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90-702: As of 2017, Abdul Malek is the president of the federation. Md. Alamgir Hossain has been the general secretary since 2022, and Moshiur Rahman has been the chief executive officer since 2018. Bangladesh Badminton Federation was established in 1972 after the Bangladesh Liberation war . Md. Yousuf Ali was the founding president of the organization and served till 1976. The federation is headquartered at Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed National Indoor Stadium, in Dhaka. In December 2020, they sought to limit use of

180-619: A climax in 1970, when the Bangladesh Awami League , the largest East Pakistani political party, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman , won a landslide victory in the national elections. The party won 167 of the 169 seats allotted to East Pakistan, and thus a majority of the 313 seats in the National Assembly. This gave the Awami League the constitutional right to form a government. However, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (a former Foreign Minister),

270-541: A coalition government with Rahman as premier and Bhutto as president, but Sheikh Mujib later ruled out such a possibility. Meanwhile, the military was unaware of these developments, and Bhutto increased his pressure on Rahman to reach a decision. On 7 March 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (soon to be prime minister) delivered a speech at the Racecourse Ground (now the Suhrawardy Udyan ). In this speech he mentioned

360-519: A common faith as an essential mobilising factor behind Pakistan's creation and the subsuming of Pakistan's multiple regional identities into one national identity. West Pakistanis were substantially more supportive than East Pakistanis of an Islamic state, a tendency that persisted after 1971. Cultural and linguistic differences between the two wings gradually outweighed any sense of religious unity. The Bengalis took great pride in their culture and language which, with its Bengali script and vocabulary ,

450-825: A further four-point condition to consider at the National Assembly Meeting on 25 March: He urged his people to turn every house into a fort of resistance. He closed his speech saying, "Our struggle is for our freedom. Our struggle is for our independence." This speech is considered the main event that inspired the nation to fight for its independence. General Tikka Khan was flown into Dacca to become Governor of East Bengal. East-Pakistani judges, including Justice Siddique, refused to swear him in. Between 10 and 13 March, Pakistan International Airlines cancelled all its international routes to urgently fly "government passengers" to Dacca. These "government passengers" were almost all Pakistani soldiers in civilian dress. MV Swat ,

540-771: A ligament, which the report blamed on the condition of the floors. The federation contributed towards Tushar's medical expenses. This article about a Bangladeshi organisation is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bangladesh Liberation war Political: [REDACTED] Yahya Khan [REDACTED] Nurul Amin [REDACTED] Tikka Khan [REDACTED] Abdul Motaleb Malik Military: [REDACTED] A. A. K. Niazi   [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Rao Farman Ali   [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Khadim Hussain Raja   [REDACTED] [REDACTED]   Pakistan Armed Forces Systematic events § indicates events in

630-575: A mounting humanitarian and economic crisis, India actively aided and organised the Bangladeshi resistance army, the Mukti Bahini . In 1948, Governor-General Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared that " Urdu , and only Urdu" would be Pakistan's federal language. But Urdu was historically prevalent only in the north, central, and western subcontinent ; in East Bengal, the native language was Bengali , one of

720-619: A rapid offensive easier. By early to mid December, the Himalayan passes would be closed by snow, limiting China's ability to intervene. The news media's mood in Pakistan had turned increasingly jingoistic and militaristic against East Pakistan and India when the Pakistani news media reported the complexity of the situation in the East, though the reactions from Pakistan's news media pundits were mixed. By

810-505: A result of the conflict, a further eight to ten million people fled the country to seek refuge in India. During the 1971 Bangladesh war for independence , members of the Pakistani military and supporting pro-Pakistani Islamist militias called the Razakars raped between 200,000 and 400,000 Bangladeshi women and girls in a systematic campaign of genocidal rape . The Indo-Pakistani conflict

900-650: A ship of the Pakistan Navy carrying ammunition and soldiers, was harboured in Chittagong Port, but the Bengali workers and sailors at the port refused to unload the ship. A unit of East Pakistan Rifles refused to obey commands to fire on the Bengali demonstrators, beginning a mutiny among the Bengali soldiers. The 1970 Bhola cyclone made landfall on the East Pakistan coastline during the evening of 12 November, around

