)

INTRODUCTION.

IN 1940 the premier of Bengal, Fazal-ul-Haqq put forward the Lahore Resolution which
demanded that Muslim majority regions, as in the North-west and eastern Zone of India,
should be grouped to constitute independent states in which the constituent units shall
be autonomous and sovereign. This measure was passed unanimously by the Muslim
League. This led the people of Bengal to believe when Independence came there would
be an autonomous state centre in Bengal. But in 1946 the word “states” became state
and in 1947 Muslims in Bengal found themselves governed from Karachi. They were
appalled to learn that Bengal was once again to be partitioned, with a significant portion
going to India. This included the major city of Calcutta with its port and important
industry. So from as early as 1947,seeds of tension were sown. There were following
events which increased tension:

THE RISE OF BENGALI SUB-NATIONALISM.

From the very beginning, the ties between the two wings were difficult and complicate.
The three main areas of conflicts between East and West Pakistan were the language
issue, difference regarding constitution making, and economic centralism. The question
of the status of the Bengali language was resolved by the mid 1950s but no consensus
could ever be reached on constitutional and economic issues. The following were the
factors that led to the rise of Bengali nationalism among the people of East Pakistan.
Causes and effects of separation of east Pakistan

There are following causes and effects of separation of east Pakistan.

[1] THE GEOGRAPHICAL AND SOCIO-CULTURAL DIFFERENCES.

Immediately after independence, Pakistan two wings were set apart by one thousands
miles of enemy territory. Both air and maritime contact could be blocked by India at any
time. This unique geographical position could pose a grave threat to the integrity of the
country. With the exception of religion and common struggle for independence, there
was practically nothing common between the two wings of the country.

Geographical separation was the base for together differences i.e. racial identity,
language, habits of life and culture. East Pakistan was only one-seventh of the total
area of the country but its population exceeded the total population of all other
provinces and states of West Pakistan. In West Pakistan, people spoke different
languages but there was a reluctant consensus on Urdu as their common Language. In
East Pakistan, Bengali was the common language but also a symbol of Bengali
nationalism and pride.

Moreover ,unlike West Pakistan which was predominantly Muslims, East Pakistan had
important non-Muslims minorities, particularly Hindus who largely controlled the
economy and education of the eastern wing. The Hindu teachers played a vital role in
poisons the Bengali youth against West Pakistan, prescribing textbooks that contained
material against the ideology of Pakistan. The photographs of Gandhi and Nehru were
reportedly displayed on the walls in many educational institutions instead of Jinnah.

The Leadership in West Pakistan mainly came from the landlords in eastern wing from
professionals like lawyers, teachers and retired government officials. The people in the
eastern wing were, therefore, more conscious about political matters and well aware of
their rights compared to the people in the western wing who had been living in a society
dominated by the feudal lords and the tribal chiefs.

[2] THE LANGUAGE ISSUE.

The language issue originated even before the creation of Pakistan. In the Lucknow
session of All India Muslim League in 1937, the Bengali delegates strongly opposed a
resolution proposing Urdu as language of Muslim India and the official Language of
Muslim League. The Bengali Language Movement started immediately after
independence, demanding that Bengali should be the medium of instruction, language
of the courts, administration and mass communication in East Pakistan.

They demanded that it should be one of the state Languages of Pakistan along
with Urdu language. The Bengalis opposed Urdu as the only state language on the plea
that if Urdu is made the state language, the educated Benaglis will become illiterate and
disqualified for government services. The movement for Bengali language gathered the
spontaneous support of the Bengali civil servants, academics and students, some
members of the Provincial Assembly and a few ministers as well. By February 1948,the
controversy had come out to the streets. East Pakistan student League founded in the
first Week of January 1948 by Sheikh Mujeeb-Ur-Rehman, led the agitation.

On 11 March 1948, a students demonstration in favour of Bengali Language was baton

charged and a large number of students were arrested. Jinnah announcement during
his visit to Dacca in March 1948 that the language of the province could be Bengali but
the state language of Pakistan was going to be Urdu followed a disturbance in the
Dacca University. Moreover in January 1952,Khwaja Nazim-Ud-din’s Support to Urdu
as the only state language during his visit to Dacca provoke a butter reaction in the
press and demonstrations were organized in favor of Bengali.

On January 1952, the Basic Principles committee of the Constituent Assembly of

Pakistan recommended that Urdu should be the only state language. It sparked off a
wide wave resentment in East Bengal. Bengalis held protest meetings in Dacca and it
was decided to hold a general strike on 21 February, during which processions were
taken out despite the official ban imposed by Mr. Nurul Amin’s administration, leading to
clashed with the police and the killing of three students and a number of other people.
Although Bengali was recognized as the state language along Urdu in the Constitution
of 1956,but,perhaps,it was too late to bring down the rising spirit of Bengali Nationalism.

