East Pakistan
| East Pakistan مشرقی پاکستان |
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| Motto Unity, Faith, Discipline |
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| Anthem "Qaumī Tarāna" ("National Anthem") Pakistan Zindabad |
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| Capital | Dhaka | ||||
| Language(s) | Bengali (Official) Bihari, Urdu and English |
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| Religion | Islam (Major) Hinduism |
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| Government | Military government Dictatorship |
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| Martial Law Administrator | |||||
| - 1960-62 | Azam Khan | ||||
| - 1962-69 | Abdul Monem Khan | ||||
| - 1969-71 | Syed Mohammad Ahsan | ||||
| - 1971 | Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi | ||||
| Governors | |||||
| - 1955-56 | Amiruddin Ahmad | ||||
| - 1956-58 | A. K. Fazlul Huq | ||||
| - 1958-60 | Zakir Husain | ||||
| Legislature | East Pakistan Legislative Provincial Assembly | ||||
| Historical era | Cold War | ||||
| - Established | 1955 | ||||
| - Final settlement | 22 November 1954 | ||||
| - Bangladesh Liberation War | 26 March 1971 | ||||
| - Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 | 3 December 1971 | ||||
| - Succession of Bangladesh/Fall of Dhaka | 16 December 1971 | ||||
| Currency | Pakistan Rs. (M)December 16, 1971 | ||||
| Today part of |  Bangladesh |
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This article is part of the series
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Original provinces
Minor states
One-unit provinces
Other subdivisions
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East Pakistan (Bengali: পূর্ব পাকিস্তান Purbo Pakistan, Urdu: مشرقی پاکستان Mashriqī Pākistān) was a provincial state of Pakistan established on 1956 following the One Unit. It existed as a provincial state of Pakistan until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh and became an independent republic on 16 December of the same year. Bengal under the British Raj was divided to western and eastern parts based on the 'Mountbatten Plan' on 3 June 1947. The eastern part was given to the Dominion of Pakistan and made a province of Pakistan by the name East Bengal. In 1955, East Bengal was dissolved and the province of East Pakistan was created in its place. Later in 1971 it was recognized as Bangladesh after the Bangladesh Liberation War which took place after the General Elections of 1970.
East Pakistan had an area of 147,570 km2 (56,977 mi2), bordering India on three sides (East, North, and West) and the Bay of Bengal to the South. East Pakistan was one of the largest provincial states of Pakistan, with the largest population and sharing the largest economic share. In 1971 a violent Liberation war ended the writ of Pakistan, and Pakistan was divided as a result of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Finally, on 15 December 1971, East Pakistan was officially disestablished and became the independent state of Bangladesh.
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[edit] History and partition
Pakistan was born in bloodshed and came into existence on 14 August 1947 confronted by seemingly insurmountable problems. As many as 12 million people—Muslims leaving India for Pakistan, and Hindus and Sikhs opting to move to India from the new state of Pakistan—had been involved in the mass transfer of population between the two countries, and perhaps two million refugees had died in the violence that had accompanied the migrations. Pakistan's boundaries were established hastily without adequate regard for the new nation's economic viability. Even the minimal requirements of a working central government—skilled personnel, equipment, and a capital city with government buildings—were missing. Until 1947, the East Wing of Pakistan, separated from the West Wing by 1,600 kilometres of Indian territory, had been heavily dependent on Hindu management. Many Hindu Bengalis left for Calcutta after partition, and their place, particularly in commerce, was taken mostly by Muslims who had migrated from the Indian state of Bihar or by West Pakistanis from Punjab.
[edit] 1947-1956 era: Alliance with Pakistan
The Bengal was divided into two provinces on 3 July 1946 in preparation for the partition of India - the Hindu-majority West Bengal and the Muslim-majority East Bengal. The two provinces each had their own Chief Ministers. In August 1947 West Bengal became part of India and East Bengal became part of Pakistan. Tensions between East Bengal and the western wing of Pakistan led to the One-Unit policy by Bengali Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra. In 1955, most of the western wing was combined to form a new West Pakistan province while East Bengal became the new province of East Pakistan. In 1955, Bogra appointed Abu Hussain Sarkar as Chief Minister and Amiruddin Ahmad as Governor.
