Tag Archives: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

1965

The government charged Sheikh Mujib with sedition and making objectionable statements. He was sentenced to a one year jail term. He was later released on an order of the High Court.

January: Ayub Khan is elected President for a second five-year term defeating Fatema Jinnah.

Miss Jinnah says:

“The system under which these elections were fought was initially devised to perpetuate the… incumbent of the Presidential Office. Neither does it provide room for the free expression of the popular will, nor does it conform to the known and established principles of democracy in the civilised world… There is no doubt that the elections have been rigged.

August: Hidden away from public eyes, Indian and Pakistani armies have been engaged in secret conflicts over Kashmir boundary for the past two months.

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Z A Bhutto seems indifferent as Ayub Khan declares war in 1965

(Image credit: Doc Kazi from Flickr)

September: The second India-Pakistan War breaks out over Kashmir as Ayub addresses the nation “We are at war”.

UN Security Council calls upon India and Pakistan to cease fire on September 20. India and Pakistan cease fire on September 23.

The 1965 India-Pakistan War – A NDTV report

Political discontent, especially in the much neglected East Pakistan, resurfaces in the aftermath of the war.

“During the last fifteen years, East Pakistan has been drained out of one thousand crores of rupees of its solid assets by way of less imports and more exports. Today is the sixteenth year we have been reduced to paupers to build West Pakistan; we are told ‘get out boys’, we have nothing for you, we do not require you.” — Mahbubul Haq, a member of the National Assembly

On the contrary the economy was booming in West Pakistan with industrialization over the last five years. GNP grew by 30 percent during the second five year plan period (1960 – 65), industrial production grew by 61 per cent and forex earnings at 7 per cent per annum.

November: Expression of political desire for East Wing Autonomy.

December: Nurul Amin’s views on East Wing Autonomy

“President made an offer of the Vice Presidency to Nurul Amin. Nurul Amin’s conditions were a form of regional autonomy for East Pakistan, extended franchise, and an end to disparity, including fair shares of foreign exchange.”

1962

February: Once again Sheikh Mujib was arrested under the Public Security Act.

June: Martial Law ends, national assembly elected. The National Assembly consisted of 150 seats from each province to be elected by the Basic Democracy (BD) members with an additional 3 seats for women from each province to be elected by the members of National Assembly.The ban on political parties is lifted. Sheikh Mujib was freed.

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The Pakistan Muslim League splits into two groups – Council and Convention. The Convention Muslim League is backed by President Ayub.

1958

September: Shahid Ali, Deputy Speaker of East Pakistan Assembly died. It was beleived that the cause of death were the wounds suffered 2 days ago when disorder broke out inside the assembly.

October: Martial Law: General Ayub Khan exiles President Iskander Mirza and assumes all powers. (The instrument of transfer)

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Muhammed Ayub Khan

Ayub Khan announced his cabinet: three military officials including Lt General Azam Khan, and eight civilians including a young politician Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

“All meetings and demonstrations are forbidden and political parties banned. Popular politicians are either imprisoned — including Sheikh Mujib, Maulana Bhashani, and Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan (NWFP)— or their activities are restricted.”

After Sheikh Mujib’s arrest on 11 October he was continiously harassed through one false case after another. Released from prison after 14 months, he was arrested again at the jail gate.

1957

March: Governor Gurmani declares presidential rule in West Pakistan.

May: Sheikh Mujib resigned from the cabinet in response to a resolution of the Party to strengthen the organization by working for it full-time.

June-July: Maulana Bhashani resigns as President of the Awami League; forms the National Awami Party (NAP)

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August: Sheikh Mujib went on an official tour of China and the Soviet Union.

October: Suhrawardy lost support in the National Assembly and was forced to resign. Chundrigar is sworn in as the new PM.

December: Malik Feroz Khan Noon replaces Chundrigar as Prime Minister.

An unequal rate of growth between the two wings of the country seems to have been an important feature of economic development since the independence: only one-fifth of large-scale manufacturing is located in East Pakistan after ten years.

1956

February: Pakistan becomes an Islamic Republic, constitution adopted, Bangla becomes a state language along with Urdu.

Awami League leaders, during a meeting with the Chief Minister, demanded that the subject of provincial autonomy be included in the draft constitution.

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September: Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy, the seasoned politician from East Pakistan replaced Chaudhry Mohammad Ali as Prime Minister of Pakistan. Sheikh Mujib joined the coalition government, assuming the charge of Industries, Commerce, Labour, Anti-Corruption and Village Aid Ministry.

1954

March: The United Front (Awami League and the Krishak Sramik Party) wins most of the seats in the East Bengal Legislative Assembly. Sheikh Mujib was elected to the East Bengal Legislative Assembly and serving briefly as the minister for agriculture.

Sheikh Mujib taking oath as a Prime Minister

March-October: The Bengali dominated United Front Government (East Bengal leg. Assembly) is dismissed by the Governor General of Pakistan. The Governor General imposes his direct rule in East Pakistan.

Agratala Conspiracy case withdrawn, Mass uprising of 1969 begins, Yahya Khan in Power

January – February 1969

Violence breaks out between people demonstrating against Ayub Khan’s martial law regime and the police.

The Agartala Conspiracy Case is withdrawn, and Sheikh Mujib is released, at the insistence of some of the West Pakistani leaders meeting with Ayub Khan in a round table discussion for restoring peace.

Ayub Khan hands over power to General Yahya Khan; martial law is imposed for the second time. Yahya Khan promises to return power to people’s representatives (March 25-26, 1969).

The deaths of student leader Asad and a high-school student Matiur Rahman give rise to the Mass Uprising of 1969 (gana-abhyuththaan)

Sergeant Zahurul Haq, one of the 35 accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case, is shot dead while in military custody at the Dhaka Cantonment (February 15).