[3] economic causes of separation of east Pakistan

The most serious challenge to Pakistani nationalism was the economic disparity
between East and West Pakistan. The Bengalis believed that the eastern wing of the
Country was ruthlessly exploited by the Western Wing and that East Pakistan was
deprived of its due share in the development funds and foreign aid. The bulk of the
country’s revenue was spent in West Pakistan because the federal capital was there.
Moreover, a high percentage of the budget was spent on defense, which was all
concentrated in West Pakistan. East Pakistan earned most of the country’s foreign
exchange by the export of jute; yet most of it was spent on the industrialization of West
Pakistan. The Bengalis claimed that what was earned in East Pakistan was spent in
West Pakistan because East Pakistan provided 60 percent of the total revenue only 25
per cent for its expenditure. The rest, 75 per cent was spent in West Pakistan.

[4]DISPARITY IN DEVELOPMENT PLANNING.

In the six-year development program (July 1951 to June 1957), and in the First and
Second five year plans (1955-60 and 60-65), East Pakistanis again complained of
injustice. The economic disparity between the two wings was recognized and admitted
in different reports and economic studies conducted by the central government during
Ayub khan’s Presidency. Ayub admitted confessed the injustice and he promised that
development in East Pakistan will be accelerated to make up for the deficiency. The
constitution of 1962 also promised to adopt such economic policies, which would help in
removing the disparities in per Capita income between the provinces. The disparity,
however, increased after ten years of Ayub Rule. The per capita income in West
Pakistan was 32 percent higher than East Pakistan in 1959-60 and 61 percent higher in
1969-70. Yahya khan also tried to remove the economic disparity between the two
wings through step by step concessions but the impatient Bengalis were by then in the
mood of a revolution rather than waiting for an evolutionary process.

[5] DISPARITY IN CIVIL SERVICES AND ARMED FORCES.

The Bengalis were very poorly represented in the Civil Service and in the Army.
Moreover, the Civil and military officials from West Pakistan stationed in East Pakistan
considered the Bengali Muslims inferior converts from lower caste Hindus.In 1970,
about 85 percent of the armed forces belonged to the Punjab whereas the majority of
population was in East Pakistan. Some claim that this disparity was not intentional on
the part of West Pakistan dominated ruling elite but a result of the legacy of British rule
during which the Punjabi’s were preferred in the armed forces due to their marshal spirit
and willingness to join military service. However, there was no justification for the
disparity in the bureaucracy. The disparity in the civil Service and Armed Forces was
rapidly disappearing because in 1966, Ayub Khan had allocated 60 percent of the
vacancies to East Pakistan. In 1965,the East Pakistan CSP officers constituted 34
percent of the total strength of the Civil Services but by 1969,their share had risen to
40.8 percent. Yahya Khan in order to give some share to the Bengalis in the top
positions of the administration, made six Bengali CSP officers “Central Secretaries” and
gave directions to all the ministries that whatever a senior post became vacant, Bengali
candidates should be accorded priority even if this mean disregarding of the principle of
seniority.
[6]DIFFERENCES OVER CONSTITUTION MAKING.

The Controversy over constitution making started as early as March 12,1949 when the
Objective Resolution was adopted and a Basic Principle Committee was constituted to
report on the main principles on which the constitution of Pakistan was to be framed.
The Bengali leaders raised objectives to some points of the Objective Resolution and
the interim report of the Basic Principles Committee which they thought would lead to a
unitary central government, which will make East Pakistan a colony of West Pakistan.

In Constitution making, the two main issues hard of solution were the ratio of
representation in the Central Legislature and the distribution of powers between the
centre and the provinces. After the failure of the First Constituent Assembly, the Second
Constituent Assembly gave the country its first constitution on 29th February, 1956
which provided for a unicameral legislature with parity of representation between the
East and the West Wings. Bengali was accepted as one the state’s languages.
However, East Pakistan was not satisfied with the parity principle. The demand for more
provincial autonomy still persisted and it finally culminated into the Six-point program of
Sheikh Mujeeb-Ur- Rehman.

SIX POINTS OF AWAMI LEAGUE.

1. A directly elected government.

2. The Federal government to control defence and foreign policy. All other decisions
to be made at provincial level.
3. Separate Currencies and/for financial policies for East and West Pakistan.
4. The provinces to tax their people and send a share to the federal government.
The federal government not to tax people.
5. Each province to set up its own trade agreements with other countries and to
control money spent/made through this trade.
6. Each Province to have its own troops.

[7]DEGENERATION OF MUSLIM LEAGUE & THE RISE OF REGIONAL

BENGALI PARTIES.

