89-529: Muhammad Mansur Ali (16 January 1917 – 3 November 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician who was a close confidant of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman , the founding leader of Bangladesh. A senior leader of the Awami League , Mansur also served briefly as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh in 1975 until he was assassinated while incarcerated on 3 November 1975. Muhammad Mansur Ali was born on 16 January 1917 to
178-619: A Bengali Muslim family of Sarkars in the village of Kuripara in Qazipur , Sirajganj (then under Pabna District ), Bengal Presidency . His father's name was Haraf Ali Sarkar. Mansur pursued his education in Kolkata Islamia College (now Maulana Azad College ). He would pursue a MA degree in economics and law from the Aligarh Muslim University . During this period Mansur became an active member of
267-507: A presidential republic . Mujib was one of the key leaders to rally opposition to president Ayub Khan who enacted a system of electoral colleges to elect the country's parliament and president under a system known as "Basic Democracy". Universal suffrage was curtailed as part of the Basic Democracy scheme. Mujib supported opposition candidate Fatima Jinnah against Ayub Khan in the 1965 presidential election . Fatima Jinnah,
356-546: A declaration at a public meeting, held to observe the death anniversary of his mentor Suhrawardy, that henceforth East Pakistan would be called "Bangladesh": There was a time when all efforts were made to erase the word "Bangla" from this land and its map. The existence of the word "Bangla" was found nowhere except in the term Bay of Bengal. I on behalf of Pakistan announce today that this land will be called "Bangladesh" instead of East Pakistan. Mujib's fiery rhetoric ignited Bengali nationalism and pro-independence aspirations among
445-609: A federal language was successfully implemented in the 1956 constitution , which declared Urdu, Bengali and English as national languages. East Bengal, however, was renamed East Pakistan. In 1957, Mujib visited the People's Republic of China. In 1958, he toured the United States as part of the State Department 's International Visitor Leadership Program . Mujib resigned from the provincial cabinet to work full time for
534-465: A history and tradition of its own. You can change it only after the people have been consulted. If you want to change, we have to go back to Bengal and ask them whether they are ready to accept it. So far as the question of one unit is concerned it can be incorporated in the constitution. Why do you want it to be taken up right now? What about the state language, Bengali? We are prepared to consider one unit with all these things. So, I appeal to my friends on
623-610: A jail in West Pakistan . After the independence of Bangladesh, Mujib returned to Bangladesh in January 1972 as a hero and the leader of a war-devastated country. In the following years, he played an important role in rebuilding Bangladesh, constructing a secular constitution for the country, transforming Pakistani era state apparatus, bureaucracy, armed forces, and judiciary into an independent state, initiating first general election and normalizing diplomatic ties with most of
712-421: A job you will find a large number of people from East Bengal coming forward. There are such a large number of M.As. and B. As....... (Interruptions)....... Sir, my time has been spoiled. Mujib later became provincial minister of commerce and industries in the cabinet of Ataur Rahman Khan . These portfolios allowed Mujib to consolidate his popularity among the working class. The Awami League's demand for Bengali as
801-511: A key role in organising protests by issuing instructions from jail to students and protestors. He played a key role in declaring 21 February 1952 as a strike day. Mujib went on hunger strike from 14 February 1952 in the prelude to the strike day. His own hunger strike lasted 13 days. On 26 February, he was released from jail amid the public outrage over police killings of protestors on 21 February, including Salam , Rafiq , Barkat , and Jabbar . The League teamed up with other parties like
890-607: A lawyer and studied for the BAR at Lincoln's Inn. He is a politician and became Presidium member for Awami League and held the position of Chairman of Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Committee as well as being an MP representing his fathers constituency Kazipur in Sirajganj District. Mansur's second son Mohammad Nasim also became a leader of prominence and was MP and held ministerial posts of Telecoms and Home for Awami League government between 1996 and 2001. On 15 August 1975, Mujib
979-489: A military court opened. During his imprisonment between 1967 and 1969, Mujib began to write his autobiography. In what is widely known as the Agartala Conspiracy Case , Mujib and 34 Bengali military officers were accused by the government of colluding with Indian government agents in a scheme to divide Pakistan and threaten its unity, order and national security. The plot was alleged to have been planned in
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#17327796850011068-514: A nationwide student strike on 17 March 1948. In early January 1950, the Awami League held an anti-famine rally in Dhaka during the visit of Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan . Mujib was arrested for instigating the protests. On 26 January 1952, Pakistan's then Bengali Prime Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin reiterated that Urdu will be the only state language. Despite his imprisonment, Mujib played
