A BIOGRAPHY OF BANGABANDHU SHEIKH MUJIBUR RAHMAN

⮞ Bengali language movement:

In 1948, Sheikh Mujbur Rahman He founded the East Pakistan Muslim Students’ League, the first opposition student organization in Pakistan, on January 4. When Chief Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin declared that the people of East Pakistan must accept Urdu as their state language in the Constituent Assembly, he rose in spontaneous protest on February 23, Sheikh Mujib immediately plunged himself in overt activities to build a strong movement against the Muslim League’s resolve to make Urdu the only state language of Pakistan.

On March 2, a meeting held at FazlulHuq Muslim Hall approved a resolution placed by Sheikh Mujib to form an All-Party State Language Action Committee. In the face of overpowering student protests, the Muslim League government was forced to release Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other student leaders on March 15. On June 23, the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League (present Awami League) was founded and he was elected as joint secretary in 1949 whilst in prison.

In 1952, then Prime Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Nazimuddin declared that Urdu would be the only state language of Pakistan at a public meeting in the Paltan Maidan, on January 26. While in captivity, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman stayed in constant touch with those waging the movement to realize Bangla as one of the state languages. He issued key directives to make the movement a success even from the confines of his prison. On February 16, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman started a hunger strike that lasts 11 days. In defiance of a curfew enforced by the authorities on February 21, agitated students came out on strike in order to press their demand to make Bangla one of the state languages of Pakistan. Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, Shafiur and many others are martyred when police fire on a rally.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman expresses deep sorrow for those who lost their lives and protested against the unjust police firing through a hunger strike, in a statement released from jail. On 26 February, he was released from jail.

In the same year, he visited China to attend the World Peace Conference, where he delivered a resounding speech in Bangla, taking the cause of the Mother Language Movement to a global audience.

⮞ Foundation of the Awami League:

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was elected as the “General Secretary of Awami Muslim League” at its council meeting and continues to gain prominence as a Bengali leader in 1953. In the first elections in East Bengal, the United Front had won 223 seats out of 237 Muslim reserved seats, on March 10, 1954. The Awami Muslim League alone obtained 143 seats. Sheikh Mujib won the election in Gopalganj constituency as minister for Co-operative and Agricultural Development in the new provincial government.

The central government arbitrarily dismissed the United Front cabinet on May 30, and as Bangabandhu landed in Dhaka from Karachi the same day he was immediately arrested. He was released on December 23.

In 1955, Under the leadership of General Secretary Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Awami Muslim League was renamed Awami League, dropping the word ‘Muslim’ to open the doors of the party to all, regardless of religion.

⮞ Six Point Movement:

In 1966, February 5, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman presented his historic six-point program known as the `Charter of freedom of the Bengali nation’. It drew the roadmap for the independence of Bangladesh under the garb of greater autonomy. The program hit hard at the roots of Pakistani colonial rule over the Bengalis. According to his plan:

1. The constitution should provide for a Federation of Pakistan in its true sense on the Lahore Resolution and the parliamentary form of government with supremacy of a legislature directly elected on the basis of the universal adult franchise.
2. The federal government should deal with only two subjects: defense and foreign affairs, and all other residuary subjects shall be vested in the federating states.
3. Two separate, but freely convertible currencies for two wings should be introduced; or if this is not feasible, there should be one currency for the whole country, but effective constitutional provisions should be introduced to stop the flight of capital from East to West Pakistan. Furthermore, a separate banking reserve should be established and separate fiscal and monetary policy be adopted for East Pakistan.
4. The power of taxation and revenue collection shall be vested in the federating units and the federal center will have no such power. The Federation will be entitled to a share in the state taxes to meet its expenditures.
5. There should be two separate accounts for the foreign exchange earnings of the two wings; the foreign exchange requirements of the federal government should be met by the two wings equally or in a ratio to be fixed; indigenous products should move free of duty between the two wings, and the constitution should empower the units to establish trade links with foreign countries.
6. East Pakistan should have a separate militia or paramilitary forces.

⮞ Anti-Ayub Movement:

In 1968, the Ayub government filed the Agartala Conspiracy Case against a number of Bengalis (Politicians, members of the Army, Navy and Air Force, Civil Servants etc.). Along with Sheikh Mujib, 34 others were charged with forced secession of East Bengal with the assistance of India.

A mass movement was spread across the country demanding the release of all the accused including Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. On June 19, the trial of the accused began at Dhaka Kurmitola Cantonment with intense security and scrutiny.

In 1969, The Agartala Conspiracy Case resulted in a nationwide student movement and mass uprising demanding the withdrawal of the case and the release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Under pressure from the public, the Ayub Khan government was forced to withdraw the Agartala Conspiracy Case and released Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and others on February 22.

On February 23, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was given the title ‘Bangabandhu’ at a mammoth public meeting organized by the Central Student Action Committee at the Racecourse Maidan (now SuhrawardyUdyan). At a meeting held on December 5 to observe the death anniversary of ShaheedSuhrawardy, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declares that East Pakistan would be called Bangladesh from then on.

⮞ 1970 elections and civil disobedience:

In 1970, The Awami League president, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, urged his countrymen to elect Awami League candidates on the basis of their 6-point demand in the country’s first general elections held on December 7 (National Assembly), and December 17 (Provincial Assembly), barring a few seats in the cyclone affected coastal areas in the south. He chose ‘boat’ as the party’s symbol to represent Awami League and the nation’s hope.

After a million people die in a catastrophic cyclone in the coastal areas on November 12, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman suspends the election campaign and rushes to the affected areas.

Awami League achieved an absolute majority in the general elections on December 7, winning 167 (including 7 women reserved seats) out of the 169 seats of the National Assembly in East Pakistan and 298 seats (including 10 women reserved seats) of the 310 seats of the Provincial Assembly of East Pakistan.