Bangladesh celebrates the Golden Jubilee of Independence

Professor Dr. Anwarul Karim: This year Bangladesh celebrates the Golden Jubilee of Independence as the country enters into the 51st year of independence. Today, Bangladesh has made her position felt by others as a strong nation as she is now a part of a developing nation and has the guts of solving her own problems by her own resources.
The world now takes Bangladesh as a country where any kind of investment will prove money’s worth. There has been an inflow of foreign investment in public private partnership projects. The Padma Bridge connecting Dhaka with more than 21 districts in South-western part of Bengal is now a reality. The Bridge will be open to traffic very soon. This speaks of the courage and boldness of our Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina who represents her father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in all her actions. She has already been made as the ‘Mother of Humanity’ by the world as she came by the side of the Rohingya.
Sheikh Hasina, our honorable Prime Minister already stole the lime light as she made Bangladesh a country free from hunger and poverty. Bangladesh has her resources. During Pakistan, the country Bangladesh, known as East Pakistan was made a colony and was looted out by West Pakistan and her economy was totally shattered. It is the leadership of Bangobondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman under whose guidance the country was liberated from the hand of blood thirsty army junta of Pakistan. Immediately after independence, Bangladesh experienced famine and acute shortage of food and housing problem.
With such moments of critical situation, Bangladesh, however, gradually has been able to recover and now she has emerged out as a nation capable of solving her problems with her resources. Now the world understands that Bangladesh, despite her multifarious problems is now set for fulfilling the dreams of Bangabandhu towards making Bangladesh a world power. Bangladesh has now been able to rebuild her economy, transforming gradually the human resources into a skilled manpower. usual one following sustained inflow of remittances for stable exchange rates. Bangladesh has been moving very fast to meet all the technical requirement in the coming years.This year’s Independence Day celebrations thus has left a tremendous impact on the mind of people because of the country’s successful achievement as a Middle-Income Country (MIC).
Unique leadership of Bangabandhu
Today’s achievement goes back to Bangabandhu as he could foresee the organized conspiracy of the Pakistani army in collaboration with a section of leaders like Z.A. Bhutto.
Our struggle for independence began when the historic Lahore resolution written by Muhammad Zafarullah Khan and others and presented by A. K. Fazlul Huq, the Prime Minister of Bengal, was a formal political statement adopted by the All-India Muslim League on the occasion of its three-day general session in Lahore on 22-24 March 1940. The resolution called for independent states in eastern and northwestern zones in India with Muslim majority areas.
The Lahore Resolution states: “That geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be constituted, with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority as in the North Western and Eastern Zones of India should be grouped to constitute ‘independent states’ in which the constituent units should be autonomous and sovereign”.
It was, in fact, a strong conspiracy against the Muslims of East Pakistan by the West Pakistani leaders. History speaks that before the adoption of Lahore Resolution Lord Linlithgow, the Viceroy, told the leaders of the Muslim League that the Government of Great Britain intended to divide India among the Hindus and the Muslims. Both the Congress and the Muslim League worked out proposals, various sub-committees were formed, numerous proposals were presented before the British. They, however, unilaterally rejected all proposals submitted by the Muslims. At this point, Zafarullah Khan was asked to submit a proposal on the partition of India by the Viceroy
Lord Linlithgow, the Viceroy writes, ‘Upon my instruction Zafarullah wrote a memorandum on the subject. Two Dominion States. ……….. He is anxious, however, that no one should find out that he has prepared this plan. He has, however, given me the right to do with it what I like….. Copies have been passed on to Jinnah, and, I think, to Sir Akbar Hydari. While he, Zafarullah, cannot admit its authorship, his document has been prepared for adoption by the Muslim League with a view to giving it the fullest publicity'(Lord Linlithgow, March 12, 1940)
Choudhary Rahmat Ali proposed the name Pakistan at the Lahore Conference afterwards and it was accepted by Muhammad Ali Jinnah while he addressed the Lahore Conference. And on his instruction the Lahore resolution was modified his address at Lahore Conference accepted the proposal of Pakistan and on his instruction, the Lahore resolution was modified afterwards. Eastern and Western zones were made united under one Pakistan. Muhammad Ali Jinnah became the unanimous leader of Pakistan. Jinnah thus deviated from his former position as a proponent of Hindu-Muslim unity and became chief exponent of Pakistan taking Muslim dominated Eastern zone into Pakistan. The Hindus of East Bengal did not accept it. (To be continued)
The writer is the Advisor Editor of Daily Industry