December 16th, 2024, marks the 53rd anniversary of the dismemberment of the Eastern Wing of Pakistan and the creation of a new country, Bangladesh. The latter has recently observed a shift in its narrative about the country’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, and the historical events leading to its creation.
The Lingering Impact of Pakistan’s Division and the Role of Ethnic Tensions
The apparent cause of this dividing the country was embedded in the linguistic divide. However, significant evidence portends that an external hand was involved in dividing Pakistan. Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s founding father, considered Urdu to be the binding linguistic force for the whole nation. He chose Urdu as the lingua franca of the state, as it was broadly spoken in significant parts of the Subcontinent and was not the representative of any particular region, to create a unified language for the whole country. Nonetheless, this proved increasingly alienating to the people of Eastern Pakistan. This approach did not confront the linguistic, political, and cultural ambitions of the Bengali ethnicity. The centralization of power in the Western wing already inculcated a feeling of being neglected among the people of East Pakistan.
Despite the appointment of prominent leaders like Mohammad Ali Bogra, Sikandar Mirza, and Khawaja Nizamuddin, the people of East Pakistan felt economically and politically marginalized. This feeling grew grievances regarding the disproportionate distribution of power, job opportunities, and resources. This sentiment apexed when Sheikh Mujib ur Rehman, the leader of Awami League of Eastern Pakistan, won an overwhelming victory in the 1970 general election, but was denied power by the then Pakistani establishment and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the leader of People’s Party of Pakistan. A famous Pakistani author G.W Choudhury cited Bhutto, in his book The Last Days of United Pakistan, saying, “If I have to choose between two Ps: Pakistan and Power, I would choose the latter.”
This portends that Western Pakistan’s leadership was unwilling to share power with the people of the Eastern wing. However, there is undeniable evidence that some external regional hands were also involved in dividing Pakistan. Mukti Bhani, a violent organization backed by some regional rival forces of Pakistan, turned the turf of power between the two sides into a violent confrontation. Pakistan army also took strict action against the separatist organization. Mukti Bhani and its regional supporters circulated exaggerated reports of the assassination of 3 million Bengalis by the Pakistan army. These controversial reports sent to international media about the Pakistan military’s operation pulled severe criticism. Nonetheless, many regional and international historians and authors, including Sarmila Bose, have rejected these claims.
In her famous book, Dead Reckoning, she stated that the actual death toll of the 1971 war was somewhere between 50000 and, 100000. Pakistan also holds that India was also directly involved in this conflict. The Indian government also celebrates 16th December as “Vijay Diwas” day to commemorate the death of its military soldiers and victory over Pakistan. On the other hand, the massacre of the pro-Pakistan Bihari community was committed with impunity in Bangladesh. Almost, 500000 Biharis were killed by Bengalis in this conflict. However, many Bengali and Indian historians have painted the 1971 events from a biased perspective against Pakistan. However, the recent collapse of Hasina Wajid’s government in Bangladesh has cleared the fog from the various historical events of the 1971 war.
External Influences and the Path Toward Regional Cooperation
After the fall of Hasina Wajid’s government in Bangladesh, the new interim government has adopted a cordial tone towards Pakistan. People protesting against the Hasina government have even vandalized Sheikh Mujibur Rehman’s statute, showing resentment against him. This happened due to his misuse of power and his dictatorial regime. Under his leadership, Bangladesh turned from a democracy into a dictatorship. It was his policies that led to the recent uprisings against the Hasina Wajid’s government in Bangladesh. The celebration of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s death anniversary in Bangladesh, for the first time since the country’s creation, portends that Bengali people still admire him and his leadership. It seems that there is widespread resentment among the Bengali people for falling into the trap of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman and his propaganda machine.
On the other hand, the Pakistani government also seeks to establish cordial ties with Bangladesh. Russia and China’s rise as the new superpowers of the world provided both countries with novel opportunities for cooperation under the aforementioned countries’ inclusive leadership. Political and economic ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan can lead to establishing peace in the region and economically strengthening South Asia. Moreover, this coordination will also provide strategic leverage to China and Russia at regional and global levels.
Abbas Hashemite – is a political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues. He is currently working as an independent researcher and journalist.
