Bangladesh: From East Pakistan times to Hasina era, recap of a turbulent journey
Bangladesh is currently hogging headlines everywhere for all the wrong reasons. Its long-time leader Sheikh Hasina has just been overthrown, causing her to flee the country. The nation is not new to such violent political events. It has seen it all — assassinations, army rule, copious political bloodletting — at various points in its short history. Here follows a recap:
The creation of East Pakistan
In 1947, the Partition divided the Bengal province. In a manner dissimilar to the division of Punjab where it was quick and gory, this division left millions of Bengali Muslims in Indian territory and millions of non-Muslims in East Pakistan.
Conflicts over resource-sharing soon arose, followed by a dispute over the national language — whether it should be Urdu alone or include Bengali. This led to the 1952 Language Movement, or 'bhasha andolon', marked by violent uprisings that the Pakistani army brutally suppressed. While one dream was shattered, it sparked another: the quest for a secular, autonomous identity for the delta region. By 1956, even as Pakistan conceded to making both Urdu and Bengali state languages, the movement had evolved beyond language to issues of autonomy and resource inequities.
In the 1970 elections, the Awami League secured 167 out of 169 East Pakistani seats, gaining control of the National Assembly. Despite this, Yahya Khan postponed the session and, while negotiating with Mujibur Rahman, ordered the army to attack the core of the autonomy movement. Amid targeted killings across East