990-496: A single province in 1970, in order to restore it to its original heterogeneous status comprising four provinces , as defined at the time of establishment of Pakistan in 1947. In addition, there were religious and racial tensions between Bengalis and the multi-ethnic West Pakistanis, as Bengalis looked different from the dominant West Pakistanis. The East Pakistan's Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman stressed his political position by presenting his Six Points and endorsing

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1080-484: A slight majority of the country's population, political power remained in the hands of West Pakistanis. Since a straightforward system of representation based on population would have concentrated political power in East Pakistan, the West Pakistani establishment came up with the " One Unit " scheme, whereby all of West Pakistan was considered one province. This was solely to counterbalance the East wing's votes. After

1170-512: Is a sovereign and independent country. On Thursday night, West Pakistani armed forces suddenly attacked the police barracks at Razarbagh and the EPR headquarters at Pilkhana in Dacca. Many innocent and unarmed have been killed in Dhaka city and other places of Bangladesh. Violent clashes between E.P.R. and Police on the one hand and the armed forces of Pakistan on the other, are going on. The Bengalis are fighting

1260-582: The Asia Times: At a meeting of the military top brass, Yahya Khan declared: "Kill 3 million of them and the rest will eat out of our hands". Accordingly, on the night of 25 March, the Pakistani Army launched Operation Searchlight to "crush" Bengali resistance in which Bengali members of military services were disarmed and killed, students and the intelligentsia systematically liquidated and able-bodied Bengali males just picked up and gunned down. Although

1350-827: The Bangladesh genocide . These systematic killings served only to enrage the Bengalis, resulting in East Pakistan's secession later that year. Bangladeshi media and reference books in English have published casualty figures that vary greatly, from 5,000 to 35,000 in Dacca, and 300,000 to 3,000,000 for Bangladesh as a whole. Independent researchers, including the British Medical Journal , have put forward figures ranging from 125,000 to 505,000. American political scientist Rudolph Rummel puts total deaths at 1.5 million. The atrocities have been called acts of genocide . According to

1440-535: The Hamoodur Rahman Commission in Pakistan concluded that overwhelming force was used. This fact, and the massacre at Jagannath Hall and nearby student dormitories of Dacca University, are corroborated by a videotape secretly filmed by Professor Nurul Ula of the East Pakistan University of Engineering and Technology , whose residence was directly opposite the student dormitories. The scale of

1530-606: The Lahore Resolution initially envisaged separate Muslim -majority states in British India's eastern and northwestern zones. A proposal for an independent United Bengal was mooted by Prime Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy in 1946 but opposed by the colonial authorities. The East Pakistan Renaissance Society advocated the creation of a sovereign state in eastern British India. Political negotiations led, in August 1947, to

1620-543: The Mukti Bahini , consisting of a conventional force and a guerilla force, was formed under the retired colonel Mohammad Ataul Gani Osmani . There was also a meeting between Prime Minister Gandhi and President Nixon in November 1971, where she rejected the US advice against intervening in the conflict. After the resignations of Admiral S.M. Ahsan and Lieutenant-General Yaqub Ali Khan, the media correspondents began airing reports of

1710-538: The Mukti Bahini —a guerrilla resistance movement formed by Bengali military, paramilitary and civilians—launched a mass guerrilla war against the Pakistani military , liberating numerous towns and cities in the war's initial months. At first, the Pakistan Army regained momentum during the monsoon , but Bengali guerrillas counterattacked by carrying out widespread sabotage, including through Operation Jackpot against

1800-516: The Pakistan Navy , while the nascent Bangladesh Air Force flew sorties against Pakistani military bases. India joined the war on 3 December 1971, after Pakistan launched preemptive air strikes on northern India. The subsequent Indo-Pakistani War involved fighting on two fronts; with air supremacy achieved in the eastern theatre and the rapid advance of the Allied Forces of Mukti Bahini and

1890-495: The Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 December 1971. The war began with Pakistan's Operation Chengiz Khan , consisting of preemptive aerial strikes on eight Indian air stations . The strikes led to India declaring war on Pakistan, marking their entry into the war for East Pakistan's independence, on the side of Bengali nationalist forces . India's entry expanded the existing conflict with Indian and Pakistani forces engaging on both

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1980-548: The 1951 assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan , Pakistan's first prime minister, political power began to devolve to the new position of President of Pakistan , which replaced the office of Governor General when Pakistan became a republic, and, eventually, the military. The nominal elected chief executive, the Prime Minister, was frequently sacked by the establishment, acting through the President. The East Pakistanis observed that

