Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence

Declarations

In the first general election in Pakistan, in December 1970, the Bangladesh Awami League (BAL) won nearly every seat representing East Pakistan. That gave them an absolute majority in the National Assembly. President Yahya Khan, however, kept them from taking power by postponing the convening of the assembly indefinitely. Tensions mounted; by early March 1971, there was broad support in East Pakistan for independence, but the AL leadership thought ongoing negotiations with Yahya Khan might still reach a solution short of secession. Yahya Khan spun out talks with the AL through 25 March, on the night of which he unleashed a military crackdown.

In the evening of 25 March, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, leader of the Awami League, convened a meeting of senior Bengali nationalist leaders, including Tajuddin Ahmad and Colonel M A G Osmani, at his residence in Dhanmondi. They were briefed by Bengali insiders within the military of an impending crackdown. They implored Mujib to declare independence but Mujib declined to do because he wanted independence in a bloodless systematic manner. Tajuddin Ahmed even brought all the recording instruments but had failed to convince Mujib to record independence declaration. Rather, Mujib ordered all the high ups to flee to India. However, Mujib decided to remain in Dhaka in hope of coming to a negotiated compromise with West Pakistan in becoming the Prime Minister of the whole Pakistan then it would have been easier to gain independence then.

On the night of 25 March, the Pakistan Armed Forces launched Operation Searchlight in the capital of East Pakistan. Tanks rolled out on the streets of Dhaka. The troops massacred students and intellectuals in Dhaka University, as well as many civilians in other parts of the city. It set major cities ablaze and crushed resistance from the police and the East Pakistan Rifles (present-day Border Guard Bangladesh).

At 12.20 AM on 26 March from his house at Dhanmondi, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman sent a message before his arrest about the attacks on EPR and police barracks in Dhaka, and proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh. Major Ziaur Rahman of the East Bengal Regiment later on March 27 broadcast the declatration of independence on radio on behalf of Mujib. The declaration of independence was widely reported in newspapers around the world. Major Ziaur Rahman's declaration is as follows:

This is Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra. I, Major Ziaur Rahman, on behalf of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, hereby declare that the independent People's Republic of Bangladesh has been established. I call upon all Bengalis to rise against the attack by the West Pakistani Army. We shall fight to the last to free our motherland. By the grace of Allah, victory is ours.

On 10 April 1971, the Provisional Government of Bangladesh issued the formal Proclamation of Independence.

According to A. K. Khandker, who served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Armed Forces during the Liberation War; Sheikh Mujib avoided a radio broadcast fearing that, it might be used as evidence of treason by the Pakistani military against him during his trial. This view is also supported in a book written by the daughter of Tajuddin Ahmed.

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Constituent Assembly

On 10 April 1971, the Provisional Government of Bangladesh was formed in Mujibnagar. It converted the elected Bengali members of the national and provincial assemblies of Pakistan into the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh. The constituent assembly issued a second proclamation of independence, which also served as the fundamental law of Bangladesh until the adoption of the constitution in 1972. This proclamation was drafted by Barrister M Amir-ul Islam and reviewed by Indian Barrister Subrata Roy Chowdhury. The text is given in the following:-

Proclaimer controversy

Until 2010, there was a controversy between the two dominant parties of Bangladesh, Awami League (BAL) and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), over who had issued the proclamation: AL claimed Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and BNP claimed Ziaur Rahman. However, Bangabandhu is described as the proclaimer of the independence of Bangladesh in all diplomatic secret documents of the Richard Nixon administration, news, and other documents. In 2010, a ruling of the Supreme Court officially recognized Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the promulgator, and denounced the views of BNP, calling it distortion of history.

Background

Since its establishment, the Bengali-majority of Pakistan wanted full political and cultural autonomy, which resulted in a rise of nationalist and pro-democratic movements in the country. The Awami League, established in 1949, became the leading and representative party of the Bengalis in Pakistan. In the 1970 Pakistani general election, the League won an absolute victory and emerged as the largest political party in the country, but the junta government of Yahya Khan refused to transfer power due to its pro-Bengali and secular stance. On 1 March 1971, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, then president of Awami League, declared civil disobedience movement in East Pakistan. On 7 March 1971, Bangabandhu delivered his famous speech, concluding with, "The struggle this time, is a struggle for our liberty. The struggle this time, is a struggle for our independence. Joy Bangla!" It's widely considered as the de facto declaration of Bangladeshi independence.

Controversy

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) strongly claimed Ziaur Rahman as the proclaimer of independence. The third volume of Bangladesh Independence War: Documents, published in 1978, recognized Zia as the proclaimer. Even some of the BNP leaders openly denounced Bangabandhu as the false proclaimer during Khaleda Zia’s premiership.

The controversy, lasted nearly two decades, led the country to a political and an ideological crisis. When a different party comes to power, they change the history books of Bangladesh to either prefer Sheikh Mujibur Rahman or Ziaur Rahman.

However, some minor controversies also involve around the broadcasting of the proclamation. According to A. K. Khandker Bir Uttom, a military officer during the liberation war and former planning minister of Bangladesh, on 26 March, a technician at Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra read out the proclamation of independence first over the radio. According to Abdullah Abu Sayeed, Ekushey Padak Medalist Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra artist Abul Kashem Sandwip also read the proclamation before Ziaur Rahman.

Controversial quote of A. K. Khandker

In 2014, A. K. Khandker claimed in his book 1971: Bhetore Baire (lit: "1971: Inside Out") that Bangabandhu did not make any proclamation about independence from 7 March until his arrest, nor did he leave any written notes or recorded voice messages and did not follow any predetermined directions. Additionally, he also controversially quoted that Bangabandhu cried Joy Pakistan ("Victory to Pakistan") alongside Joy Bangla in his speech on 7 March 1971. But after its publication, there was widespread criticism among the contemporary Awami League leaders and in the parliament session, and a case was filed against the author and the book for distortion of historical informations, and the author withdrew the said part of the book and other related parts. Later he formally announced an apology for giving false informations in his book.

United States documents

According to South Asian crisis, 1971, a secret document published by the United States Department of State covering the Indo-Pakistan affairs that time, United States was observing the situations of Pakistan from March 1971. On 26 March 1971, just after the Operation Searchlight, US president Richard Nixon called an emergency meeting with then US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the Special Action Group Washington, the National Security Committee, and the CIA representatives at the White House, where it was said to have declared the independence of East Pakistan. Richard Helms, Director of the CIA, said on that meeting:

"Yes, an agreement appeared near on March 24. The breakdown may have been because of Mujibur Rahman's insistence on the immediate lifting of martial law. A clandestine radio broadcast has Mujibur Rahman declaring the independence of Bangla Desh. There are 20,000 loyal West Pakistani troops in East Pakistan. There are also 5,000 East Pakistani regulars and 13,000 East Pakistani paramilitary troops, but their loyalty is doubtful...."

Supreme Court ruling

In 2010, the third volume of Bangladesh Independence War: Documents, published presenting Ziaur Rahman as the proclaimer, was declared null and void by the Supreme Court, and the volume was ordered to be confiscated and withdrawn from all places in the country and abroad. Directions given by the High Court Division:

"Those involved in such distortion of history have violated the Constitution. The government can take punitive action against the verification committee who created the distorted history on charges of fraud and violation of the constitution."