1157-475: A smaller budget allocation than West Pakistan. The 1965 war between India and Pakistan ended in stalemate. The Tashkent Declaration was domestically seen as giving away Pakistan's gains to India. Ayub Khan's foreign minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto resigned from the government, formed the Pakistan Peoples Party , and exploited public discontent against the regime. In 1965, Pakistan banned
1246-565: A student activist in the province of Bengal during the final years of the British Raj . He was a member of the All India Muslim League . He supported Muslim nationalism and had a Pakistani establishmentalist outlook in his early political career. In 1949, he was part of a liberal, secular and left-wing faction which later became the Awami League . In the 1950s, he was elected to Pakistan's parliament where he defended
1335-640: Is recognized by UNESCO for its historic value, and was listed in the Memory of the World Register . Many of his diaries and travelogues were published many years after his death and have been translated into several languages. Mujib was born on 17 March 1920 into the Bengali Muslim aristocratic Sheikh family of the village of Tungipara in Gopalganj sub-division of Faridpur district in
1424-601: The six point movement – recognised as the turning point towards East and West Pakistan becoming two nations. Mujib insisted on a federal democracy and obtained broad support from the Bengali population. In 1966, Mujib was elected as President of the Awami League. Tajuddin Ahmad succeeded him as General Secretary. Mujib was arrested by the Pakistan Army and after two years in jail, an official sedition trial in
1513-769: The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan to declare both Urdu and Bengali as national languages, in addition to English. During a conference in Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall , Sheikh Mujib was instrumental in establishing the All-Party State Language Action Committee. He was repeatedly arrested during the movement. When he was released from jail in 1948, he was greeted by a rally of the State Language Struggle Committee . Mujib announced
1602-465: The Indian subcontinent . Bengalis increasingly referred to him as Bangabandhu . In March 1969, Ayub Khan resigned and Yahya Khan became president. Prior to the scheduled general election for 1970, one of the most powerful cyclones on record devastated East Pakistan, leaving half a million people dead and millions displaced. President Yahya Khan, who was flying back from China after the cyclone, viewed
1691-752: The Krishak Praja Party of A. K. Fazlul Huq to form the United Front coalition. During the East Bengali legislative election, 1954 , Mujib was elected to public office for the first time. He became a member of the East Bengal Legislative Assembly . This was the first election in East Bengal since the partition of India in 1947. The Awami League-led United Front secured a landslide victory of 223 seats in
1780-861: The Muslim League , which under Muhammad Ali Jinnah demanded a separate Muslim state of Pakistan . He served as the vice-president of the Pabna District Muslim League from 1946 to 1950. He received training at Jessore Cantonment as a captain in PLG (Pakistan Lancers Group) in 1948. Since then he was widely known as Captain Mansur. Deciding to practise law, he enrolled in the Pabna District Court in 1951. He would soon be elected member of Awami League's central executive committee and president of its Pabna District unit. Mansur
1869-567: The National Awami Party , though Mujib remained loyal to Suhrawardy. Mujib joined the Alpha Insurance Company in 1960. He continued to work in the insurance industry for many years. The 1958 Pakistani military coup ended Pakistan's first era of parliamentary democracy as Muhammad Ayub Khan , the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army , overthrew the Bengali president Iskandar Ali Mirza and abolished
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#17327796850011958-573: The Rose Garden mansion on K. M. Das Lane in Old Dhaka , which was organized by Yar Mohammad Khan and Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani . Sheikh Mujib was elected as one of its joint secretaries. The term "Muslim" was later dropped from the party's nomenclature. The Awami League sought to represent both Muslims and Pakistan's religious minorities, including Bengali Hindus and Pakistani Christians . Hence, it dropped "Muslim" from its name to appeal to
2047-587: The Six point movement led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman , who demanded substantial regional autonomy and opposed the military regime. In the 1970 elections, he was elected member of the legislative assembly. At the outbreak of the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, Mansur went underground to organise a government in exile . Mansur became the minister of finance in the Mujibnagar government. After
2136-465: The United Front alliance of various political parties. In the cabinet headed by Ataur Rahman Khan , Mansur served in different periods as the province's minister of law, parliamentary affairs, food, agriculture, commerce and industry. Mansur was re-arrested in the aftermath of the coup détat led by Ayub Khan , who became President of Pakistan and imposed martial law . He would remain incarcerated from 1958 to 1959. Mansur Ali played an important role in
2225-559: The province of Bengal in British India . His father Sheikh Lutfur Rahman was a sheristadar (law clerk) in the courthouse of Gopalganj; Mujib's mother Sheikh Sayera Khatun was a housewife. Mujib's father Sheikh Lutfur Rahman was a Taluqdar in Tungipara , owning landed property, around 100 Bighas of cultivable land. His clan's ancestors were Zamindars of Faridpur Mahakumar , however due to successive turns in