2070-474: The 1970s, the people of East Pakistan had given priority to their Bengali ethnicity over their religious identity, desiring a society in accordance with Western principles such as secularism , democracy and socialism. Many Bengali Muslims strongly objected to the Islamist paradigm the Pakistani state imposed. Most members of West Pakistan's ruling elite shared a vision of a liberal society, but nevertheless viewed

2160-454: The Bengali domination and prevent formation of the central government in Islamabad , the controversial One Unit programme established the two wings of East and West Pakistan . West Pakistanis' opposition to these efforts made it difficult to effectively govern both wings. In 1969, President Yahya Khan announced the first general elections and disestablished the status of West Pakistan as

2250-465: The Bengali readership. The Awami League's emphasis on secularism differentiated it from the Muslim League. In 1971, the Bangladeshi liberation struggle against Pakistan was led by secular leaders and secularists hailed the Bangladeshi victory as the triumph of secular Bengali nationalism over religion-centred Pakistani nationalism. While Pakistan's government strives for an Islamic state, Bangladesh

2340-580: The Bengalis to draft the constitution based on the six-points and liberalism. To resolve the crisis, the Admiral Ahsan Mission was formed to provide recommendations. Its findings were met with favourable reviews from the political leaders of West Pakistan, with the exception of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto , the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party. However, the military top brass vetoed the mission's proposal. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto endorsed

2430-553: The Bengalis' right to govern. The 1970 Pakistani general election , resulted in Awami League gaining 167 out of 169 seats for the East Pakistan Legislative Assembly , and a near- absolute majority in the 313-seat National Assembly , while the vote in West Pakistan was mostly won by the socialist Pakistan Peoples Party . The League's election success caused many West Pakistanis to fear that it would allow

2520-454: The Indian Chief of Army Staff Gen Sam Manekshaw if he was ready to go to war with Pakistan. According to Manekshaw's own personal account, he refused, citing the onset of monsoon season in East Pakistan and also the fact that the army tanks were being refitted. He offered his resignation, which Gandhi declined. He then said he could guarantee victory if she would allow him to prepare for

2610-475: The Indian army conducted multiple incursions into East Pakistani territory, generally withdrawing to India after completing their mission. From 21 November, however, Indian forces with Mukti Bahini support entered East Pakistan and remained there in preparation for a formal war that India expected to launch on 6 December. An Indian-Pakistani war seemed inevitable. The Soviet Union reportedly warned Pakistan against

2700-614: The Indian military , Pakistan surrendered in Dhaka on 16 December 1971, in what remains to date the largest surrender of armed personnel since the Second World War . Rural and urban areas across East Pakistan saw extensive military operations and air strikes to suppress the tide of civil disobedience that formed after the 1970 election stalemate . The Pakistan Army , backed by Islamists, created radical religious militias—the Razakars , Al-Badr and Al-Shams —to assist it during raids on

2790-592: The Indian refugee camps for recruitment and training of Mukti Bahini guerrillas that were to be trained against Pakistan. By November 1971, the Indian military was providing direct fire against Pakistani troops and even made several incursions into Pakistani territory. Indian authorities also attempted to carry on psychological warfare and keep up the morale of comrades in East Pakistan. The Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra (Free Bangladesh Radio Centre), which had broadcast Major Rahman's independence declaration,

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2880-529: The Pakistan Armed Forces, including some Bengali soldiers who had remained loyal to Pakistan. The remaining 10,324 to 12,500 prisoners were civilians, either family members of the military personnel or collaborators ( Razakars ). It is estimated that members of the Pakistani military and supporting pro-Pakistani Islamist militias killed between 300,000 and 3,000,000 civilians in Bangladesh. As

2970-526: The Pakistani forces under the command of Brig Mohammad Mumtaz Khan advanced towards the village of Hussainiwala with 2000 troops and artillery support. The Indian side had deployed one battalion, 15 Punjab, under the command of Lt Col Shastry comprising 900 soldiers with support from the IAF. The 15 Punjab could not hold the village and had to retreat on 4 December towards the fortress called Kaiser-i-Hind outside Hussainiwala. The Indian forces were eventually pushed from

3060-593: The Pakistani military's widespread genocide against their Bengali citizens, particularly aimed at the minority Bengali Hindu population, which led to approximately 10 million people seeking refuge in the neighbouring states of Eastern India. The Indian government opened the East Pakistan–India border to allow the Bengali refugees to find safe shelter; the governments of West Bengal , Bihar , Assam , Meghalaya and Tripura established refugee camps along

