THE EAST AND WEST PAKISTAN PARTITION

LAHORE RESOLUTION

The fazl ul haq gave the lahore resolution which demanded autonomy for muslim states and the
bengal thought it would get autonomy but instead in 1947 they were being governed by karachi
and this reason and few more caused the tension of bengal being partitioned and joining with
India
REASONS FOR THE PARTITION

LANGUAGE MOVEMENT- 6% of pakistani spoke urdu and 56%spoke bengali but still
the national language was urdu rather than bengali this led to protest until the
national language was declared as bengali

A State Language Day took place on 21st february in which many people died this
protest was kept just to make bengal as a national language

There was a vast cultural difference between east and west pakistan in west pakistan
people considered their culture to be superior than the east pakistanis

ECONOMIC DIFFERENCE-the economic policy of the Government of Pakistan

always worked against the interest of East Pakistan and gave rise to the
economic disparity between the two wings of Pakistan.

West pakistan received more foreign aid while east pakistan wealth
contributed to western growth.

The export of jute favored only west pakistan because it was used for defense
purposes and the border was laid in west pakistan.

POLITICAL DISPARITY-the east pakistan had less seats in national legislature

which meant they had less to say in the political matters the jobs were also
taken by west pakistanis and this made the people in East angry .

THE 1970 CYCLONE-it took place in 12 december and devastated the east
pakistan upto 500000 people lost their lives but no help was received from the
west pakistan and the indian fly in aid was refused and it took so many days to
reach east pakistan by road Cyclone was the end of any moral claims to
Pakistani rule, and it dramatized the arguments for autonomy

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THE EAST AND WEST PAKISTAN PARTITION
THE ELECTIONS

the elections which were initially due on 5 October 1970 for the National
Assembly and on 19 October for the provincial assemblies were postponed till
December

The elections were a fierce contest between two social democratic parties – the
west-based Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and the east-
based Awami League of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The result was a victory for the Awami League, which won an absolute majority
of 160 seats, all of which were in East Pakistan. The PPP won only 81 seats, all
in West Pakistan.

In the provincial elections held ten days later, the Awami League again
dominated in East Pakistan, while the PPP won Punjab and Sindh. The Marxist
National Awami Party emerged victorious in the Northwest Frontier Province
and Balochistan.

PROBLEMS OF AWAMI LEAGUE SUCCESS

The success of awami league give them power leaving west pakistan PPP no
role in government unless awami league wanted to share power

The power of province came into the awami league hands and the threat of
reduction in foreign exchange earning was developed

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THE EAST AND WEST PAKISTAN PARTITION
WEST PAKISTAN REACTION TO AWAMI LEAGUE SUCCESS

General Yahya Khan's January 1971 visit to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman aimed to
deter him from forming a new government and restricting central
government power

In February 1971, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto stated that the PPP would only join the
National Assembly if a power-sharing agreement with Mujib was reached.

On March 1, 1971, the opening of the National Assembly was indefinitely

postponed by General Yahya Khan, intensifying uncertainty.

The postponement of the assembly triggered civil disobedience, strikes,

demonstrations, and tax refusal in East Pakistan.

To restore order amid the crisis, General Tikka Khan was appointed Chief
Martial Law Administrator in March 1971.

A meeting on March 15, 1971, involving Yahya Khan, Bhutto, and Mujib failed
to find a resolution to the crisis in Dhaka.

Operation Searchlight, launched on March 26, 1971, resulted in the arrest of

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the detention and casualties of hundreds of his
supporters, marking the onset of the Bangladesh Liberation War.

OPERATION SEARCHLIGHT

Operation Searchlight was a military action initiated by the Pakistani

government on March 26, 1971.

It aimed to suppress the Bengali nationalist movement in East Pakistan . The

operation led to widespread violence, including the arrest and loss of life of
numerous Bengali nationalist leaders and supporters. Operation Searchlight
marked the beginning of the Bangladesh Liberation War, which ultimately
resulted in the independence of Bangladesh.

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THE EAST AND WEST PAKISTAN PARTITION
THE OUTBREAK OF WAR

In March 1971, General Yahya Khan sent the army into East Pakistan to
maintain order and banned the Awami League (AL).

In March 1971, Yahya accused Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of declaring

independence.

On March 26, 1971, a secret radio broadcast from Dhaka proclaimed the
Sovereign Republic of Bangladesh. In response, the government took
harsh measures in March 1971, leading to widespread violence, press
censorship, and control over political activities in East Pakistan.

Bengal refugees were in danger and war was to be taken place at any case

On March 31, 1971, India declared support for "the people of Bengal" and
began training a Bengali rebel army called Mukti Bahini.

Yahya Khan sent more troops to East Pakistan, resulting in a civil war. By
early April, 1971, the Pakistani army gained control of major towns and
repelled the east Pakistani rebels.

On 21 Nov. the Mukti Bhani launched an attack on Jessore knowing that

the Indians were supporting the rebel forces.

WAR WITH INDIA

~Main key points ~

In 1971, Pakistan and India fought a big fight that made East Pakistan its
own country, called Bangladesh. Pakistan's planes attacked India, but
India hit back in many ways, and they surrounded East Pakistan's
capital, Dhaka, quickly. Even though leaders tried to talk peace at the
United Nations, Russia stopped a deal that could have ended the fight.
One leader, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, came back to Pakistan and realized they
had to solve the problem themselves. In a short time, on December 16,
1971, Pakistan gave up, and East Pakistan became Bangladesh. This was a
big change in South Asia.

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 THE EAST AND WEST PAKISTAN PARTITION
REASONS FOR THE FAILURE

West pakistan lost the international support

Indian millitary had superior strategy
East Pakistan determination against west pakistan rule
Muslim soldiers were not ready to fight against muslim soldiers
Weak role of UNO

CONSEQUENCES OF THE WAR

Yahya was disappointed by the defeat and gave up his position of president to
Bhutto on 20th december 1971

Mujib was released from the prison and was appointed as first prime minister of
bangladesh on 21st december 1971

RESOURCES USED

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/12/16/remembering-the-war-of-1971-in-east-pakistan

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/the-independence-of-bangladesh-in-1971/

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