Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence
Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতার ঘোষণাপত্র | |
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Created | 26 March 1971 |
Ratified | 10 April 1971 |
Location | Liberation War Museum Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh |
Author(s) | 1st Declaration by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman or by a technician of East Pakistan radio on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman[1] 2nd Declaration by Provisional Government of Bangladesh |
Signatories | Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh |
Purpose | To announce and explain separation from Pakistan |
Independence of Bangladesh |
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Events |
Organisations |
Key persons |
Related |
Bangladesh portal |
History of Bangladesh |
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Bangladesh portal |
The independence of
issued a proclamation on the basis of the previous declaration and established an interim constitution for the independence movement.First declarations
In the first general election in Pakistan, in December 1970, the Awami League (AL) won nearly every seat representing East Pakistan. That gave them an absolute majority in the National Assembly.[9] President Yahya Khan, however, kept them from taking power by postponing the convening of the assembly indefinitely.[10] 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.[11] Yahya Khan spun out talks with the AL through 25 March, on the night of which he unleashed a military crackdown.[12]
In the evening of 25 March,
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.[13] The troops were said to have massacred students and intellectuals in Dhaka University, as well as many civilians in other parts of the city.[14] It set major cities ablaze and crushed resistance from the police and the East Pakistan Rifles.
At at 12.20 am on 26 March from his house at Dhanmondi,
This may be my last message, from today Bangladesh is independent. I call upon the people of Bangladesh wherever you might be and with whatever you have, to resist the army of occupation to the last. Your fight must go on until the last soldier of the Pakistan occupation army is expelled from the soil of Bangladesh and final victory is achieved.[18]
Mujib's telegram was widely reported on radio on 26 March 1971. M. A. Hannan, secretary of the AL in Chittagong, read out the statement in Bengali at 2.30 pm and 7.40 pm from a radio station in Chittagong. The text of the Hannan's broadcast stated the following.
Today Bangladesh is a sovereign and independent country. On Thursday night [March 25, 1971], West Pakistan armed forces suddenly attacked the police barracks at Razarbagh and the EPR headquarters at Pilkhana in Dhaka. Many innocent and unarmed have been killed in Dhaka city and other places of Bangladesh. Violent clashes between EPR and police on the one hand and the Armed Forces of Pakistan on the other are going on. The Bengalis are fighting the enemy with great courage for an independent Bangladesh. May Allah aid us in our fight for freedom. Joy Bangla.[19]
On 27 March 1971, Major Ziaur Rahman broadcast Mujib's message in English which was drafted by Abul Kashem Khan.[20] Zia's message stated the following.
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.[21]
On 10 April 1971, the Provisional Government of Bangladesh issued the Proclamation of Independence which confirmed Mujib's original declaration of independence. The proclamation also included the term Bangabandhu for the first time in a legal instrument. The proclamation stated the following.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the undisputed leader of the 75 million people of Bangladesh, in due fulfillment of the legitimate right of self-determination of the people of Bangladesh, duly made a declaration of independence at Dacca on 26 March 1971, and urged the people of Bangladesh to defend the honour and integrity of Bangladesh.[22]
According to
Constituent Assembly
On 10 April 1971, the
Declaration by the Constituent Assembly |
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PROCLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Whereas free elections were held in Bangladesh from 7 December 1970 to 17 January 1971, to elect representatives for the purpose of framing a Constitution, AND Whereas at these elections the people of Bangladesh elected 167 out of 169 representatives belonging to the Awami League, AND Whereas General Yahya Khan summoned the elected representatives of the people to meet on 3 March 1971, for the purpose of framing a Constitution, AND Whereas the Assembly so summoned was arbitrarily and illegally postponed for indefinite period, AND Whereas instead of fulfilling their promise and while still conferring with the representatives of the people of Bangladesh, Pakistan authorities declared an unjust and treacherous war, AND Whereas in the facts and circumstances of such treacherous conduct Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the undisputed leader of the 75 million people of Bangladesh, in due fulfillment of the legitimate right of self-determination of the people of Bangladesh, duly made a declaration of independence at Dacca on 26 March 1971, and urged the people of Bangladesh to defend the honour and integrity of Bangladesh, AND Whereas in the conduct of a ruthless and savage war the Pakistani authorities committed and are still continuously committing numerous acts of genocide and unprecedented tortures, amongst others on the civilian and unarmed people of Bangladesh, AND Whereas the Pakistan Government by levying an unjust war and committing genocide and by other repressive measures made it impossible for the elected representatives of the people of Bangladesh to meet and frame a Constitution, and give to themselves a Government, AND Whereas the people of Bangladesh by their heroism, bravery and revolutionary fervour have