3150-502: The Pakistani military. Officers of Bengali origin in the different wings of the armed forces made up just 5% of the overall force by 1965; of these, only a few were in command positions, with the majority in technical or administrative posts. West Pakistanis believed that Bengalis were not "martially inclined", unlike Pashtuns and Punjabis ; Bengalis dismissed the " martial races " notion as ridiculous and humiliating. Moreover, despite huge defence spending, East Pakistan received none of

3240-416: The West Pakistani establishment swiftly deposed any East Pakistanis elected leader of Pakistan, such as Khawaja Nazimuddin , Mohammad Ali Bogra , Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy , and Iskander Mirza . Their suspicions were further aggravated by the military dictatorships of Ayub Khan (27 October 1958 – 25 March 1969) and Yahya Khan (25 March 1969 – 20 December 1971), both West Pakistanis. The situation reached

3330-516: The air strikes were a declaration of war against India and the Indian Air Force (IAF) responded with initial air strikes the same night. These expanded to massive retaliatory air strikes the next morning. This air action marked the start of all-out war; Gandhi ordered the mobilisation of troops and launched a full-scale invasion of East Pakistan. This involved Indian forces in coordinated air , sea and land assaults. The main Indian objective on

3420-611: The atrocities was first made clear in the West, when Anthony Mascarenhas , a Pakistani journalist who had been sent to the province by the military authorities to write a story favourable to Pakistan, instead fled to the United Kingdom and, on 13 June 1971, published an article in The Sunday Times describing the systematic killings by the military. The BBC wrote: "There is little doubt that Mascarenhas' reportage played its part in ending

3510-511: The benefits, such as contracts, purchasing and military support jobs. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 over Kashmir also highlighted the sense of military insecurity among Bengalis, as only an under-strength infantry division and 15 combat aircraft without tank support were in East Pakistan to repulse any Indian retaliations during the conflict. In 1947, the Bengali Muslims had identified themselves with Pakistan's Islamic project, but by

3600-519: The border. The resulting flood of impoverished East Pakistani refugees strained India's already overburdened economy. The Indian government repeatedly appealed to the international community for assistance, but failed to elicit any response, despite the External Affairs minister Swaran Singh meeting foreign ministers of other countries. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 27 March 1971 concluded that instead of taking in millions of refugees, it

3690-578: The capture of around 15,010 km (5,795 sq mi) of Pakistani territory; this land gained by India in Azad Kashmir , Punjab and Sindh sectors was later ceded in the Simla Agreement of 1972, as a gesture of goodwill Casualties inflicted to Pakistan Army's I Corps , II Corps , and Pakistan Marines' Punjab detachment were very high, and many soldiers and marines perished due to lack of operational planning and lack of coordination within

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3780-509: The conflict between East and West Pakistan developed in March, the Dacca offices of the two government organisations directly involved in relief efforts were closed for at least two weeks, first by a general strike and then by a ban on government work in East Pakistan by the Awami League . With this increase in tension, foreign personnel were evacuated over fears of violence. Relief work continued in

3870-435: The conflict on his terms, and set a date for it; Gandhi accepted his conditions. In reality, Gandhi was well aware of the difficulties of a hasty military action, but she needed to get the military's views to satisfy her hawkish colleagues and the public opinion, which were critical of India's restraint. By mid July, India had settled on a plan of attack. The ground in the East would be drier by mid November, which would make

3960-627: The conservative print media outlets in the country had published jihad related materials to boost the recruitment in the military. On the evening of 3 December, at about 17:35, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) launched surprise pre-emptive strikes on eight Indian airfields, including Agra , which was 480 kilometres (300 mi) from the border. At the time of the attack, the Taj Mahal had been camouflaged with lots of twigs and leaves and draped with burlap, because its marble glowed prominently in

4050-550: The country's capital and more immigrant businessmen in the Western Wing directed greater government allocations there. Due to low numbers of native businessmen in East Pakistan, substantial labour unrest and a tense political environment, there were also much lower foreign investments in the eastern wing. The Pakistani state's economic outlook was geared towards urban industry, which was not compatible with East Pakistan's mainly agrarian economy. Also, Bengalis were underrepresented in