Following the promulgation of 1956 Constitution, Major-General (retired) Iskander Mirza, who had been a soldier and civil servant, became minister of the interior; General Muhammad Ayub Khan, the Commander of Pakistan Army, became minister of defence; and Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, former head of the civil service, remained minister of finance. The main objective of the new government was to end disruptive provincial politics and to provide the country with a new constitution. The Federal Court, however, declared that a new Constituent Assembly must be called. Ghulam Mohammad was unable to circumvent the order, and the new Constituent Assembly, elected by the provincial assemblies, met for the first time in July 1955. Bogra, who had little support in the new assembly, fell in August and was replaced by Choudhry; Ghulam Mohammad, plagued by poor health, was succeeded as governor general in September 1955 by Mirza
[edit] 1958-1960 era: Military Dictatorship
In East Pakistan the political impasse culminated in 1958 in a violent scuffle in the provincial assembly between members of the opposition and the police force, in which the deputy speaker was fatally injured and two ministers badly wounded. Uncomfortable with the workings of parliamentary democracy, unruliness in the East Pakistani provincial assembly elections and the threat of Baluch separatism in West Pakistan, on 7 October 1958 Mirza issued a proclamation that abolished political parties, abrogated the two-year-old constitution, and placed the country under martial law. Mirza announced that martial law would be a temporary measure lasting only until a new constitution was drafted. On 27 October he swore in a twelve-member cabinet that included Ayub as prime minister and three other generals in ministerial positions. Included among the eight civilians was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a former university lecturer. On the same day, the general exiled Mirza to London because "the armed services and the people demanded a clean break with the past." Until 1962 martial law continued and Ayub purged a number of politicians and civil servants from the government and replaced them with army officers. Ayub called his regime a "revolution to clean up the mess of black marketing and corruption.
[edit] 1960-1966 era: years of neglect
During the years between 1960 and 1965, the annual rate of growth of the gross domestic product per capita was 4.4 percent in West Pakistan versus just 2.6 percent in East Pakistan. Furthermore, Bengali politicians pushing for more autonomy complained that much of Pakistan's export earnings were generated in East Pakistan by the export of Bengali jute and tea. As late as 1960, approximately 70 percent of Pakistan's export earnings originated in the East Wing, although this percentage declined as international demand for jute dwindled. By the mid-1960s, the East Wing was accounting for less than 60 percent of the nation's export earnings, and by the time of Bangladesh's independence in 1971, this percentage had dipped below 50 percent. This reality did not dissuade Mujib from demanding in 1966 that separate foreign exchange accounts be kept and that separate trade offices be opened overseas. By the mid-1960s, West Pakistan was benefiting from Ayub's "Decade of Progress," with its successful "green revolution" in wheat, and from the expansion of markets for West Pakistani textiles, while the East Pakistani standard of living remained at an abysmally low level. Bengalis were also upset that West Pakistan, because it was the seat of government, was the major beneficiary of foreign aid.
[edit] 1966-1970: The Eastern Military High Command
With Ayub Khan ousted from office in 1969, Commander of the Pakistani Army, General Yahya Khan became the country's second ruling Chief Martial Law Administrator. Both Bhutto and Mujib strongly disliked General Khan, but patiently endured him and his government as he had promised to hold an election in 1970. During this time, strong nationalistic sentiments in East Pakistan were perceived by the Pakistani Armed Forces and the central military government. Therefore, Khan and his military government wanted to divert the nationalistic threats and violence against non-East Pakistanis. The Eastern Military High Command was under constant pressure from the Awami League, and requested an active duty officer to control the command under such extreme pressure. The high flag rank officers, junior officers and many high command officers from the Pakistan's Armed Forces were highly cautious about their appointment in East-Pakistan, and the assignment of governing East Pakistan and appointment of an officer was considered highly difficult for the Pakistan High Military Command.
