Background of the Language

Movement

Dr. Mohammad Humayun

Kabir
 The Intellectual Debate on
Language
 The language controversy (Language Debate) during the British rule.

 The Language Controversy in Pakistan

- Origin of the Urdu Language
- Bengali Language- Hinduaized/ Sanskritized or Muslim Language
 The demand for Bengali as a national language went through two
distinct but interrelated phases.
 The first phase, between 1947 and 1951, was constitutionalist in
nature as the demand was placed through parliamentary debates
and newspaper articles.
 The second phase, in early 1952, was characterized by the direct
confrontation with the central authority.
 In this phase, a powerful link, between various urban and rural
subaltern classes was established with important consequences.
 The Intellectual Debate on Language
 Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed, Rector of the Aligarh University and
intellectual leader of "Islamic Nationalism," argued that
Urdu would be the official language and medium of
instruction in Pakistan.

 The opposition to this argument first came from Dr.

Muhammad Shahidullah, noted Bengali linguist and
educator, who opposed the suggestion by saying that-

- imposing Urdu on the Bengali speaking population is

against the scientific theory of education, right to self-
determination and provincial autonomy.

- "If Urdu or Hindi instead of Bengali is used in our law,

courts, and universities, that would be tantamount to
political slavery”.
 Formation of Tamuddin Majlis
 The first organized opposition to Urdu, however, came
from the Tamuddin Majlis (headed by Prof. Abul Kashem),
a cultural organization formed by professors and
students at Dhaka University in September 1947.
 In this booklet entitled "Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha,
Bangla na Urdu"(Pakistan's State Language, Bengali or
Urdu) it was proposed that

 (1) The Bengali Language shall be the following:

a) the medium of instruction in East Pakistan,
b) the medium of court communication,
c) the medium of mass communication; and that

 (2) "The languages of the central government

will be both Urdu and Bengali."
 Formation of Tamuddin Majlis
 One contributor in the booklet, professor Kazi Mothar
Hussain, argued that the attempt to impose Urdu as the
national language stands for the possibility of replacing
old masters with new ones from the same religion.

 He maintained that the attempt to impose Urdu against

the will of the people of East Bengal would result in total
failure.

 He even warned that "it might lead to the end of the

relationship between the East and the West of Pakistan.

 However, at this phase the language issue failed to

appeal to the masses and not all the intellectuals of
Dhaka University voiced their concerns under the
banner of Tamuddin Majlis.
 Language Issue in CAP
 This general optimistic view began to change
when the central government adopted a formal
decision to accept Urdu and English as the official
Language of the Constituent Assembly of
Pakistan (CAP) in February 1948.
 Dhirendranath Dutta, a member of the opposition
Congress Party from East Bengal, moved an
amendment motion to accept Bengali as one of
the official languages of the CAP.
 According to Dutta, "the state language should
be the language which is used by the majority of
the people of the State, and for that, Sir, I
consider that Bengali language is a lingua franca
of our State”.
 Language Issue in CAP
 The Muslim League leadership reacted to the
Bengali language proposal with their customary
apprehension towards Hindus from Bengal.
 To Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan "the object (of
the amendment to introduce Bengali as lingua
franca) seems to be to create a rift between the
people of Pakistan and to take away from the
Muslims that unifying link which can be achieved
by a common language. '‘
 Liaquat Ali Khan concluded his speech with an
unambiguous decision to make Urdu the sole
national language.
 Language Issue in CAP
 Prime Minister Liaquat All Khan was quite obviously
unaware of the facts when he argued that Urdu was
the language of one hundred million Muslims of
Pakistan.

 In reality, only 3.33% (Bengali was the language of

56% population of united Pakistan, Punjabi-28.55%,
Pushtu-3.48%, Sindhi-5.47%, English-0.02%, Beluch-
1.29%) of the total population in Pakistan had Urdu
as their first language.

 The only legitimacy that Urdu could claim as the

language of Muslim Pakistan came from the fact that
it was used by the Muslim clergy and Muslim
scholars in medieval India as a quasi-religious
language in addition to Arabic.
Students/Intellectuals in Language Movement
 Around this time, students in Dhaka were beginning
to form their own political organizations independent
of the Muslim League to foster what they called "a
revolutionary outlook among the people" in order to
"bring economic freedom, ''this political orientation
was distinct from the politics of the Muslim League.

 By this time the language movement came to the

forefront, the ruling party had already antagonized
student activists in East Bengal by branding them as
being communist inspired.

 Meanwhile, the decision by the central authority to

impose Urdu on East Bengal had already become an
issue in student politics, and it began to emerge as
Students/Intellectuals in Language Movement

 On receiving the news that the motion had been

rejected, students, intellectuals and politicians of East
Pakistan became agitated.
 Newspapers such as the Azad also criticized of the
politicians who had rejected the motion.
 A new committee to fight for Bangla as the state
language was formed with Shamsul Huq as convener.
 On 11 March 1948 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, the absence of Bangla letters
in Pakistani coins and stamps, and the use of only
Urdu in recruitment tests for the navy.
Language Issue
Students/Intellectuals in Language Movement
 The movement also reiterated the earlier demand
that Bangla be declared one of the state languages
of Pakistan and the official language of East
Pakistan.
 Amidst processions, picketing and slogans, leaders
such as Shawkat Ali, Kazi Golam Mahboob, Shamsul
Huq, Oli Ahad, SHEIKH MUJIBUR RAHMAN, Abdul
Wahed and others were arrested. Student leaders,
including Abdul Matin and ABDUL MALEK UKIL, also
took part in the procession and picketing.
 A meeting was held on the Dhaka University
premises. Mohammad Toaha was severely injured
while trying to snatch away a rifle from a policeman
and had to be admitted to hospital. Strikes were
observed from 12 March to 15 March, 1948.
Students/Intellectuals in Language Movement
 The Government with its usual political manoeuvre
portrayed the student agitation as “nothing but a plot of
the Hindus and enemy agents out to destroy Pakistan by
fomenting discontent”.
 The chief minister, Kwaja Nazimuddin, observing that the
student agitation might get out of hand and create
problems in view of Jinnah's impending visit to East
Bengal, agreed to sit with the students of the Action
Committee.
 In the negotiations a seven point program was adopted.
Two of the program's most important items were: (1) In
the April (1948) session of the East Bengal Legislative
Assembly, a special resolution would be moved to
propose to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan-to make
Bengali one of the state languages of Pakistan and to
give Bengali the same status with Urdu in the competitive
examinations of the central services of Pakistan.
Students/Intellectuals in Language Movement

 (2) Another resolution was to make Bengali the

official language of the province of East Bengal in
place of English.

 Besides English, it argued that, Bengali will be the

medium of instruction.

 Jinnah visited East Bengal in March 1948, and

addressed a public meeting on 21 March, as well as
the students of Dhaka University on 24 March.

 The main thrust of his two speeches was that the

enemies of Pakistan had seized the language issue
to destroy Pakistan.
 Jinnah’s Visit to East Pakistan
 On March 21, 1948, he announced Urdu (only Urdu no
other language) as the state language of Pakistan.
 And again while addressing the students of Dhaka
University, he reiterated the same opinion.

 After Jinnah's death, Liaquat Ali Khan continued to follow

this incomplete concept of nationalism.
 The turning point of the language movement, and the
beginning of the second phase of the movement, was in
the year of 1952.At that time, the condition of Bengali
social classes deteriorated.