4140-452: The cyclone hit charged the government with "gross neglect, callous and utter indifference". They also accused the president of playing down the magnitude of the problem in news coverage. On 19 November, students held a march in Dacca protesting the slowness of the government's response. Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani addressed a rally of 50,000 people on 24 November, where he accused the president of inefficiency and demanded his resignation. As

4230-516: The east. On 26 March 1971, Major Ziaur Rahman of the Pakistan Army declared the independence of Bangladesh on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In April, the exiled Awami League leaders formed a government-in-exile in Baidyanathtala of Meherpur . The East Pakistan Rifles and Bengali officers in Pakistan's army , navy , and marines , defected to the rebellion after taking refuge in different parts of India. The Bangladesh Force, namely

4320-602: The eastern and western fronts. Thirteen days after the war started, India achieved a clear upper hand, and the Eastern Command of the Pakistan military signed the instrument of surrender on 16 December 1971 in Dhaka, marking the formation of East Pakistan as the new nation of Bangladesh . Approximately 93,000 Pakistani servicemen were taken prisoner by the Indian Army , which included 79,676 to 81,000 uniformed personnel of

4410-591: The eastern front was to capture Dacca, and on the western front to contain Pakistani forces. The Indian army was better equipped than the Pakistanis and enjoyed significant numerical superiority over them. Pakistan launched a ground offensive on the western front. Major ground attacks were concentrated on the western border by the Pakistan Army but the Indian Army was successful in penetrating into Pakistani soil. It eventually made some quick and initial gains, including

4500-564: The end of September 1971, a propaganda campaign, possibly orchestrated by elements within the government of Pakistan , resulted in stickers endorsing " Crush India " becoming a standard feature on the rear windows of vehicles in Rawalpindi , Islamabad and Lahore ; this soon spread to the rest of West Pakistan. By October, other stickers proclaimed Hang the Traitor in an apparent reference to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. From mid October to 20 November,

4590-544: The enemy with great courage for an independent Bangladesh. May Allah aid us in our fight for freedom. Joy Bangla [May Bangladesh be victorious]. Sheikh Mujib also called upon the people to resist the occupation forces through a radio message. Rahman was arrested on the night of 25–26 March 1971 at about 1:30 am (as per Radio Pakistan's news on 29 March 1971). A telegram containing the text of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's declaration reached some students in Chittagong . The message

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4680-615: The field, but long-term planning was curtailed. This conflict widened into the Bangladesh Liberation War in December and concluded with the creation of Bangladesh. This was one of the first times that a natural event helped trigger a civil war. A planned military pacification carried out by the Pakistan Army —codenamed Operation Searchlight —started on 25 March 1971 to curb the Bengali independence movement by taking control of

4770-681: The geopolitical landscape of South Asia, with the emergence of Bangladesh as the world's seventh-most populous country. Due to complex regional alliances, the war was a major episode in Cold War tensions involving the United States, the Soviet Union and China. The majority of member states in the United Nations recognised Bangladesh as a sovereign nation in 1972. Before the Partition of British India ,

4860-446: The government, and dissidents in the East began targeting the ethnic Bihari community, which largely supported West Pakistan. In early March 1971, approximately 300 Biharis were slaughtered in riots by Bengali mobs in Chittagong alone. The Government of Pakistan used the "Bihari massacre" to justify its deployment of the military in East Pakistan on 25 March, when it initiated its military crackdown . President Yahya Khan called on

4950-660: The internal resistance movement linked to the Indo-Pakistani War. ‡ indicates events in the Indo-Pakistani War linked to the internal resistance movement in Bangladesh. Other conflicts Border skirmishes Strikes The Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 , also known as the third India-Pakistan war , was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until

5040-533: The internal resistance movement linked to the Indo-Pakistani War. ‡ indicates events in the Indo-Pakistani War linked to the internal resistance movement in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Liberation War ( Bengali : মুক্তিযুদ্ধ , pronounced [mukt̪iɟud̪d̪ʱo] ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence and known as the Liberation War in Bangladesh , was an armed conflict sparked by

5130-409: The larger population, West Pakistan dominated the divided country politically and received more money from the common budget. East Pakistan was already economically disadvantaged at the time of Pakistan's creation yet this economic disparity only increased under Pakistani rule. Factors included not only the deliberate state discrimination in developmental policies but also the fact that the presence of