East Pakistan's Armed Forces, under the military administrations of Major-General Muzaffaruddin and Lieutenant-General Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, used an excessive amount of show of military force to curb the uprising in the province. With such action, the situation became highly critical and civil control over the province slipped away from the government. On 24 March, dissatisfied with the performance of his generals, Yahya Khan removed General Muzaffaruddin and General Yaub Khan from office on 1 September 1969. The appointment of a military administrator was considered quiet difficult and challenging with the crisis continually deteriorating. Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan, Chief of Naval Staff of Pakistan Navy, had previously served as political and military adviser of East Pakistan to former President Ayub Khan. Having such a strong background in administration, and being an expert on East Pakistan affairs, General Yahya Khan appointed Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan as Martial Law Administrator, with absolute authority in his command. He was relieved as Chief of Naval Staff, and received extension from the government. On 1 September Admiral Ahsan assumed the command of the Eastern Military High Command, and became a unified commander of Pakistan Armed Forces in East-Pakistan. Under his command, the Pakistani Armed Forces were removed from the cities and deployed along the border. The rate of violence in East Pakistan dropped, nearly coming to an end. Civil rule improved and stabilized in East Pakistan under Martial Law Administrator Admiral Ahsan's era. The next year, in 1970, it was in this charged atmosphere that parliamentary elections were held in the country in December 1970.
[edit] The 1971: The Final years
The tension between East and West-Pakistan reached a climax in 1970 when the Awami League, the largest East Pakistani political party, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a landslide victory in the national elections in East Pakistan. The party won 167 of the 169 seats allotted to East Pakistan, and thus a majority of the 300 seats in the Parliament. This gave the Awami League the constitutional right to form an absolute government. Khan invited Mujib to Rawalpindi to take the charge of the office, and negotiation between Military government and Awami Party held on. Bhutto was shocked with results, and threatened his Peoples Party's members to attend the inaugural session at the National Assembly. Bhutto famously heard saying "break the legs" if any member of his party dared enter and attending the session. However, fearing capitalization on West Pakistan, and East Pakistani separatism, Bhutto demanded Mujib to form a coalition government. After a secret meeting held in Larkana, Mujib agreed to give Bhutto the charge of Presidency with Mujib as Prime minister. General Yahya Khan and his military government kept unaware of such development and under pressured by his own military government, refused to allow Rahman to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan. This increased agitation for greater autonomy in the East. The Military Police arrested Mujib and Bhutto and placed them on Adiala Jail Rawalpindi. The news spread as like a fire in East and West Pakistan, and the struggle for independence began in East Pakistan.
The senior high command officers in Pakistan Armed Forces, and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a former Karachi University professor of political science, began to force General Yahya Khan to take an armed action against Mujib and his party. Bhutto later distanced himself from Yahya Khan after he was arrested by Military Police along with Mujib. Soon after the arrests, a high level meeting was chaired by Yahya Khan. During the meeting, chaired by General Yahya Khan, high commanders of Pakistan Armed Forces unanimously recommended for an armed and violent military action. East-Pakistan's Martial Law Administrator Admiral Ahsan, unified commander of Eastern Military High Command (EMHC), and Air Marshal Mitty Masud, Commander of Eastern Air Force Command (EAFC), remained the only officers to object the plans. When it became in common-sense that a military action in East Pakistan is inevitable, Admiral Ahsan resigned from his position as Martial Law Administrator in protest, and immediately flew back to Karachi, West Pakistan. Disheartened and isolated, Admiral Ahsan took early retirement from the Navy and quietly settled in Karachi. Once the Searchlight and Barisal commenced, Air Marshal Masud flew to West Pakistan, and unlike Admiral Ahsan, tried to stop the violence in East Pakistan. When he was failed to attempt to meet General Yahya Khan, Masud too resigned from his position as Commander of Eastern Air Command, and took retirement from Air Force.
[edit] Dissolution of East Pakistan
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Lieutenant-General Sahabzada Yaqub Khan was sent in to East Pakistan in emergency, following a major blow of the resignation of Vice Admiral Ahsan. General Yaqub temporarily assumed the control of the province, as he was made the unified commander of Pakistan Armed Forces. General Yaqub mobilized the entire major forces in East Pakistan, and were re-deployed in East Pakistan.
