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Bangladesh at 50: a nation created by violence and still with the scars of a troubled birth
Bangladeshi children at the 2012 Independence Day celebrations in Dhaka. AP Photo / Pavel RahmanMarch 26 marks 50 years since the start of the Bangladesh liberation war, a bloody nine-month campaign that culminated in the country’s independence on December 16, 1971. It was a violent birth, with some of its roots in the partition of India in 1947 – when Pakistan was created as a separate nation. When the British Empire left the subcontinent, about 200,000 to 1.5 million people were killed in the sectarian violence associated with the partition and 10 to 15 million were forcibly displaced. Newly independent Pakistan comprised two separate geographical areas, separated by more than a thousand miles of Indian land. Although both regions included significant Muslim populations, West Pakistan was largely composed of Punjabi, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Baloch and other minor ethnic groups. In contrast, the population of East Pakistan, which became present-day Bangladesh, was predominantly of Bengali ethnic origin, since the territory was part of the Indian region of Bengal. As a scholar of the conflict, I argue that each of these factors – particularly language differences and political and economic inequalities – laid the foundation for Bangladesh’s struggle for independence. That story continues to have an impact today. Deepening the fault lines From the beginning, the language issue was difficult. In 1948, Pakistan’s founding leader, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, emphasized that only Urdu, spoken by Muslims in the north and northwest of British India, should be the country’s official language. Bangla, spoken mostly by eastern Pakistanis, was considered by the leadership of West Pakistan as a “non-Muslim” language. The Urdu-only policy aimed to create a unique identity from two culturally distinct regions united by a common religion – Islam. More broadly, the aim was to consolidate Pakistan’s newly independent national identity. In East Pakistan, the statement was followed by the ban on Bengali books, songs and poetry by Nobel winner Rabindranath Tagore. The Bangla language as a means of education and primary mode of instruction has also been banned. All coins and official documents, including postage stamps and train tickets, were printed in Urdu. The language ban deepened the tensions that had already arisen between West and East Pakistan. One of the main reasons for this was the significant economic disparities between the two regions. West Pakistan controlled the country’s industry and trade, while East Pakistan was predominantly the supplier of raw materials, creating an unequal exchange situation. In 1959-60, per capita income in West Pakistan was 32% higher than in East Pakistan. In 1969-70, it was 81% higher in West Pakistan. Investment policies, including in educational infrastructure, have consistently favored West Pakistan. Eastern Pakistanis had little access to the central government, located in the city of Islamabad, in western Pakistan. They were severely underrepresented in politics. West Pakistan’s political leadership did not see Bengalis as “real” Muslims. Both in political and social circles, Bengali cultural practices were considered to be of a lower social status. Mass uprising Efforts to “Islamize” eastern Pakistanis using Urdu and “purify” Bengali culture from “Hindu influences” resulted in massive non-violent demonstrations and strikes. On February 21, 1952, students and other activists launched a linguistic movement called “Bhasha Andolon”, which demanded that Bangla be recognized as the official language of East Pakistan. Thousands of school and college students protested, challenging Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which prohibited the gathering of five or more people and the holding of public meetings. The ensuing repression cost several lives. From 1950 to 1969, it also galvanized a growing movement for autonomy across East Pakistan. A mass revolt in 1969 was brutally suppressed by the police and led to the imposition of martial law. In 1970, a devastating cyclone called “Bhola” in East Pakistan killed 300,000 to 500,000. The West Pakistan government’s indifferent response has further fueled tensions. A major turnaround occurred in the same year, when the only majority political party in East Pakistan, led by Bengali politician Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won an overwhelming victory in national elections. Pakistan’s leadership was reluctant to accept the results because it did not want an East Pakistan political party to lead the federal government. This resulted in the start of a civil disobedience movement in East Pakistan. As the demand for Bengali autonomy grew, the Pakistani government launched Operation Searchlight, “a military operation to crush the emerging movement. According to journalist Robert Payne, he killed at least 7,000 Bengali civilians – Hindus and Muslims – in a single night. On March 26, Bangladesh was declared independent and the war of liberation began. Bangladesh’s violent birth The war of liberation was mainly fought by civilians – men and women, Muslims, Hindus and non-Bengali Indians. Bangladesh’s struggle for independence took place in the broader context of the Cold War, which meant that external actors were involved in the conflict. During the Cold War, India sided with the Soviet Union, while the United States sided with Pakistan to contain Soviet influence in South Asia and protect its geostrategic interests vis-à-vis Afghanistan and China. When the Pakistani military intensified its campaign to crack down on the independence movement, they did so with the knowledge and support of the Nixon administration. The Pakistani military and its local collaborators specifically targeted Hindus, who in the 1961 census represented 18% of East Pakistan’s population of 50 million. It is estimated that 10 million Bengali people have become refugees in India. Another 20 million have been internally displaced. It is estimated that 200,000 to 400,000 Bengali women have been systematically raped. Independent research estimates that 500,000 to 1 million people were killed in the genocidal campaign. The Bangladeshi government claims that 3 million Bengali people were killed in the war. On December 3, India officially entered the war alongside Bangladesh. Ten days later, in one of the last military operations, more than 300 Bengali academics, doctors, engineers, journalists, artists and teachers – Hindus and Muslims – were slaughtered by Pakistani soldiers and their local collaborators. On December 16, 1971, the Pakistani military surrendered to the Indian army, marking it as Bangladesh’s Victory Day. Challenges today Shortly after independence, at a meeting between officials of the United States Agency for International Development and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Bangladesh was labeled a “hopeless case”. Years of economic inequities, the 1970 cyclone and the war left more than 70% of its population living below the poverty line. However, in the 50 years since its independence, Bangladesh has made some significant advances. It aggressively combated child mortality, gender inequality and economic development. Today, with an expanding economy, it is on track to graduate into the United Nations’ least developed country category. However, Bangladesh still faces enormous challenges. Violence against women and girls, corruption and the lack of freedom of the press remain serious concerns. Founded on the principles of secularism, the country now faces an increase in Islamists. The divide between those who participated in the struggle for independence and those who collaborated with the Pakistani military continues to shape the political landscape of Bangladesh today. This article was republished from The Conversation, a non-profit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Tazreena Sajjad, American University School of International Service. Read more: Coronavirus approaches Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’s tight and unprepared camps I visited Rohingya refugee camps and here’s what Bangladesh is doing right. benefit from this article and did not disclose relevant affiliations beyond his academic appointment.