5220-469: The leader of the Pakistan People's Party , refused to allow Rahman to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Instead, he proposed the idea of having two Prime Ministers, one for each wing. The proposal elicited outrage in the east wing, already chafing under the other constitutional innovation, the "One Unit scheme". Bhutto also refused to accept Rahman's Six Points . On 3 March 1971, the two leaders of

5310-682: The local populace. Members of the Pakistani military and supporting militias engaged in mass murder, deportation and genocidal rape , pursuing a systematic campaign of annihilation against nationalist Bengali civilians, students, intelligentsia , religious minorities and armed personnel. The capital, Dhaka , was the scene of numerous massacres, including the Dhaka University massacre . Sectarian violence also broke out between Bengalis and Urdu-speaking Biharis . An estimated 10 million Bengali refugees fled to neighbouring India, while 30 million were internally displaced. The war changed

5400-472: The major cities on 26 March, and then eliminating all opposition, political or military, within one month. The Pakistani state used anti-Bihari violence by Bengalis in early March to justify Operation Searchlight. Before the beginning of the operation, all foreign journalists were systematically deported from East Pakistan. The main phase of Operation Searchlight ended with the fall of the last major town in Bengali hands in mid-May. The operation also began

5490-418: The marine-army formations against Indian Army's Southern and Western Commands . By the time the war came to end, the army soldiers and marines were highly demoralised– both emotionally and psychologically– on the western front and had no will to put up a defensive fight against the approaching Indian Army soldiers. On 3 December, after the air strike carried out by the PAF, the 106 Infantry Brigade of

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5580-423: The mass protests in 1969. These led to the resignation of President Ayub Khan , who invited army chief General Yahya Khan to take over the central government . The geographical distance between the eastern and western wings of Pakistan was vast; East Pakistan lay over 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi) away, which greatly hampered any attempt to integrate the Bengali and the Pakistani cultures. To overcome

5670-408: The military – which was overwhelmingly led by West Pakistanis – to suppress dissent in the East, after accepting the resignation of Lieutenant-General Yaqub Ali Khan , the chief of staff of the East-Pakistani military . Mass arrests of dissidents began and, after several days of strikes and non-cooperation , the Pakistani military, led by Lieutenant-General Tikka Khan , cracked down on Dhaka on

5760-423: The moonlight. These pre-emptive strikes, known as Operation Chengiz Khan , were inspired by the success of Israeli Operation Focus in the Arab–Israeli Six-Day War . Unlike the Israeli attack on Arab airbases in 1967, which involved a large number of Israeli planes, Pakistan flew too few planes to inflict significant damage. In an address to the nation on radio that same evening, Prime Minister Gandhi held that

5850-403: The night of 25 March 1971. The government outlawed the Awami League, which forced many of its members and sympathisers into refuge in Eastern India . Mujib was arrested on the night of 25/26 March 1971 at about 1:30 am (as per Radio Pakistan's news on 29 March 1971) and taken to West Pakistan. Operation Searchlight , followed by Operation Barisal , attempted to kill the intellectual elite of

5940-428: The official birth of two states, Pakistan and India, giving presumably permanent homes for Muslims and Hindus, respectively, after the British departed. The Dominion of Pakistan comprised two geographically and culturally separate areas to the east and the west, with India in between. The western zone was popularly (and, for a period, also officially) termed West Pakistan and the eastern zone (modern-day Bangladesh)

6030-451: The removal of Bengali script from currency and stamps, which were in place since the British Raj . The movement reached its climax in 1952, when on 21 February, the police fired on protesting students and civilians, causing several deaths. The day is revered in Bangladesh as the Language Movement Day . In memory of the deaths, UNESCO declared 21 February International Mother Language Day in November 1999. Although, East Pakistan had

6120-420: The rise of the Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan , which resulted in the independence of Bangladesh . The war began when the Pakistani military junta based in West Pakistan —under the orders of Yahya Khan —launched Operation Searchlight against East Pakistanis on the night of 25 March 1971, initiating the Bangladesh genocide . In response to the violence, members of

6210-482: The same time as a local high tide , killing an estimated 300,000 people. A 2017 World Meteorological Organization panel considers it the deadliest tropical cyclone since at least 1873. A week after the landfall, President Khan conceded that his government had made "slips" and "mistakes" in its handling of the relief efforts due to a lack of understanding of the magnitude of the disaster. A statement released by eleven political leaders in East Pakistan ten days after

