Second Year Final Exam-2019

Assignment on
Nation Building Efforts in Pakistan (1947-71)
Course Title: Politics in Pakistan and Emergence of Bangladesh (1947-1971)
Course Code: GP-205

Submitted To
Kamrul Hasan
Assistant Professor

Department of Government and Politics

Jahangirnagar University

Submitted By
Md. Akimul Islam
Roll: 503, Register No. 46498
Exam roll: 180882
Session: 2017-18, 47th Batch
Department of Government and Politics
Jahangirnagar University

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 Acknowledgement

First and foremost, I am always grateful to Almighty for all blessings and mercies at every instant
of our lives. In preparation of my assignment, I had to take the help and guidance of some
respected persons, who deserve my deepest gratitude. I would like to express my appreciation to
all those without whose support and help this assignment would not have completed successfully.
I cannot express enough thanks to my course teacher Mr. Kamrul Hasan (Assistant Professor,
Department of Government and Politics, Jahangirnagar University) whose constant effort,
guidance knowledge, expertise, advice, and monitoring throughout the process have made it
possible to accomplish the assignment in limited time frame.

I am also thankful to beloved junior Nasir Uddin Sikdar who he helps me technically and provide
some relevant information.

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 Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 4
Key Research Question .................................................................................................................... 5
Nation .............................................................................................................................................. 6
Nation-Building................................................................................................................................ 6
Main Element of the nation-building .............................................................................................. 6
Importance of Nation-building ........................................................................................................ 7
The reason for the failure of nation-building .................................................................................. 7
Nation building is not possible ...................................................................................................... 10
Impact of nation-building in separation of Pakistan...................................................................... 11
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 12
References..................................................................................................................................... 13

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Introduction
The complex problem of Pakistan's national unity became inconceivable due to the overall failure
of the Pakistani rulers. The rulers of Pakistan have not been able to mobilize the motivation for a
common Muslim nationhood to unite the people of two disparate and unequal regions thousands
of miles away under one banner. They failed to create a national territorial attitude or to establish
a central national leadership. They have not been able to bridge the gap between the ‘elite’ or the
‘mass’ or the privileged and the common people and to develop a minimum national values
awareness. Above all, they want to use the institutional and behavioral principles of national unity
as cheap slogans for their own narrow interests. Did not apply them in national life. The practical
failure of these principles of nation building did not allow Pakistan to develop into a cohesive
nation state. Which is the inevitable consequence of Pakistan's failure in nation-building to
establish an independent Bangladesh through armed struggle.

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Key Research Question
❖ Why nation-building is important?
❖ Why did the nation-building fail?
❖ Why did the nation-building is not possible?
❖ Do you think there was any role in nation-building to separate Pakistan?

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Nation
In a word, nation refers to a group of people who are bound and organized by a general sense of
unity. When political consciousness develops in a community, it is called national community.
About the political consciousness When the masses try to build an independent state to protect
their independence or live in an independent state, this organized national mass is called a nation.

Nation-Building
Nation-building is the development of the nation through the stability of the political parties, the
administration, and the judiciary of the national institutions. Nation-building aims at the
unification of the people within the state so that it remains politically stable and viable in the long
run.

Main Element of the nation-building

• A national ideology.
The ideology of the same ideology is necessary for nation building. Unity, solidarity, peace,
and order are established within the country. Holders and carriers of the same nationality
further strengthen the foundation of the state. The internal conflicts of the country do not
give rise to conflicts, rebellions, etc. Carries the same identity. No matter how much they
differ in terms of language, religion, culture, etc., they consider themselves united, thus
they become one nation.
• A national elite
They eliminate non-violence in the country; They play the role of the country's chief clerk.
They distribute the political, economic, and social responsibilities of the country. Maintains
stability within the country, the interests of the people are indirect. In other words,
national elites play a very important role in national formation. They were creating
effective institutions (non-political dispute resolution process and freedom from
corruption). In most cases, the aristocracy respects civil liberties, adheres to established
constitutional principles, and operates openly and peacefully.

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 • National institutions
Religious institutions, trade unions, media, NGOs, government departments, courts and
legislatures are very important in nation building. Through which it is possible to maintain
the internal discipline of the country.
• Need to integrate the various groups.
Coordination of different groups within the country is very important in nation building. So
that it is easy to hold the driving force of the country through various unity and solidarity.

