History of our Liberation War
Of all the feelings that people have, the most beautiful is surely love. And of all the things that one is capable of loving in the world, the most intense love has to be for ones own country, ones motherland. There is nobody as unfortunate as the person who has never felt love for their motherland. We are very lucky that the war we fought for independence of our motherland has a history of supreme sacrifice, unbelievable bravery and valour and great achievement. When people hear about this history, then they not only feel deep love and compassion, but they are also filled with pride at the thought of what this countrys people have achieved.
A story must always be told from a little earlier than when it starts, and so Bangladeshs history can be told from the British colonial period. The British ruled the Indian Subcontinent for approximately 200 years. When they left, on the 14th of August, 1947, the two areas that had the most Muslims became Pakistan, and on the 15th of August, the remaining area became India. And so a very strange country was born; the two parts of the country were in two different places. What is now Pakistan was known as West Pakistan and what is Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan. There was a distance of 2,000 kilometres and an entire country India between them!
Even the people were way apart in their looks, language, food, clothes, culture and their heritage. If a bizarre country like this was going to survive, a little bit of extra effort had to be put in, but the Pakistani rulers did not do this. During the partition, West Pakistans population was 20 million and East Pakistans was 40 million, so it would have made sense to have two people from East Pakistan for every one person in West Pakistan in education, business, police, government, etc. But in reality it was just the opposite there were 80-90 percent of West Pakistanis in everything; 75 percent of the budget was spent on West Pakistan and only 25 percent on East Pakistan, even though 62 percent of the revenue income was from East Pakistan. Most frightening of all was the number of armed forces West Pakistan had 25 times as many as East Pakistan!
Using political unrest as an excuse, in 1958 Pakistan army chief Ayub Khan took over power. The country was under military rule for 11 years and the people of East Pakistan were being severely deprived the Bengalis were not willing to accept this.
In 1966, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the spirited leader of the Awami League, announced his six-point demand for autonomy. This was an extraordinary document demanding freedom from economic exploitation, deprivation and oppression. lt was an extremely brave move, considering what kind of oppression and persecution the Pakistani political leaders were suffering at the time. As soon as this was announced, almost all of Awami Leagues important leaders were arrested and put in jail. Also, to teach him a lesson, Bangabandhu was accused of treason under a case called the Agartala Conspiracy.
The East Pakistanis refused to accept this and protests sprang up all over the country. Imprisonment, torture, gunfire from the police and EPR (East Pakistan Rifles) nothing could stop them. Students led these movements; they had an eleven-point demand. Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani had not been imprisoned and he came forward also. The movement became a mass revolt who dared to stop it? The bright young teenager Motiur died in this movement in 1969, as did Dhaka University student Asad after whom Asad Gate was named. The Pakistan army was finally forced to free Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the other leaders. Also, President Ayub Khan handed over power to the Pakistans army chief General Yahya Khan. The date was March 25, 1969 nobody knew then that exactly two years later on the same date, one of the worlds most horrific genocides would be committed.
As soon as General Yahya Khan was in power, he announced the first general election in Pakistans history, which was scheduled to take place on December 7, 1970. On November 12, 1970, one of the worlds worst natural disasters occurred on the coast of East Pakistan almost a million people died in the devastating cyclone. The Pakistani government did not come forward as they should have after such a huge disaster. Those who had survived the cyclone started to die from lack of food and water.
The Bengalis of East Pakistan were enraged at Yahya Khans neglect and cruelty towards their people. At a public meeting, a furious Maulana Bhashani demanded that East Pakistan be free.
On December 7, 1970, Pakistans first general election was carried out in a fair manner. The generals of the Pakistan army assumed that no single political party would win a majority, so they would all just fight amongst themselves. The army could use this as an excuse to remain in power. So, General Yahya Khan was shocked to see the results of the election. Out of 162 seats in East Pakistan, Bangabandhus Awami League got 160. Put simply, for the first time Pakistan would be ruled under East Pakistans leadership. Bangabandhu clearly stated that people cast their votes in favour of his six points, he would formulate the constitution based on these six points, and the country would be ruled by these six points.
The Pakistan army then decided that no matter what, the Bengalis could not be allowed to rule Pakistan. Unknowingly, General Yahya Khan had begun the creation of a new nation, Bangladesh.
To be continued.
Source: Childrens History of the Liberation War by Muhammed Zafar Iqbal
(Translated by Yeshim Iqbal).
