Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Bangla: ??? ?????? ?????) (March 17, 1920 – August 15, 1975), popularly known as Sheikh Mujib, was a nationalist leader in the former East Pakistan and the founder of the independent Bangladesh. He was born in Gopalganj, Bengal (now in Bangladesh). His political career began almost immediately with Pakistan's independence, as co-founder of the East Pakistan Muslim Students' League, a student orgaization affiliated with the Muslim League. His secular and nationalistic ideals led him to found the Awami League (party of people) in the 1950s. A follower of H.S. Suhrawardy, Sheikh Mujib was a popular Bengali muslim leader who was far removed from the ideologies of the feudal leaders that dominated the political landscape at that time.

Liberation of Bangladesh

Through the 17 points and the six points programs, the Awami League highlighted the economic exploitations of East Pakistan by West Pakistani ruling coterie (feudal gentry, military leaders, bureaucrats). The interest of West Pakistan, especially that of the province of Punjab was favoured in every economic decision at the expense of the East Pakistani interest. This became obvious after the great coastal cyclone of 1970, when the loss of lives and sufferings of thousands of Bengalis were met with complete indifference of the central government. As a successful culmination of the six point movement, Sheikh Mujib's Awami League achieved success in the general elections of December 1970. While Mujib's Awami League won all but two of the 162 seats in the Pakistani National Assembly allocated to East Pakistan, the Pakistan People's Party, led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, won most seats in West Pakistan. Because of the higher number of seats won by the Awami League (East Pakistan had a larger population, and larger allocation of seats) it won absolute majority and claimed right to form the next government. Although Bhutto was a populist Sindhi leader sometimes at odds with the military, this time his interests coincided with that of the military junta. Neither Bhutto nor the military was ever willing to cede to the results of the elections as long as Mujib won it and the balance of power shifted to the East Pakistan. Bhutto refused to bring his party to Islamabad to take part in the new assembly, and the military leadership took to stalling techniques in the name of negotiation. The situation caused great tension, especially in East Pakistan. Although always a champion of Bengali nationalism, up until now Mujib tried to reconcile Bengali interests within the framework of Pakistan. When this time his and his people's rights were denied outright, he called for peaceful but total non-cooperation with the Pakistani government. The government machinery in East Pakistan was completely halted after March 1 of 1971.

Related Topics:
1970 - Pakistan People's Party - Zulfikar Ali Bhutto - Islamabad

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President Yahya Khan was unable to reach a compromise, declared Martial law and cracked down on East Pakistan. On the night of March 25, 1971, the Pakistani military commenced one of the most atrocious genocides of the human history. In the nine months that followed, about three million civilian were killed. Bengali resistance fighters Mukti Bahini started guerilla confrontations with the Pakistani army; first sporadically, and then under the command of the Bangladesh government in exile. Sheikh Mujib was arrested, but many of his supporters managed to escape to India, and declared East Pakistan's independence as Bangladesh. Mujib became provisional president. About a million East Pakistanis fled to India to escape the genocide and the routine rape, looting and torture instigated by the Pakistani army and their East Pakistani cohorts (mainly fundamentalist islamic parties). With the growing burden of the refugees and provocation by Pakistan at its borders, India rendered support to the Bengali resistance forces. Full scale war (Bangladesh Liberation War) erupted and by December 1971, West Pakistan troops in the East finally surrendered to the joint Bangladesh and Indian forces Mitro Bahini. On January 12, 1972, Sheikh Mujib was released from Pakistani jails and returned to the new Bangladesh to become the prime minister. The Awami League won a huge majority in the country's first elections in 1973.

Related Topics:
President - Yahya Khan - Martial law - Mukti Bahini - President - Bangladesh Liberation War - 1971 - Mitro Bahini - January 12 - 1972 - Prime minister - 1973

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