Importance of Nation-building
For the unification of the nation, for the unification of the identity of the people, for the
unification, in the process of national stability and development, nation-building is necessary. To
establish the national ideology of an independent country, there must be a role of nation-building
in combining unity within the country for the sake of economy, military, culture, political structure,
stability of the state. Apart from this, development of science and technology, culture, social
stability, national unity, and diplomacy are also the reasons for its prosperity. Political institutions,
national institutions, political structures are still important for nation-building, and they play an
effective role in nation-building instead of being an obstacle. For all these reasons, nation-building
is necessary for the development and establishment of a state.

The reason for the failure of nation-building

Nation-building is a multidimensional problem. The reasons for the failure of nation-building are
describe below:

1. Creation of a Sense of Territorial Nationality

Pakistan was divided into two parts, the distances of the geographical borders of East and
West Pakistan, the differences in culture and language all combined to awaken in them a
sense of separate nationality. Moreover, differences including economic and political
inequalities make East Pakistan a carrier of separate nationalities. As a result, regional
nationalism was created from this region.

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 ➢ Language: Pakistan was divided into two parts. Most of East Pakistanis speak
Bengali. As language is a powerful means of uniting thought and opinion, it has a
huge impact on the establishment of the nation. But the Western rulers first
attacked the language and thwarted the nation-building process.
➢ Culture: Pakistan is the bearer of a different culture. The importance of culture in
nation building is not to be neglected. Nation formation was not possible due to
non-implementation of the same ideology.
➢ Geographical location: Due to the geographical separation, a kind of inequality is
created with this region. In fact, it was very difficult. It can be said that the
formation of the nation has been hampered due to the geographical distance.

2. Nationalism
The important challenge in nation building is the geographical, linguistic, and cultural
differences of East Pakistan. And that is why they begin to think of themselves as a separate
nation. Moreover, the language movement united the Bengalis under the political
platform. This is how the Bengali elites originated. Gradually the Bengali nation nationalism
originated. This nationalist thought later became an obstacle in the way of nation building.

3. Rise of Vernacular Elite

The Muslim League has acted as the sole driving force behind the creation of Pakistan. But
after independence, the very existence of Pakistan was undermined by the fact that
Pakistan was considered the sole property of the Muslim League and by obstructing the
formation of constitutional opposition parties in the democratic process. As a result, the
Muslim League disintegrated, and the Vernacular Elite emerged. Their dispute over the
issue of Bengal’s political autonomy. The Vernacular elites disagreed with the Muslim
League over the political autonomy of Bengal (Jahan, 2015). It was organizationally weak
but bad mass support. Gradually it merged with political parties and participated in political
activities. As a result, the consciousness of nationalism continues to grow. As a result,
nation building was no longer possible.

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4. The Bridging of Elite-mass Gap
Due to the linguistic and cultural reasons of the national elites, a huge gap is created among
the common people (Jahan, 2015). As a result, they were far from the problems of the
people. It was possible to be close to the people if they spoke the same language.
Therefore, it is identified as a big problem in nation-building.

5. Dominant of Power Elite

The power elites pave the way for economic development, social change, modernization,
and state formation as goals for development to stay in power for a long time. For this they
boycotted the elections, delayed the drafting of the constitution so that no political
opposition was formed (Jahan, 2015). Bureaucrats are used for political cooperation to
consolidate power. Thus, the power elites have been abusing power for a long time. Thus,
the process of nation-building fails.

6. Economic Imbalance:
Appropriate measures have not been taken to end the existing economic inequality in East
Pakistan. The unbalanced economy led to further growth in the western and eastern
regions of the country (Mannan, 2006). As a result, insurgency is slowly gaining ground in
East Pakistan.

7. Violence of Bureaucracy
Taking advantage of the political vacuum of that time, the bureaucrats became a multi-
faceted and well-organized force. The main function of the bureaucracy in the first decade
of Pakistan was to maintain the unity and stability of Pakistan. The bureaucracy is
extremely centralized through bureaucracy without giving full opportunity to political
participation in a representative manner and full empowerment of the people at all levels
in all regions (Odud Bhuiyan, 2001). The role of the government in the social process of the
country was expanded. Moreover, power has been controlled by the bureaucracy

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 throughout the Pakistan period. Those who have come to power have long usurped power
by using bureaucracy. In this way the interference of the bureaucracy has increased.