established effective control over the territories of Bangladesh, We the elected representatives of the people of Bangladesh, as honour bound by the mandate given to us by the people of Bangladesh whose will is supreme duly constituted ourselves into a Constituent Assembly, and having held mutual consultations, and in order to ensure for the people of Bangladesh equality, human dignity and social justice, declare and constitute Bangladesh to be sovereign People's Republic and thereby confirm the declaration of independence already made by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and do hereby affirm and resolve that till such time as a Constitution is framed, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman shall be the President of the Republic and that Syed Nazrul Islam shall be the Vice President of the Republic, and that the President shall be the Supreme Commander of all the Armed Forces of the Republic, shall exercise all the Executive and Legislative powers of the Republic including the power to grant pardon, shall have the power to appoint a Prime Minister and such other Ministers as he considers necessary, shall have the power to levy taxes and expend monies, shall have the power to summon and adjourn the Constituent Assembly, and do all other things that may be necessary to give to the people of Bangladesh an orderly and just Government, We the elected representatives of the people of Bangladesh do further resolve that in the event of there being no President or the President being unable to enter upon his office or being unable to exercise his powers and duties, due to any reason whatsoever, the Vice-President shall have and exercise all the powers, duties and responsibilities herein conferred on the President, We further resolve that we undertake to observe and give effect to all duties and obligations that devolve upon us as a member of the family of nations and under the Charter of United Nations, We further resolve that this proclamation of independence shall be deemed to have come into effect from 26th day of March 1971. We further resolve that in order to give effect to this instrument we appoint Prof. Yusuf Ali our duly Constituted Potentiary and to give to the President and the Vice-President oaths of office. PROF. YUSUF ALI |
Proclaimer controversy
Until 2010, there was a controversy between the two dominant parties of
Background
Since
Controversy
Bangladesh Nationalist Party 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.[28] Even some of the BNP leaders openly denounced Bangabandhu as the false proclamer 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.[35]
However, some minor controversies also involve around the broadcasting of the proclamation. According to
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.[36] Additionally, he also controversially quoted that Bangabandhu cried Joy Pakistan ("Victory to Pakistan") alongside Joy Bangla in his speech on 7 March 1971.[36] 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,[38] and the author withdrew the said part of the book and other related parts.[39] Later he formally announced an apology for giving false informations in his book.[40]
United States documents
According to South Asian crisis, 1971, a secret document published by the
"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...."[42]
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
"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."
See also
References
- ^ Tajuddin Ahmed about the incident on the night of March 25. Tajuddin Ahmed admitted that the draft declaration was his own and suggested that Bangabandhu read the draft declaration. The text was probably like this: "The Pakistani army attacked us suddenly. They have started repression everywhere. In this situation, everyone has to jump into the freedom struggle of our country and I declared the independence of Bangladesh. "Mr. Tajuddin further said that after giving the draft declaration to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he did not read it and remained unanswered. Tajuddin Ahmed said to Bangabandhu, "Brother Mujib, you have to tell this. Because what will happen tomorrow, if all of us are arrested? Then no one will know what we have to do. If this announcement is kept in a secret place later "We can broadcast the announcement. If anything can be done through radio, it will be done." Bangabandhu then replied, "It will be a document against me. For this the Pakistanis will be able to try me for treason." Tajuddin Ahmed was very angry at this and left Dhanmondi No. 32 after 9 pm. Later, Maidul Hasan asked the Awami League's publicity secretary Abdul Mominabout this. He was also present at Bangabandhu's house on the night of 25 March. Abdul Momin said that when he was entering Bangabandhu's house, he saw Tajuddin Ahmed carrying files in his armpit with a very angry look. Abdul Momin took Tajuddin's hand and asked, "Why are you angry? Then Tajuddin Ahmed narrated the previous incident to him and said, 'Bangabandhu is not willing to take any risk. But one-after-one attacks are coming on us.'
- ^ "ABC News, 26 March, 1971". YouTube. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ "Bangabandhur Shadhinota Ghoshonar Telegraphic Barta". BDNews24. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
- ^ "সংযোজনস্বাধীনতার ঘোষণা: বেলাল মোহাম্মদের সাক্ষাৎকার". bdnews24.com.
- ^ "He Tells Full Story of Arrest and Detention (interview by Sydney H. Schanberg, Jan. 18, 1972)". New York Times. 18 January 1972.
- ^ "March 27, 1971: Zia makes radio announcement on independence". The Daily Star. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ "Radio Interview". YouTube. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ "Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendro and Bangladesh's Declaration of Independence". The Daily Star. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ISBN 978-984-05-1737-4.
- ISBN 978-984-05-1737-4.
- ISBN 978-984-05-1737-4.