On 26 March 1971, the day after the military crackdown on civilians in East Pakistan, Mujibur Rahman declared the independence of Bangladesh. All major Awami League leaders including elected leaders of National Assembly and Provincial Assembly fled to neighboring India and an exile government was formed headed by Mujibur Rahman. While he was in Pakistan Prison, Syed Nazrul Islam was the acting President with Tazuddin Ahmed as the Prime Minister. The exile government took oath on 17 April 1971 at Mujib Nagar, within East Pakistan territory of Kustia district and formally formed the government. Colonel MOG Osmani was appointed the Commander in Chief of Liberation Forces and whole East Pakistan was divided into eleven sectors headed by eleven sector commanders. All sector commanders were Bengali officers from defected Pakistan Army. This started the Bangladesh Liberation War in which the freedom fighters, joined in December 1971 by 400,000 Indian soldiers, faced the Pakistani Armed Forces of 365,000 plus Paramilitary and collaborationist forces. An additional approximately 25,000 ill-equipped civilian volunteers and police forces also sided with the Pakistan Armed Forces. Bloody guerrilla warfare ensued in East Pakistan. The Pakistan Armed Forces were unable to counter such threats. Poorly trained and inexperienced in guerrilla tactics, Pakistan Armed Forces and their assets were successfully sabotage by the Bangladesh Liberation Forces. On April 1971, Lieutenant-General Tikka Khan succeeded General Yaqub Khan as Commander of unified forces. General Tikka Khan led the massive violent and massacre campaigns in the region. He is held responsible for killing hundreds of Bengali people in East Pakistan, mostly civilians and unarmed fighters. For his role, General Tikka Khan gained the title as "Butcher of Bengal". General Khan faced an international reaction against Pakistan, and therefore, removed General Tikka as Commander. He installed a civilian administration under Abdul Motaleb Malik on 31 August 1971, which proved to be ineffective. However, during the meeting, with no high officers willing to assume the command of East Pakistan, Lieutenant-General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi volunteered for the command of the East Pakistan. Inexperienced and the large magnitude of this assignment, the government sent Vice-Admiral Mohammad Shariff as second-in-command of General Niazi. Admiral Shariff served as the deputy unified commander of Pakistan Armed Forces in East Pakistan. However, General Niazi proved to be a failure and ineffective ruler. Therefore, General Niazi and Air Marshal Enamul Haque, Commander of Eastern Air Force Command (EAFC), were failed to launch any operation in East Pakistan against Indian or its allies. Except Admiral Shariff who continued to press pressure on Indian Navy till the end of the conflict. Admiral Shariff made it nearly impossible for Indian Navy to land its naval forces on the shores, due to mines and well effected plan made by Admiral Shariff. The Indian Navy was unable to entered in East Pakistan through shores and Pakistan Navy was still offering resistance. Therefore, The Indian Army, from all three directions of the province, entered in the East Pakistan. The Indian Navy then decided to wait near the Bay of Bengal until the Army reaches the shores.
The Indian Air Force had dismantled the capability of Pakistan Air Force in East Pakistan. Air Marshal Enamul Haque, Commander of Eastern Air Force Command (EAFC), was brutally failed to protect any Armed Forces assets against the raids taken by Indian Air Force. In all, the Indian Air Force enjoyed the complete air superiority in East Pakistan, with PAF offering no resistance.
On 16 December 1971 the Pakistan Armed Forces finally surrendered to the joint liberation forces of Bangladesh freedom fighters and Indian army. Headed by Lieutenant-General Jagjit Singh Arora, commander of Western Army Command of Indian Army. General AAK Niazi, the last unified commander of Pakistan Armed Forces, signed the surrender letter. Over 93,000 personnel, including General Niazi and Admiral Shariff, were taken as Prisoner of War. On 16 December 1971 the East Pakistan was finally disintegrated as a part of Pakistan. The Eastern Military High Command, civilian institutions, and paramilitary forces were collapsed and disbanded. Mujib returned to free Bangladesh on 10 January 1972 by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bangladesh quickly gained recognition from most countries and with the signing of the Shimla Accord, most of the countries accepted the new state. Bangladesh joined the United Nations in 1974.
[edit] Government
On 14 October 1955 the last governor of East Bengal (Amiruddin Ahmad) became the first Governor of East Pakistan. At the same time the last Chief Minister of East Bengal became the first Chief Minister of East Pakistan. This system lasted until the military coup of 1958 when the post of Chief Minister was abolished in both East Pakistan and West Pakistan. From 1958 to 1971 the administration was largely in the hands of the President of Pakistan and the Governor of East Pakistan who at times held the title of Martial Law Administrator.
