Answer to Question #235595 in History for Mahfuz

Question

Write down the main events before the Liberation War of Bangladesh from 1948 to 1970 and explain them.

Answer 1

1947 – 1971 Pakistan period - Bengali language movement- In 1948, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's Governor-General, declared that "Urdu, and only Urdu" would be Pakistan's state language. This decision was unacceptable to Bengalis and led to birth of the language movement. Urdu was hardly spoken by anybody in the East. The decision led to protests. On 20 February 1952, the Pakistani Government issued Section 144, restricting gatherings and rallies.

21 February 1952 – Martyrs’ Day - on 21 February, Bengali students gathered, defying Section 144. The police opened fire, killing four students, one other person and injuring many. The language movement led to the realization that the Bengalis constituted a separate nation. Their destiny lay not with Pakistan but elsewhere as an independent country.