2314-506: The "unimpeachable" President of Bangladesh, effectively for life , which lasted for seven months. On 15 August 1975, he was assassinated with most of his family members in his Dhanmondi 32 residence in a coup d'état . A populist of the 20th century, Mujib was one of the most charismatic leaders of the Third World in the early 1970s. His post-independence legacy remains divisive among Bangladeshis due to his economic mismanagement,
2403-572: The 1956 constitution. Many politicians were imprisoned and disqualified from holding public office, including Mujib's mentor Suhrawardy. A new constitution was introduced by Ayub Khan which curtailed universal suffrage and empowered electoral colleges to elect the country's parliament. Following Suhrawardy's death in 1963, Mujib became General Secretary of the All Pakistan Awami League with Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan as its titular president. The 1962 constitution introduced
2492-472: The 237 seats of the provincial assembly. Mujib himself won by a margin of 13,000 votes against his Muslim League rival Wahiduzzaman in Gopalganj. A. K. Fazlul Huq became Chief Minister and inducted Mujib into his cabinet. Mujib's initial portfolios were agriculture and forestry. After taking oath on 15 May 1954, Chief Minister Huq travelled with ministers to India and West Pakistan . The coalition government
2581-460: The Awami League as a party organiser. Between 1956 and 1957, Mujib's mentor Suhrawardy served as the 5th Prime Minister of Pakistan . Suhrawardy strengthened Pakistan's relations with the United States and China. Suhrawardy was a strong supporter of Pakistan's membership in SEATO and CENTO . Suhrawardy's pro-Western foreign policy caused Maulana Bhashani to break away from the Awami League to form
2670-573: The Awami League to end the strike of the chefs at the InterContinental Hotel. Bhutto feared civil war, and sent a secret message to Mujib and his inner circle to arrange a meeting with them. Mubashir Hassan met with Mujib and persuaded him to form a coalition government with Bhutto. They decided that Bhutto would serve as president, with Mujib as Prime Minister. These developments took place secretly and no Pakistan Armed Forces personnel were kept informed. Meanwhile, Bhutto increased
2759-589: The Awami League to win Pakistan's first general election . When the Pakistani military junta refused to transfer power, he gave the 7th March speech and announced an independence movement. During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, Mujib declared Bangladesh's independence. Bengali nationalists declared him as the head of the Provisional Government of Bangladesh , while he was confined in
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2848-583: The Awami League won 167 out of 169 seats belonging to East Pakistan in the National Assembly of Pakistan , as well as a landslide in the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly . The Awami League emerged as the single largest party in the federal parliament of Pakistan. With 167 seats, it was past the halfway mark of 150 seats in the 300 member national assembly and had the right to form a government of its own. Sheikh Mujib
2937-666: The Awami League. Mujib's delegation included the notable lawyer and constitutional expert Kamal Hossain . The Bengali negotiating position is extensively discussed in Kamal Hossain's autobiography Bangladesh: Quest for Freedom and Justice . The Pakistani government was represented by former chief justice Alvin Robert Cornelius . At the InterContinental Dhaka , Bengali chefs refused to cook food for Yahya Khan. Governor Sahabzada Yaqub Khan requested
3026-620: The Bengal Civil Service instead of the pan-Indian civil service. In parliament, Mujib spoke about parity between East and West Pakistan on 4 February 1956 and said the following. It was stated that at the time of partition there was only one I.C.S. officer in East Bengal and there were no Engineers. I say that Bengal with 16 per cent literacy has only such a meagre representation in the service. Sir, this fact must be realised that it costs an individual Rs. 200 to come from East Bengal to this place. If you recruit in East Bengal and give
3115-651: The Bengali grassroots. He had an uncanny ability to remember people by their first name regardless of whether they were political leaders, workers, or ordinary citizens. Mujib founded the Muslim Students League on 4 January 1948 as the student wing of the Muslim League in East Bengal . This organisation later transformed into the Bangladesh Chhatra League . During the visit of Governor General Muhammad Ali Jinnah to Dhaka , it
3204-532: The Nation ) for Chittaranjan Das , and Netaji ( The Leader ) for Subhash Chandra Bose . In 1969, President Ayub Khan convened a Round Table Conference with opposition parties to find a way out of the prevailing political impasse. A few days after his release from prison, Mujib flew to Rawalpindi to attend the Round Table Conference. Mujib sought to bargain for East Pakistan's autonomy. Mujib
3293-463: The Pakistani government. He was accused of being a secessionist and an agent of India. East Pakistan's Intelligence Branch compiled many secret reports on his movements and political activities. The secret documents have been declassified by the Bangladeshi government. The formerly classified reports have also been published. The All Pakistan Awami Muslim League was founded on 23 June 1949 at
