Bangladesh at 50: A Nation Created in Violence and Still Bearing Scars of a Troubled Birth
March 26 marks 50 years since the start of Bangladesh’s liberation war, a bloody nine-month campaign that culminated in the nation’s independence on Dec. 16, 1971.
It was a violent birth, with some of its roots in the – when Pakistan was created as a separate nation.
As the British Empire left the subcontinent, an estimated in sectarian violence associated with the partition and 10 million to were forcibly displaced.
Newly independent Pakistan comprised two separate geographical areas separated by over a thousand miles of Indian terrain. While both regions included significant Muslim populations, West Pakistan was made up largely of . In contrast, the population of , which became modern-day Bangladesh, was predominantly ethnically Bengali, as the territory was formerly part of the Indian region of Bengal.
As a scholar of conflict, I argue that each of these factors – particularly the differences in language and political and economic inequities – laid the groundwork for Bangladesh’s independence struggle. This history continues to have an impact today.
Deepening Fault Lines
From early on, the issue of language was a difficult one. In 1948, the founding leader of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, that only Urdu, spoken by Muslims in the north and northwest in British India, should be the state language of the country. Bangla, spoken overwhelmingly by East Pakistanis, was considered by West Pakistani leadership as a .
The Urdu-only policy aimed to create a single identity out of two culturally distinct regions united by a common religion – Islam. More broadly, it aimed to consolidate the national identity of the recently independent Pakistan.
In East Pakistan, the declaration was followed by the by Bengali Nobel laureate . Bangla language as the medium of education and primary mode of instruction was also banned.
All were printed in Urdu.
The language ban deepened tensions that had already emerged between West and East Pakistan. A major reason for this was significant disparities between the two regions. West Pakistan while East Pakistan was predominantly the supplier for raw materials, setting up a situation of unequal exchange.
In 1959-60 the per capita income in West Pakistan was 32% higher than in East Pakistan. By 1969-70, . Investment policies including in consistently favored West Pakistan.
East Pakistanis had , which was located in the West Pakistani city of Islamabad. They were severely . West Pakistani political leadership did not see Bengalis as “real” Muslims. Both in political circles and socially, Bengali cultural practices were considered of a lower social status.
Mass Uprising
The efforts to “Islamize” East Pakistanis through Urdu and “purify” from “Hindu influences” resulted in massive nonviolent demonstrations and strikes.
On Feb. 21, 1952, students and other activists launched a language movement called the “,” which demanded Bangla be recognized as the state language for East Pakistan. Thousands of school and college students protested, defying of the Criminal Procedural Code, which prohibited assembly of five or more people and holding of public meetings.
The crackdown that followed . From 1950 to 1969 it also galvanized a growing movement for autonomy across East Pakistan.
A was and led to the imposition of martial law.
In 1970, a in East Pakistan claimed 300,000 to 500,000 lives. The of the West Pakistan government further inflamed tensions.
A big turning point came the same year when the in East Pakistan, led by Bengali politician Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a in national elections. The Pakistani leadership was reluctant to accept the results because it did not want an East Pakistani political party heading the federal government.
This resulted in the in East Pakistan.
As the demand for Bengali autonomy grew, the Pakistani government launched ,“ a military operation to crush the emerging movement. According to journalist Robert Payne, it killed at least – both Hindus and Muslims – in a single night.
On March 26, Bangladesh was independent and the liberation war began.
The Violent Birth of Bangladesh
The liberation war was fought mostly by civilians – men and , Muslims, Hindus and .
Bangladesh’s independence struggle took place in the broader context of the Cold War, which meant external actors were involved in the conflict. During the Cold War, India allied with the Soviet Union, while the to counter Soviet influence in South Asia and to protect its geostrategic interests vis-a-vis .
When the Pakistani military intensified its campaign to quell the independence movement, it did so with the and .
The Pakistani military and its local collaborators specifically targeted Hindus, who in the represented 18% of East Pakistan’s population of 50 million.
An estimated . A further 20 million were internally displaced. An estimated .
Independent research estimates to were killed in the . The Bangladesh government maintains that .
On Dec. 3, India officially entered the war .
Ten days later, in one of the last military operations, over 300 Bengali academics, doctors, engineers, journalists, artists and teachers – Hindus and Muslims alike – by Pakistani soldiers and their local collaborators.
On Dec. 16, 1971, the , marking it as Bangladesh’s Victory Day.
Challenges Today
Soon after its independence, in a meeting between officials of the United States Agency for International Development and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Bangladesh was labeled a "basket case.” Years of economic inequities, the 1970 cyclone and the war had left over .
However, in the 50 years since its independence, Bangladesh has made some significant strides. It has aggressively tackled , and . Today, with a , it is on to graduate from the category.
Nevertheless, Bangladesh still faces enormous challenges. , and remain serious concerns.
, the country today faces a .
The those who participated in the independence struggle and those who collaborated with the Pakistani military continues to shape Bangladesh’s political landscape today.
, Senior Professorial Lecturer,
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