Politics in Pakistan and the Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971

The Partition of India in August 1947 was a colossal man-made catastrophe resulting in the formation of Pakistan, with its east and west wings.Jinnah’s two-nation theory ignored the diverse culture and geographical settings. East Pakistan got its first political shock when Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy—a popular mass leader—did not become the chief minister of East Pakistan. Further, in the initial period of state formation, there was forceful imposition of Perso-Arabic culture and Urdu language by the leadership of Pakistan, consisting majorly of Punjabis and Pathans from West Pakistan. It triggered a pan-East Pakistan movement, cutting across political ideologies, and resulted in the emergence of a strong sub-regional identity. This aspect, coupled with economic deprivation and denial of political power sharing, led to the conflict between east and west wings of Pakistan, culminating in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. Pakistan got the support of United States and China, while the Soviet Union was aligned with India. This article discusses the politics
that played a significant role all through, that is, from decolonisation of the Indian subcontinent to the formation of Bangladesh.