Muslim League fell into selfish hands soon after independence and became a hotbed of
intrigues. The internal dissentions in the party caused the decline of the only national
organization of the country and the rise of regionalist parties. In February 1948,
prominent League leaders like Maulana Abdul Hameed Bhashani and Fazal-Ul Haqq
left the Muslim League. In June 1949,they formed a new party called East Pakistan
Awami Muslim League. Maulana Bhashani was elected President of this new party,
while Sheikh Mujeeb-Ur Rehman a student leader, was appointed the Joint Secretary of
the party.

In March 1950,the party was re-named as All Pakistan Awami Muslim League and
Suharwardi was appointed as the President and Chief organizer of the party. In July
1953,sheikh Mujeebur Rehman was made General Secretary of the party. Provincial
autonomy and Bengali as the state language stopped the new manifesto of the party. In
April 1953,the Awami Muslim League dropped the word “Muslim” from its name and it
became the Awami League. The old Muslim Leaguers resigned from it and their seats
were fulled by moneyed Hindu politicians who later on influenced its policies decisively.
Fazlul Haq, the lion of Bengal, formed his own political party in Dacca called “Krishak
Sramik party” ( The Labour Peasant party).In the elections of 1954,Muslim League was
completely routed.It secured only 9 seats out of the total number of 309 seats in East
Pakistan Assembly.

[8] THE 1970 CYCLONE.

ON 12 November 1970 the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded hit East Pakistan
and up to 500,000 people lost their lives. The government in West Pakistan was slow to
react and political leaders in East Pakistan accused the government of “gross neglect,
callous indifference and utter indifference”. The Pakistan Observer sent reporters who
sent back stories with headlines such as “no Relief Coordination” even though the
government claimed that relief operations were being carried out efficiently.

India was one of the first nations to offer help and East Pakistan were angered to hear
that the government had refused to allow India to fly in aid, instead it had to be
transported much more slowly built road. It was just weeks after the cyclone hit East
Pakistan that the elections for the National Assembly were finally held. They were to
create even more problems for Yahya Khan.

[9] RESULTS OF 1970 ELECTION.

The main parties in the elections for the National Assembly were the Pakistan People
Party (PPP) led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, which was based in West Pakistan and the
Awami Muslim League, led by Sheikh Mujeebur Rehman which was based in East
Pakistan. The Awami League as able to win support by proposing a program which
called for a fairer share of government spending and more power to the provinces. It
was able to exploit the sense of frustration felt by the people in East Pakistan towards
their Muslim countrymen in West Pakistan. The Awami League won their huge victory
by campaigning on the basis on the six points.

The election resulted in a stunning victory for the Awami League.162 of the 300 seats in
the election were allocated to East Pakistan. The Awami League won 160 seats which
gave them a majority in the Assembly. The PPP won just 81 seats of the 138 seats in
the West Pakistan. This presented yahya Khan with a situation which he could not
tolerate. The Awami League had contested the election on a manifesto for East
Pakistan. The League would have a majority in the National Assembly. Yahya could
allow the traditional dominance of West Pakistan to be overturned.

Two Major Problems.

 The Awami League had won such a large number of seats that it now had a
majority not only in East Pakistan, but also in the National Assembly as a whole.
This meant that it was in a position to form the government on its own. In theory,
the future Prime Minister and the entire cabinet could come from East Pakistan.
Although the PPP had won an overwhelming victory in West Pakistan (in terms of
number of seats), it was quite possible for it to have no role in the government
unless the Awami League invited it to share power.
 The second problem was that the Awami League had won the election on a
program limiting the power of central government over the provinces. The call for
the provinces to have control of their foreign exchange earned from trade would
greatly reduce the funds available to the central government in West Pakistan.
 IMPORTANT NOTE: Consequently, Yahya Khan and the West Pakistani
politicians were not prepared to allow the six points to be put into action. Mujeeb
believed that they were negotiable, but he had little chance to explain this, before
steps were taken against him.

THE CRISIS DEEPENS.

Yahya Khan hoped that he could reach a compromise with Mujeeb-ur Rehman. In
January 1971 he had refused to him as the next President of Pakistan. He hoped he
would persuade Mujib not to form the next government and that he should not use the
new assembly to create a new constitution limiting the power on the central
government. But the many years of frustration in East Pakistan drove the East Bengalis
to demand that Mujeeb-ur-Rehman held firm.
In February 1971, Bhutto announced that the PPP would not take up their seats in the
National Assembly unless Mujeeb talked with other parties and reached an agreement
about sharing. Finally, on 1 March 1971,just two days before it was due to meet, Yahya
was forced to postpone the opening of the Assembly, without setting a new date. The
People of East Pakistan considered that they had been betrayed by Yahya and
immediately began a campaign of mass civil disobedience, strikes, demonstration and
refusing to pay taxes. When it become clear that the power of the central government
had broken down in the East Pakistan.