6300-410: The stadium by locking the electrical panels that power the main lights. General secretary Hossain said it was necessary to reduce their electric bill and maintenance costs. In August 2021, Ekattor TV reported that the stadium was in disrepair. The courts had broken wooden floors which dipped when walking. During the quarter-final 'Bangabandhu Bangladesh Games' in April, player Gazi Nur Alam Tushar tore

6390-470: The state of Bangladesh on 26 March 1971 . Most Bengalis supported this move, although some Islamists and Biharis opposed it and sided with the Pakistan Army instead. Pakistani President Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan ordered the Pakistani military to restore the Pakistani government's authority, beginning the civil war. The war led a substantial number of refugees (estimated at the time to be about 10 million) to flood India's eastern provinces . Facing

6480-457: The station and also read the Declaration on 27 March 1971. He broadcast the announcement of the declaration of independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: This is Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra. I, Major Ziaur Rahman, at the direction of Bangobondhu Mujibur Rahman, hereby declare that Independent People's Republic of Bangladesh has been established. At his direction, I have taken the command as

6570-611: The temporary Head of the Republic. In the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I call upon all Bengalees to rise against the attack by the West Pakistani Army. We shall fight to the last to free our motherland. Victory is, by the Grace of Allah, ours. Joy Bangla. The Kalurghat Radio Station's transmission capability was limited, but the message was picked up by a Japanese ship in the Bay of Bengal . It

6660-459: The two most easterly branches of the Indo-European languages . Bengali speakers constituted over 56% of Pakistan's population. The government stand was widely viewed as an attempt to suppress the culture of the eastern wing. The people of East Bengal demanded that their language be given federal status alongside Urdu and English. The Language Movement began in 1948, as civil society protested

6750-555: The two wings along with the President General Yahya Khan met in Dacca to decide the fate of the country. After their discussions yielded no satisfactory results, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called for a nationwide strike . Bhutto feared a civil war, therefore, he sent his trusted companion, Mubashir Hassan . A message was conveyed, and Rahman decided to meet Bhutto. Upon his arrival, Rahman met with Bhutto and both agreed to form

6840-419: The veto, and subsequently refused to yield the premiership of Pakistan to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman . The Awami League called for general strikes in the country. President Yahya Khan postponed the inauguration of the National Assembly, causing disillusionment with the Awami League and their supporters throughout East Pakistan. In reaction, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called for general strikes that eventually shut down

6930-455: The violence focused on the provincial capital, Dacca, it also affected all parts of East Pakistan. Residential halls of the University of Dacca were particularly targeted. The only Hindu residential hall— Jagannath Hall —was destroyed by the Pakistani armed forces, and an estimated 600 to 700 of its residents were murdered. The Pakistani army denied any cold-blooded killings at the university, but

7020-454: The war , which they termed as "suicidal course for Pakistan's unity." Despite this warning, in November 1971, thousands of people led by conservative Pakistani politicians marched in Lahore and across Pakistan, calling for Pakistan to "crush India". On 23 November, President Yahya Khan declared a national state of emergency and told the country to prepare for war. By the first week of December,

7110-515: The war. It helped turn world opinion against Pakistan and encouraged India to play a decisive role", with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi saying that Mascarenhas' article led her "to prepare the ground for India's armed intervention". Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested by the Pakistani Army. Yahya Khan appointed Brigadier (later General) Rahimuddin Khan to preside over a special tribunal prosecuting Rahman with multiple charges. The tribunal's sentence

7200-582: Was economical to go to war against Pakistan, and expressed full support of her government for the independence struggle of the people of East Pakistan. On 28 April 1971, the Union cabinet ordered the Chief of the Army Staff General Sam Manekshaw to "Go into East Pakistan". Defected East Pakistan military officers and the elements of Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) immediately started using

7290-408: Was established secular. After the liberation victory, the Awami League attempted to build a secular order and the pro-Pakistan Islamist parties were barred from political participation. The majority of East Pakistani ulama had either remained neutral or supported the Pakistani state, since they felt that the break-up of Pakistan would be detrimental for Islam. Although East Pakistan accounted for

7380-413: Was ignored by the ruling (West Pakistani) establishment, rising political discontent and cultural nationalism in East Pakistan was met by brutal and suppressive force from the ruling elite of the West Pakistan establishment, in what came to be termed Operation Searchlight . The Pakistan Army's violent crackdown led to Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declaring East Pakistan's independence as

