A brief history of Language Movement (Bhasa Andolon) Early stages of the movement 1947: After the partition of India in 1947, Bengali-speaking peoples in East Pakistan (also known as East Bengal) made up 44 million of the newly-formed Pakistan's 69 million people. Pakistan's government, civil services, and military, however, were dominated by West Pakistanis. In 1947, a key resolution at a national education summit in Karachi advocated Urdu as the sole state language, and its exclusive use in the media and in schools. Opposition and protests immediately arose. Students from Dhaka rallied under the leadership of Abul Kashem, the secretary of Tamaddun Majlish (Tamaddun Majlish was an Islamic cultural organization in East Bengal. Tamddun Majlish was the founder of the historic Language Movement, a Bengali Islamic cultural organisation). Ghulam Azam was the General Secreatry of DUCSU from 1947 to 1949. Agitations of 1948: Students of the University of Dhaka and other colleges of the city organised a general strike for 11 March 1948 to protest the omission of Bengali from official use, including coins, stamps and recruitment tests for the navy. The movement restated the demand that Bengali be declared an official language of Pakistan. Political leaders such as Ghulum Azam, Shamsul Huq, Shawkat Ali, Kazi Golam Mahboob, Oli Ahad, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Abdul Wahed and others were arrested during the rallies. Rally leader Mohammad Toaha was hospitalised after attempting to snatch a rifle from a police officer. Student leaders, including Abdul Matin and Abdul Malek Ukil took part in the procession. DUCSU General Secretary Ghulam Azam was arrested on March 11 1948 from T.T Office along with 10 to 12 students. As a DUCSU General Secretary, Ghulam Azam presented the Historic Memorandum to then Prime Minister Liakat Ali Khan on Nov 27 1948 on the Gymnesium ground, Dhaka on behalf of the students of the Dhaka University. In the afternoon of 11 March, a meeting was held to protest police brutality and arrests. A group of students marching towards the chief minister Khawaja Nazimuddin's house was stopped in front of the Dhaka High Court. The rally changed its direction and moved in the direction of the Secretariat building. Police attacked the procession injuring several students and leaders including A. K. Fazlul Huq, DUCSU GS Ghulam Azam et el. Continuing strikes were observed from 12 March to 15 March. Under such circumstances, the chief minister Nazimuddin signed an accord with the student leaders agreeing to some of the terms and conditions, without complying to the demand that Bengali be made a state language. In the height of civic unrest, Governor-General of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah arrived in Dhaka on 19 March 1948. On 21 March, at a civic reception at Racecourse Ground, he claimed that the language issue was designed by a "fifth columnFifth column (A fifth column is a group of people who :wikt:clandestine undermine a larger group, such as a nation, to which it is regarded as being loyal....") to divide Pakistani Muslims. Jinnah further declared that "Urdu, and only Urdu" embodied the spirit of Muslim nations and would remain as the state language, labelling those who disagreed with his views as "Enemies of Pakistan". Jinnah delivered a similar speech at Curzon Hall (Curzon Hall Curzon Hall is part of the school of science of the University of Dhaka. Curzon Hall meant to be a town hall, was named after Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India, who laid its foundation in 1904....) of the University of Dhaka on 24 March. At both meetings, Jinnah was interrupted by large segments of the audience. He later called a meeting of a state language committee of action, and overruled the contract that was signed by Khawaja Nazimuddin with the student leaders. Before Jinnah left Dhaka on 28 March, he delivered a speech on radio reasserting his "Urdu-only" policy. What happened after the Language Movement? Awami Muslim League changed its name under the auspices of Seikh Mujibur Rahman and The Awami Muslim League turned over to Bengali nationalism (Bengali nationalism is the political expression of ethno-national consciousness of the Bengali people, who inhabit the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal....). after the Movement, and shed the word "Muslim" from its name. This nationalist approach of the party led to alienation of leaders such as Golam Azam, as political leader, who were supportive of the Muslim activism rather than the nationalist approach. Leaders like Bhasani and many Muzzaffar Ahmad scattered away from Awami Muslim League and formed other political parties - National Awami Party (NAP). |
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