Yahya recalled the provincial governor and appointed General Tikka Khan as chief
martial law administrator. On March 15 Yahya and Bhutto met Mujeeb in Dhaka for talks
to resolve the situation. As it became clear that no agreement could be reached.
General Tikka Khan brought in reinforcements. On 25 March Yahya flew back to
Islamabad and the next day Bhutto left Dhaka. That night Tikka’s men moved in on the
Awami League. Mujib was arrested and hundreds of his supporters and colleagues
were arrested or killed.

THE OUTBREAK OF CIVIL WAR.

Yahya had sent the army into East Pakistan to keep order and the Awami League was
banned. Yahya claimed that Mujeeb was claiming to declare independence and
although this was unlikely, fears increased when on 26 March the Sovereign People’s
Republic of Bangladesh was announced in a secret radio broadcast from Dhaka. The
government reaction was harsh.

Thousands of Bengalis were killed, press censorship was imposed and all political
activity throughout Pakistan was banned. Yahya ordered the Pakistan Army to take
control of East Pakistan. The measures were supported by all the political parties in
West Pakistan and Bhutto claimed that “Pakistan has been saved”. Rather then being
saved the reality was millions of Bengali refugees were fleeing across the border to
India and Civil war was now inevitable.

On 31 March India declared its support for the people of Bengal against West Pakistan.
The Indian Army began to help and train a rebel Bengali Bengali army, which called
itself Mukhti Bahini. As a result relations between India and Pakistan deteriorated
rapidly. The Indian High commission in Dhaka was closed, as was the Pakistan High
commission in Calcutta..
Yahya Khan sent more troops into East Pakistan. By Early April the Army had gained
control of most of the major towns and was successful in driving off the East Pakistani
rebels.

In August 1971 the Soviet Union signed a treaty of peace Friendship and Commerce
with India. Yahya Knew that this meant that the Soviet Union would support India If it
went to war with Pakistan. Pakistan own allies China and USA were much less keen to
be involved and they urged Yahya to negotiate an agreement with the Awami League.
He was determined to do so. He also believed that he could win any war with India.

On 21 November, the Mukhti Bahini launched an attack on Jessore and captured the
town. Knowing that the Indian were supporting he rebel forces, Yahya declared a state
of emergency and told its people to be ready for war. In response, the Indians began to
build up their forces on the East Pakistan border. Tension increased further when, on 29
November, East Pakistan announced the members of its provincial government.

WAR WITH INDIA.

A war between India and Pakistan had become almost inevitable. All that war was
needed was the event that would make it official. This came on 3 December when the
Pakistani Air Force launched attacks, not only East Pakistan but also on Northern India.
Gandhi, the Indian leader, reacted immediately.

On 4 December India attacked East Pakistan from air, ground and sea simultaneously.
Two days later India officially recognized the Bangladeshi government. Within two
weeks the Indian forces had surrounded Dhaka. The Pakistani Army tried to divert the
Indian army from East Pakistan by launching attacks in Kashmir and Punjab, but they
were not very successful.

Whilst the fighting was taking place, the United Nations Security Council had been
trying to find a solution to avoid war. Bhutto attended UN talks in New York. The UN
passed a resolution calling on India and Pakistan to stop fighting and withdraw from
East Pakistan whilst a solution was worked out. It soon became clear, however, that
whilst the USSR was prepared to back India by fighting.US and other Western allies
were not prepared tot do the same for Pakistan. Bhutto returned to Pakistan knowing
that Pakistan had to win the war on its own.
Just after a week, he arrived in Pakistan. Yahya accepted the defeat and ordered the
army in East Pakistan to surrender. In Dhaka the Mukti Bahini carried out massacres of
anyone suspected of having collaborated with the Pakistan Army.

The separation of East Pakistan came as a huge shock to the people of West Pakistan.
They had been led to believe that the Awami League was a poorly organised groups of
rebels. They were also told that if India intervened on East Pakistan side, it would be
defeated easily. The main reason for the failure of Pakistan Army was that the people of
East Pakistan were determined to resist West Pakistan. The West Pakistan forces knew
that they were trying to force East Pakistan to stay a part of Pakistan, when it did not
want to. Many had little heart for such a fight in which they would have to put up armed
resistance against fellow Muslims.

Pakistan also knew that it could expect little support from its allies. East Pakistan had
support from India, and when the war developed into one between India and Pakistan,
the Indian could rely on support from the Soviet Union. Pakistan’ allies and the UN were
not interested in supporting a war to bring East Pakistan into line.

CONSEQUENCES OF WAR.

Defeat in the war brought disgrace for Yahya and for the Army. On 20 December Yahya
resigned as President and was replace by Bhutto. On 21 December 1971,the Republic
of Bangladesh was officially declared and two weeks later Bhutto released Mujeeb from
Prison. He returned to Bangladesh, where on 10 January 1972 he became the country’s
first Prime Minister.