[edit] Military presence
Since its unification with Pakistan, the East Pakistan ground forces had consisted of only one infantry brigade, which was made up of two battalions, the 1st East Bengal Regiment and the 1/14 or 3/8 Punjab Regiment in 1948. These two battalions boasted only five rifle companies between them (an infantry battalion normally had 5 companies).[1] This weak brigade, under the command of Brigadier Ayub Khan (local rank Major General – GOC 14 Division), together with a few East Pakistan Rifles wings, was tasked with defending East Pakistan during the Kashmir War of 1947.[2] The Pakistan Air Force and Navy had little presence in the region. Only one Combatant Squadron, No. 14 Tail Choppers, was active in East Pakistan. This unit was commanded by a Squadron Leader or Major. The Navy had only four gunboats, inadequate to function in deep water. The Marines were also present, tasked to carried out shoreline and riverine operations. All these services operated under a unified command structure, the Eastern Military High Command, led by a general officer of three-star rank equivalent.
[edit] Governors
| Tenure | Governor of East Pakistan[3] | Political Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| 14 October 1955 – March 1956 | Amiruddin Ahmad | Muslim League |
| March 1956 – 13 April 1958 | A. K. Fazlul Huq | Muslim League |
| 13 April 1958 – 3 May 1958 | Hamid Ali (acting) | Awami League |
| 3 May 1958 – 10 October 1958 | Sultanuddin Ahmad | Awami League |
| 10 October 1958 – 11 April 1960 | Zakir Husain | Muslim League |
| 11 April 1960 – 11 May 1962 | Lieutenant-General Azam Khan, PA | Military Administration |
| 11 May 1962 – 25 October 1962 | Ghulam Faruque | Independent (politician) |
| 25 October 1962 – 23 March 1969 | Abdul Monem Khan | Civil Administration |
| 23 March 1969 – 25 March 1969 | Mirza Nurul Huda | Civil Administration |
| 25 March 1969 – 23 August 1969 | Major-General Muzaffaruddin,[4] PA | Military Administration |
| 23 August 1969 – 1 September 1969 | Lieutenant-General Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, PA | Military Administration |
| 1 September 1969 – 7 March 1971 | Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan, PN | Military Administration |
| 7 March 1971 – April 1971 | Lieutenant-General Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, PA | Military Administration |
| April 1971 – 31 August 1971 | Lieutenant-General Tikka Khan, PA | Military Administration |
| 31 August 1971 – 14 December 1971 | Abdul Motaleb Malik | Independent |
| 14 December 1971 – 16 December 1971 | Lieutenant-General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, PA | Military Administration |
| 16 December 1971 | Province of East Pakistan dissolved |
[edit] Chief Ministers
| Tenure | Chief Minister of East Pakistan[3] | Political Party |
|---|---|---|
| August 1955 – September 1956 | Abu Hussain Sarkar | Shramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal |
| September 1956 – March 1958 | Ata-ur-Rahman Khan | Awami League |
| March 1958 | Abu Hussain Sarkar | Shramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal |
| March 1958 – 18 June 1958 | Ata-ur-Rahman Khan | Awami League |
| 18 June 1958 – 22 June 1958 | Abu Hussain Sarkar | Shramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal |
| 22 June 1958 – 25 August 1958 | Governor's Rule | |
| 25 August 1958 – 7 October 1958 | Ata-ur-Rahman Khan | Awami League |
| 7 October 1958 | Post abolished | |
| 16 December 1971 | Province of East Pakistan dissolved |
[edit] See also
- Partition of British India
- East Bengal
- West Pakistan
- Bangladesh Liberation War
- Biharis
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
- The Blood telegram
[edit] References
- ^ Major Nasir Uddin, Juddhey Juddhey Swadhinata, pp49
- ^ Major Nasir Uddin, Juddhey Juddhey Swadhinata, pp47, pp51
- ^ a b Ben Cahoon, WorldStatesmen.org. "Bangladesh". http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Bangladesh.html. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
- ^ (acting martial law administrator and governor as he was the GOC 14th Infantry Division)
