People’s Protest against the growing

inequality and oppression

Growing Bengali Nationalism
  November 1947- The Pakistan Educational Conference
proposed Urdu as the national language.
 This proposal was immediately opposed by the
The Language representative of East Pakistan.
Crisis Starts in  Few months later, East Pakistan member of the
E.P. Assembly tabled an amendment to allow Bengali
alongside Urdu. This proposal was rejected by the
prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan.
  Only 3% of Pakistanis spoke Urdu.
The bizarreness of  Pakistanis spoke dozens of language other than Urdu.
making Urdu the  Bengali was spoken by 56% of the population which
state Language was clearly the principle language of Pakistan.
  „North Indian‟ view dominated the institution of state

Why ‘Urdu’?  Two regional groups endorsed Urdu.

 They insisted their version of Pakistan to take precedence.
  Immigrants from North India
 Muhajirs (migrants) form North India comprising mostly
Urdu-speaking intellectual and trading elites.

Advocates of  They moved to Pakistan and immediately exerted political

and social influence.
‘Urdu’  They expected local population to adapt to them!!
 They took hold of almost all higher positions in the
administration and executive power.
  The Muslims from Punjab.
 They were in control of the armed forces.
 Manned the state administration
Advocates of  Controlled valuable irrigated land.
 They progressively outflanked the Muhajirs by the 1959
‘Urdu’ (cont’d) transfer of Capital from Karachi to Rawalpindi and later to
Islamabad.
  The perception west Pakistan created about Bengali
Muslim
 Lesser Muslim- cause the don‟t adhere proper Islamic
Urdu speakers culture according to the „North Indian‟ Islamic culture.

Perception on  Socially inferior.

 They portrayed any protest from the East Pakistan as
Bengali Muslims “Un/anti-islamic”.
 East Pakistanis had to constantly prove their religious
mind as well as struggle for the regional interest.
  The topic of language became crucial in East Pakistan
due to the view on Bangla.
 Bangla was supposedly influenced by the „Hindu‟
culture (!?) for having rooted to Sanskrit.
‘Islamising’ East  To „Islamise‟ East Pakistan and in the need of
Pakistan „purification‟ from Hindu influences the West Pakistanins
imposed Urdu on them.
  „Tamaddun Majlish‟ issued a booklet on 15 September 1947
titled Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha: Bangla na Urdu (Pakistan's
State Language: Bangla or Urdu) edited by Professor Abul
Quasem, made a strong case in favor of introducing Bangla as
the only language of instruction, language of offices and courts
of East Bengal.

 December 1947- Formation of the first Language Action

Resistance on Committee in East Pakistan by students.

 March 1948- General strike in East Pakistan, Leaders got

the language arrested and injured. Jinnah visited Dhaka and stated Bangla
question could be used in East Pakistan but the national language is
going to be Urdu.

 This uncompromising attitude led to the rapid disillusionment

with the Muslim League government.

 In the Pakistan Constituent Assembly session held on 25 August

1948, Dhirendranath Datta demanded the use of Bangla
along with English and Urdu for conducting its proceedings.
  The most critical moment of the movement occurred in
early 1952.
 Prelude to 21st February, 1952
 On 1948, new Prime Minister Khaja Najimuddin
Bhasa andalan denounced the idea of making Bangla the state language.
 Sense of deprivation and disappointment.
(The Language  DU students went on strike.
Movement)  Protest meeting chaired by Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan
Bhasani.
 They denounced the decision of making Urdu the state
language and called a general strike and demonstration
on 21st February 1952 all over East Pakistan.
  Government imposed a ban but the students were
determined to violate it.
 Students from schools, colleges and university
assembled on DU premise.

 They started marching and shouting slogans.

Demonstration  Armed policemen baton-charged them soon the passed
on 21st February the campus gate.
 Five people died, many of them injured.
 Over the next few days, more demonstration, killing and
arrest happened. A memorial was made (the first
Shahid Minar) in the remembrance of the dead.
  The brutal nature of state‟s leadership exposed.
 The psychological rupture from Pakistan and its
Significance of communal ideas.

the Language  Beginning of a new political project

Movement  Search for a secular alternative.

 Idea of Regional autonomy.
  The food crisis after the independence was severe in
East Pakistan.
 Disorder in the government system of levy, cordon and
supply made the situation more critical.
Famine and  Cordoning was reintroduced after 1947 to make
Food crisis in internal procurement.

E.P.  Transferring grain out of any cordoned district was

prohibited.
 Absence of integrated policy and the factionalism
within Muslim League made this situation worse.
  Procured grains could not be transferred to deficit
areas, government stock began to rot.
 Government distributed rotten/ half rotten grain
through the rationing system which created much
hardship and resentment among people.
Resentment  The inability of government made the supply situation
among People critical.
 Businessmen in the deficit districts made internal
purchase, hoarded grains and started selling them at
black market prices.
 This pushed the price level of rice.
  In 1948, food crisis continued and became more
extensive.
 Price of rice was high because of the grain hoarding of
the businessmen.

Famine  These businessmen were mostly belonged to ruling

Muslim League.
continued
 Only urban people was under rationing system.
 This made peasants life uncertain.
 Several relief committees could not solve the crisis.
  From the beginning of 1951, salt crisis was added to the
food crisis.
 Salt price went up.
 The main reason for salt crisis
 Prohibition on production of salt in the coastal belt of East
Salt crisis Pakistan to promote business interest in West Pakistan.
 Excessive tax on salt.
 Failure of government to import required salt from West
Pakistan.
  Powerful criticism was coming from newspaper.
 September 1947- Democratic Youth League
protested against the food policy for the first time.

 A protest demonstration clashed with police in Barisal

Mass Protests in June 1948.
 Public meeting and movements were organized in
various places such as Sylhet, Mymensingh, Patuakhali,
Rajshahi, Ishwardi, Rangpur and Dhaka.
  Awami Muslim League comes to the front on 1949.
Formation of a  Bhasani and his followers critics the Central Muslim
New Political League‟s policy towards East and comes out of the

Group organization to form a pro-E.P. political voice.

  11 October 1949- Liaquat Ali Khan came to Dhaka,
Awami Muslim League called a protest meeting and
demonstration at Armanitola Maidan on the same day.
 The district Magistrate requested Bhashani to cancel
that program but got refused.

 Police attacked on the protest, Bhashani, Shamsul Huq,

Protests Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other leaders were
continues arrested.
 The political impact of this was registered in the by-
election in Tangail in 1949, when Muslim League
candidate Khurram Khan was badly defeated by
Shamsul Huq. And later in the language movement of
1952.
 The Bangladesh Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S-FDczwXUI
  Umar, B. (2004). The Emergence of Bangladesh: Class
struggles in East Pakistan, 1947-1958. Oxford University
Reference Press, USA.