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Non-fiction

Story of the magnificent Bangladesh

Published : Saturday, 23 December, 2017 at 12:00 AM  Count : 1375
Sadiya S Silvee
(Continuation from previous week)

The Awami League itself won 143 seats while the Muslim League won only 9 seats.
A K Fazlul Huq assumed the office of Chief Minister of East Bengal and drew up a cabinet containing many of the prominent student activists that were leading movements against the Pakistani state. They included Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from the Awami League, as commerce minister.
Eagerly they asked, "Then?"
Although the question of official languages was settled but despite forming the majority of the national population, we were under-represented in the civil and military services, and received a minority of state funding and other government help.  As tensions with the western wing grew due to the demands for greater provincial autonomy in East Bengal, Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad dismissed the Jukto Front government on 29 May 1954.
On 7 October 1958, President Iskander Mirza declared martial law and appointed army chief General Ayub Khan as Chief Martial Law Administrator. Ayub Khan eventually deposed Mirza in a bloodless coup. By promulgating the Political Parties Elected Bodies Disqualified Ordinance, Ayub banned all major political parties in Pakistan.
In 1962, Ayub Khan drafted a new constitution, modelled on the indirect election, through an electoral college, and termed it 'Basic Democracy'. Widespread discrimination prevailed in Pakistan against Bengali's during the regime of Ayub Khan. Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy joined Khwaja Nazimuddin, Maulvi Farid Ahmed and Hamidul Haq Chowdhury and formed National Democratic Front against Ayub Khan's military-backed rule to restore elective democracy. However, the alliance failed to obtain any concessions.
Many other alliances were formed to establish an independent nation, namely East Bengal Liberation Party (1958), Jonoshongho, Bongo Bahini (1962), Apurbo Shongshodh (1962) and many more, including Sadhin Bangla Nucleus.
With full enthusiasm Rahim, a child from the group, asked me, "Nucleus?"
"Yes," I replied.
The nucleus was an underground secret organisation, which spearheaded the War of Independence in 1971, established in 1962. In 1962 while still a student Serajul Alam Khan along with Abdur Razzak and Kazi Aref Ahmed spread out the network of 'Nucleus'; formed Bangladesh Liberation Force (BLF) the political wing of the 'Nucleus' and 'Joi Bangla Bahini', the armed wing of 'Nucleus' by 1969-'70 throughout East Pakistan.
Rahim asked me, "Where was Bangabandhu?"
"He was arrested and imprisoned till 1961, he wasn't titled as Bangabandhu during that time. He was known by his name Sheikh Mujibur Rahman," I replied.
After his release from prison, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman," started organising an underground political body called the East Bangla Mukhti-Front comprising Chitto Ronjon Sutar and Ruhul Kuddus, to oppose the regime of Ayub Khan. However, the alliance failed to obtain any concessions.
Later on, at the request from Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the BLF high command was reconstituted with Serajul Alam Khan, Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni, Abdur Razzak and Tofail Ahmed. This BLF was renamed 'Mujib Bahini' in India during the 9-month armed struggle for the liberation of Bangladesh from the Pakistan occupational Army. From 1962 it planned and organised mass movements through the historic Choy Dafa and Agaro Dafa  programmes.
The 'Nucleus' first made the 'flag' of Bangladesh and hoisted it on 2nd March 1971 at University of Dhaka. It wrote and published the 'manifesto for independence' and worked out its modalities. This was made public on 3rd March 1971.
It also selected the national anthem 'Amar sonar Bangla �' and coined the slogan 'Joi Bangla' as the theme of independence. The 'Nucleus' and BLF leadership helped Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to prepare the historic 7th March speech. The non co-operation movement from 7th March 1971 and a parallel civil administration were also organised by the BLF under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
In 1963 following Suhrawardy's death, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became the head of Awami League, which became one of the largest political parties in Pakistan. In these years, there was rising discontent in East Pakistan over the atrocities committed by the Pakistani Armed Forces against Bangalis and the neglect of the issues and needs of East Pakistan by the ruling regime. Despite forming a majority of the population, the Bangalis were poorly represented in Pakistan's civil services, police and military. There were also conflicts between the allocation of revenues and taxation.
In 1965, during the war between India and Pakistan, East Pakistan was left completely unsecured. This revealed the significant vulnerability of East Pakistan compared to West Pakistan.
In 1966, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman proclaimed a Choy Dafa or 6-point plan titled Our Charter of Survival at a national conference of opposition political parties at Lahore, in which he demanded self-government and considerable political, economic and defence autonomy for East Pakistan in a Pakistani federation with a weak central government. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Choy Dafa catalysed public support across East Pakistan, he obtained the broad support of Bangalis.
Afterwards, in 1968, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 34 Bangali military officers were arrested conspiring with India against the stability of Pakistan. The case is popularly known as Agartala Sho?ojontro Mamla. 
Various Bangali political and student groups added demands to address the issue formed a larger Agaro Dafa or 11-point plan. The government caved to the mounting pressure, and dropped the charges on February 22, 1969, and unconditionally released Sheikh Mujibur Rahman the following day.
"Why we call him Bangabandhu?" they asked.
I smiled, and said, "The BLF leadership had conferred the title 'Bangabandhu' on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on February 23, 1969, at Racecourse Ground, 'Bangabandhu' means Friend of the Bangal."
"When was our country named as Bangladesh?" they asked eagerly.
On 5 December 1969, at a public meeting Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman decelerated East Pakistan as "BANGLADESH".
 (To be continued)

The writer Research Assistant at Bangladesh Institute of Law and International affairs (BILIA) and also associated with Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) as a Legal Researcher






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