7470-453: Was initially termed East Bengal and later East Pakistan. Although the two zones' population was close to equal, political power was concentrated in West Pakistan, and it was widely perceived that East Pakistan was being exploited economically, leading to many grievances. Administration of two discontinuous territories was also seen as a challenge. On 25 March 1971, after an election won by an East Pakistani political party (the Awami League )

7560-471: Was never made public, but Yahya caused the verdict to be held in abeyance in any case. Other Awami League leaders were arrested as well, while a few fled Dacca to avoid arrest. The Awami League was banned by General Yahya Khan. The violence unleashed by the Pakistani forces on 25 March 1971 proved the last straw to the efforts to negotiate a settlement. Following these incidents, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman signed an official declaration that read: Today, Bangladesh

7650-501: Was relocated from Kalurghat in East Pakistan to India after the transmission building was shelled by Pakistani Sabre jets on 30 March 1971. It resumed broadcasts on 3 April from Tripura, aided by the Indian Border Security Force . The clandestine station was finally shifted to Kolkata , where it was joined by a large number of Bangladeshi radio programmers, newscasters, poets, singers and journalists. Its jurisdiction

7740-405: Was sparked by the Bangladesh Liberation War , a conflict between the traditionally dominant West Pakistanis and the majority East Pakistanis. The political tensions between East Bengal and West Pakistan had its origin in the creation of Pakistan as a result of the partition of India by the United Kingdom in 1947; the popular language movement in 1950; mass riots in East Bengal in 1964; and

7830-1736: Was then re-transmitted by Radio Australia and later by the BBC. Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Eastern Front: Western Front: [REDACTED] Indira Gandhi [REDACTED] Swaran Singh [REDACTED] Sam Manekshaw [REDACTED] J.S. Arora [REDACTED] G.G. Bewoor [REDACTED] Sagat Singh [REDACTED] J. F. R. Jacob [REDACTED] S. M. Nanda [REDACTED] S. N. Kohli [REDACTED] Nilakanta Krishnan [REDACTED] Pratap C. Lal [REDACTED] H. C. Dewan [REDACTED] Sheikh Mujibur Rahman [REDACTED] M. A. G. Osmani [REDACTED] Yahya Khan [REDACTED] A.A.K. Niazi   [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Rao Farman [REDACTED] Tikka Khan [REDACTED] Iftikhar Janjua   † [REDACTED] Muzaffar Hassan [REDACTED] Rashid Ahmed [REDACTED] Md Shariff   [REDACTED] [REDACTED] M.A.K. Lodhi [REDACTED] Leslie Norman [REDACTED] Abdul Rahim Khan [REDACTED] Inamul Haq   [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Z.A. Khan   [REDACTED] Indian Armed Forces : 825,000 – 860,000 Pakistan Armed Forces : 350,000 – 365,000 [REDACTED]   India 2,500 –3,843 killed 9,851 –12,000 injured Neutral claims Indian claims Pakistani claims [REDACTED]   Pakistan 9,000 killed 25,000 wounded 93,000 captured 2 destroyers 1 Minesweeper } 1 Submarine 3 Patrol vessels 7 gunboats Neutral claims Indian claims Pakistani claims Systematic events § indicates events in

7920-443: Was transferred to the provisional Bangladesh government-in-exile, and made its first broadcast on 25 May, the birth anniversary of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam (who would later be named Bangladesh's national poet ). Among the Indian contributors to the radio station's nationalistic programmes was Salil Chowdhury . Akashvani Kolkata also actively took part in this effort. By the end of April 1971, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had asked

8010-535: Was translated into Bengali by Manjula Anwar. The students failed to secure permission from higher authorities to broadcast the message from the nearby Agrabad Station of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation , but the message was read several times by the independent Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendro Radio established by rebel Bangali Radio workers in Kalurghat. Major Ziaur Rahman was requested to provide security for

8100-450: Was unacceptable to the West Pakistani elite, who believed that it had assimilated considerable Hindu cultural influences. West Pakistanis, in an attempt to "Islamise" the East, wanted the Bengalis to adopt Urdu. The activities of the language movement nurtured a sentiment among Bengalis in favour of discarding Pakistan's communalism in favour of secular politics. The Awami League began propagating its secular message through its newspaper to

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