The Emergence of Bangladesh: A Tale of Struggle, Sacrifice, and Liberation (1971)

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The emergence of Bangladesh was the result of a historical, political and cultural conflict, which emerged as an independent nation in 1971. This war was fought between India and Pakistan. In this war, India helped Bangladeshis from the atrocities of Pakistan. Let us understand it briefly and pointwise: What is the history of Bangladesh and the story of its emergence

Creation of Pakistan (1947)

At the time of partition of India in 1947, Pakistan was formed on the basis of religion, Pakistan had two parts: The first part was called West Pakistan (today's Pakistan) East Pakistan (today's Bangladesh) The first part was located in the west of India and the second part in the east. There was a distance of 1600 km between the two parts. India is situated between these two parts. There were many cultural, linguistic and economic differences in these two regions.

Linguistic movement and discontent (1948-1952)

The people of East Pakistan spoke Bengali language, but the government of Pakistan declared Urdu as the national language.  There was a language movement in 1952 against this decision, in which many students were killed. Due to which discontent spread in East Pakistan and this discontentment gradually became the reason for the downfall of Pakistan.

Economic and political discrimination

The population of East Pakistan was 7.5 crores while the population of West Pakistan was 6 crores, yet the control over political power and resources was with West Pakistan. All the decisions were taken from West Pakistan. Economically also, West Pakistan exploited East Pakistan. The government of Pakistan gave preference to the people of West Pakistan in industry, business and government jobs.

 Election of Pakistan in 1970

Elections were held in Pakistan in 1970, in which the leader of Awami League of East Pakistan, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman got a clear majority. But the government and army of West Pakistan refused to hand over power to Sheikh Mujibur and Rahman, due to which the people of entire Pakistan felt very bad, they felt that the people of West Pakistan were ruling them. They had no role in this.

 Operation Searchlight and Genocide (March 1971)

On 25 March 1971, the Pakistan Army launched "Operation Searchlight" in Dhaka and other cities. The Pakistan Army killed thousands of Bengalis, women were tortured and millions of people came to India to seek refuge. The Pakistan Army had committed a huge genocide in Bangladesh at that time. It was a brutal military operation launched by the Pakistan Army in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in March 1971, aimed at suppressing Bengali nationalists. This operation became the main reason for the Bangladesh Liberation War and later the Indo-Pak War.

Mukti Vahini

 When the army of Pakistan was oppressing Bangladesh, the soldiers and policemen of East Pakistan revolted and from this a regular force Mukti Vahini emerged. The Indian army provided military and intelligence support to Mukti Vahini. India trained the members of Mukti Vahini by setting up training centers in West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar. This organisation played a major role in liberating Bangladesh.

1971 India Pakistan war  

In 1971, there was a war between India and Pakistan. This war changed the political map of Asia forever. In this war, Pakistan first attacked Indian air bases on 3 December 1971. Later, India also officially declared war and in this war, 93000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered on 16 December 1971. This is the biggest incident in history. In this way, Pakistan was divided into two parts and a new nation Bangladesh emerged.

World reaction during the 1971 war

 When there was a war between India and Pakistan in 1971, two big countries, America, China and the Middle East countries were with Pakistan. While India's eternal friend Russia stood with India, apart from this the reaction of other countries was mixed.

Conclusion

The emergence of Bangladesh in 1971 was the result of deep-rooted historical, political, economic, and cultural conflicts between East and West Pakistan. Despite having a larger population and distinct identity, East Pakistan faced years of discrimination and oppression from the West Pakistani regime. The denial of democratic rights, particularly after the 1970 elections, and the brutal military crackdown under Operation Searchlight led to a full-scale liberation movement.

India played a crucial role by supporting the Mukti Vahini and ultimately intervening militarily when Pakistan attacked Indian air bases. The Indo-Pak war of 1971 ended with the surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers and the birth of a new nation—Bangladesh.

This historic event not only reshaped the geopolitical landscape of South Asia but also highlighted the power of unity, resistance, and the desire for self-determination.




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