- ISBN 978-984-05-1737-4.
- ISBN 978-0-307-74462-3.
That night [25 March] ... The Pakistani military had launched a devastating assault on the Bengalis ... tanks led some of the troop columns.
- ISBN 978-0-307-74462-3.
A secret Pakistani postwar judicial commission ... included the testimony of senior Pakistani officers decrying the vengeful attack on Dacca University, the execution of Bengalis by firing squads, mass sweeps in which innocent people were killed.
- ^ "Bangabandhu Shadhinota Ghoshonar Telegraphic Barta". BDNews24. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
- ^ "Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendro and Bangladesh's Declaration of Independence". TheDailyStar.net. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ "Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendro and Bangladesh's Declaration of Independence". The Daily Star. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ "First Schedule" (PDF). Laws of Bangladesh.
- ^ "Ziaur Rahman (Shaheed General Zia) - Declaration of Independence, 1975 coup - biography of Muslim and Bengali".
- ^ "Zia's declaration". The Daily Star. 7 April 2014.
- ^ "Liberation War Timeline". 24 March 2021.
- ^ a b "The Proclamation of Independence" (PDF) – via docstrangelove.com.
- ISBN 978-1-5275-4393-5. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- OCLC 1192304407.
- ^ "১০ এপ্রিল, ১৯৭১: স্বাধীনতার ঘোষণা ও স্বাধীনতার ঘোষণাপত্র" [10 April, 1971: Declaration of independence and proclamation of independence]. sarabangla.net. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
- ^ Salik, Siddiq. Witness to Surrender.
- ^ Siddique, Abdul Kader (1997). স্বাধীনতা ৭১ [Liberation 1971] (in Bengali). Anannya.
- ^ a b c d "ইতিহাস বিকৃতি; বিচারহীনতার ঔদ্ধত্য" [Distortion of history; arrogance of impunity] (in Bengali). Retrieved 30 January 2012.
- ^ "ইতিহাস বিকৃতি থেকে সরে আসুক বিএনপি" [Let BNP be moved away from distortion of history]. Samakal. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ "মুক্তিযুদ্ধের ইতিহাস নির্মাণ, ইতিহাস বিকৃতি ও শেখ মুজিব" [Building of Liberation War history, distortion of history and Sheikh Mujib]. Ekushey TV. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ "Nixon-Ford Administrations". history.state.gov.
- ^ Srivastava, Prabhat (1 January 1972). The Discovery of Bangla Desh. Sanjay Publications. p. 105.
- ISBN 9780822395676.
- ISBN 9780857899279.
- ^ Islam, Sirajul (18 June 2021). "Declaration of Independence". Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- ^ Tajuddin Ahmed about the incident on the night of March 25. Tajuddin Ahmed admitted that the draft declaration was his own and suggested that Bangabandhu read the draft declaration. The text was probably like this: "The Pakistani army attacked us suddenly. They have started repression everywhere. In this situation, everyone has to jump into the freedom struggle of our country and I declared the independence of Bangladesh. "Mr. Tajuddin further said that after giving the draft declaration to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he did not read it and remained unanswered. Tajuddin Ahmed said to Bangabandhu, "Brother Mujib, you have to tell this. Because what will happen tomorrow, if all of us are arrested? Then no one will know what we have to do. If this announcement is kept in a secret place later "We can broadcast the announcement. If anything can be done through radio, it will be done." Bangabandhu then replied, "It will be a document against me. For this the Pakistanis will be able to try me for treason." Tajuddin Ahmed was very angry at this and left Dhanmondi No. 32 after 9 pm. Later, Maidul Hasan asked the Awami League's publicity secretary Abdul Mominabout this. He was also present at Bangabandhu's house on the night of 25 March. Abdul Momin said that when he was entering Bangabandhu's house, he saw Tajuddin Ahmed carrying files in his armpit with a very angry look. Abdul Momin took Tajuddin's hand and asked, "Why are you angry? Then Tajuddin Ahmed narrated the previous incident to him and said, 'Bangabandhu is not willing to take any risk. But one-after-one attacks are coming on us.'
- ^ Sayeed, Abdullah Abu. মুক্তিযুদ্ধ: সত্যের মুখোমুখি [Liberation War: Facing the Truth].
- ^ "Court summons AK Khandaker". banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 11 June 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "AK Khandker revises his book". Dhaka Tribune. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "জাতির কাছে ক্ষমা চাইলেন এ কে খন্দকার" [A K Khandker apologize to the nation]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "Minutes of Washington Special Actions Group Meeting | Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XI, South Asia Crisis, 1971". Office of the Historian. United States Department of State.
- ^ "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XI, South Asia Crisis, 1971". Office of the Historian. United States Department of State.