8. The Failure of the National Institution

Taking advantage of the political vacuum of that time, the bureaucrats became a multi-
faceted and well-organized force. The main function of the bureaucracy in the first decade
of Pakistan was to maintain the unity and stability of Pakistan. However, the nature of their
administrative activities gave them the opportunity to wander a bit in politics (Odud
Bhuiyan, 2001). As a result, the activities of political institutions and National Institutions
are disrupted to some extent. As a result, it became a threat to nation-building.

9. Lack of a Coherent Political Process

Lack of a cohesive political process hinders the development of a national and mass-based
cohesive political party that coordinates the interests of all the people of the country. As a
result, the distance between the people and the national elite is created. Thus, the nation-
formation is undermined. (Mannan, 2006).

10. Common Set of Cultural Values

Time is wasted in setting national goals. As a result, the ideological conflict took an extreme
form. Doubts, mistrust, and misunderstandings are created through premature and
confusing actions in common sets of cultural values (Mannan, 2006).

The nation-building process has failed because of this problem.

Nation building is not Possible

For the state of Pakistan, nation building was not possible. A country is made up of a combination
of different cultures and languages. This is also a big problem in nation building. Moreover, in a
war-torn country, it was difficult to rearrange everything. Moreover, the tyranny of the
bureaucracy, the authority of the power elites, the delay in formulating the constitution, the

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instability of the political structure, the unequal inequality in all areas of East Pakistan and the shift
in power pose a threat to nation building. Moreover, East Pakistan had a geographical location to
become a separate country. The unity, consciousness, culture, religion, tradition of the majority
language are all carriers of different nationalities. I think, if Pakistan were capable of nation-
building, it would automatically disintegrate over time.

Impact of nation-building in separation of Pakistan

Without doubt, the emphasis on state-building efforts made Pakistan a more viable political unit,
but it led to the growing alienation of the Bengalis. After the formation of the state, the most
terrible problem of nation building in Pakistan was the consolidation of Bengali obedience. Even
though Bengalis were in the majority in East Pakistan, at the time of independence, Bengalis had
very little representation in the civil-military bureaucracy, business, or industrial class. As a result,
the Punjabis, and the expatriates from North and West India initially "modernized" the
nationalities and minorities, they became the national elite of Pakistan from the very beginning.
The tendency of one state, one government, one economy, one language, one culture and the
elites of this unbalanced power was a significant reason for the development of Bengali isolation
in the first decade of Pakistan's existence. They usurp power and leave the people in a quandary.
Because of them, the bureaucrats go beyond the ruling power. As a result, the administration is
extremely centralized through bureaucracy. Pakistan's inequality continues to grow in the name
of nation building, east Pakistan's claim was ignored, political participation is prohibited, and east
Pakistan was kept out of power. So, I think, the concept of nation-building has worked as the main
artisan of nation-breaking.

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Conclusion
The rulers of Pakistan have not been able to unite the motivation of ordinary Muslim nationalism
to unite the two banners’ thousands of miles away and the people of Assam. Despite the success
in other sectors, the failure to formulate adequate country-building policies has jeopardized the
success of the state. Moreover, because of the short-sightedness of the national elites, the
bureaucrats took advantage of the political vacuum. As a result, the authority of bureaucrats in
politics increased manifold. That is why political institutions fail. As a result, along with the state-
building activities, extreme failure was shown in the care and development of nation-building. In
this way, Pakistan could not be united through nation-building.

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References
Jahan, R., 2015. Pakistan: failure in national integration. Dhaka, Bangladesh: The University
Press.
Mannan, M., 2006. A History of Evolution of our Nationhood. 3rd ed. Kamiub Prokashon Limited:
Mohammad Nizam Uddin, Muhammad Helal Uddin, pp.166-168.

Odud Bhuiyan, A., 2001. বাাংলাদেদের রাজনৈতিক উন্নয়ৈ. 5th ed. Azizia Book Dipo: Md. Akramullah
Dulal, pp.189-192.

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