3382-410: The Pakistani government. His political activities were targeted by the government and police. In 1949, Mujib was expelled from Dhaka University on charges of inciting employees against the university. After 61 years, in 2010, the university withdrew its famously politically motivated expulsion order. Mujib emerged as a major opposition figure in Pakistani politics between 1948 and 1971. He represented
3471-700: The Round Table Conference. West Pakistani crowds received him with chants of "Sheikh Saheb Zindabad!" (meaning Long Live the Sheikh!). He was received by huge crowds in Quetta , Baluchistan. He spoke to West Pakistani crowds in a heavily Bengali accent of Urdu , talking about chhey nukati (six points) and hum chhoy dofa mangta sab ke liye . Mujib demanded that Pakistan accept his six-point plan for federal democracy. He wasn't satisfied by Ayub Khan's pledges. When he returned to Dhaka, he declared that East Pakistan should be known as Bangladesh . On 5 December 1969 Mujib made
3560-567: The UN General Assembly in 1974. Mujib's government proved largely unsuccessful in curbing political and economic anarchy and corruption in post-independence Bangladesh, which ultimately gave rise to a left-wing insurgency . To quell the insurgency, he formed Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini , a special paramilitary force similar to Gestapo , which was involved in various human rights abuses , massacres , enforced disappearances , extrajudicial killings and rapes . Mujib's five-year regime
3649-598: The army on 23 August 1975. Refusing to support Ahmad's regime, they were murdered while incarcerated in the Dhaka Central Jail on 3 November, which was one of the key points for the 3 November coup , which already ousted Ahmad from power again. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), popularly known by the Bangabandhu was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman, activist and diarist , Who
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3738-654: The charges on 22 February 1969 and unconditionally released Mujib the following day. He returned to East Pakistan as a public hero. He was given a mass reception on 23 February, at the Ramna Race Course and conferred with the popular honorary title of Bangabandhu by Tofail Ahmed . The term Bangabandhu means Friend of the Bengal in the Bengali language. Several of Bengal's historic leaders were given similar honorary titles, including Sher-e-Bangla ( Lion of Bengal ) for A. K. Fazlul Huq , Deshbandhu ( Friend of
3827-415: The city of Agartala in the bordering Indian state of Tripura . The outcry and unrest over Mujib's arrest and the charge of sedition against him destabilised East Pakistan amidst large protests and strikes. Various Bengali political and student groups added demands to address the issues of students, workers and the poor, forming a larger "11-point plan". The government caved to the mounting pressure, dropped
3916-498: The custom of the region at that time. They are second cousins. Mujib began showing signs of political leadership around this time. At the Gopalganj Missionary School, Mujib's political passion was noticed by Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy , who was visiting the area along with A. K. Fazlul Huq . Mujib passed out from the Gopalganj Missionary School in 1942. Mujib moved to Calcutta for higher education. At
4005-641: The demarcation of the partition. After the partition of India , Mujib was admitted into the Law Department of the University of Dhaka . The university was created in 1921 as a residential university modelled on Oxford and Cambridge where students would be affiliated with colleges; but its residential character was dramatically changed after partition and students became affiliated with departments. Mujib suffered repeated bouts of police detention due to his ability to instigate opposition protests against
4094-573: The devastation from the air. The ruling military junta was slow to respond with relief efforts. Newspapers in East Pakistan accused the federal government of "gross neglect, callous inattention, and bitter indifference". Mujib remarked that "We have a large army but it is left to the British Marines to bury our dead". International aid had to pour in due to the slow response of the Pakistani military regime. Bengalis were outraged at what
4183-563: The family fortune over generations had turned them middle class. The Sheikh clan of Tungipara were of Iraqi Arab descent, being descended from Sheikh Abdul Awal Darwish of Baghdad, who had come to preach Islam in the Mughal era . His lineage is; Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, son of Sheikh Lutfar Rahman, son of Sheikh Abdul Hamid, son of Sheikh Mohammad Zakir, son of Sheikh Ekramullah, son of Sheikh Borhanuddin, son of Sheikh Jan Mahmud, son of Sheikh Zahiruddin, son of Sheikh Abdul Awal Darwish. Mujib
4272-561: The famine of 1974, human rights violations, and authoritarianism . Nevertheless, most Bangladeshis credit him for leading the country to independence in 1971 and restoring the Bengali sovereignty after over two centuries following the Battle of Plassey in 1757, for which he is honoured as Bangabandhu (friend of Bengal). He was voted as the Greatest Bengali of all time in the 2004 BBC opinion poll. His 7 March speech in 1971
4361-593: The fate of the Bengali Muslim-dominated Sylhet District of Assam Province . Sheikh Mujib worked as an organizer and campaigner for inclusion in Pakistan in the Sylhet referendum. He went to Sylhet from Calcutta with about 500 workers. In his autobiography, he expressed his displeasure about the non-adherence of Karimganj to Pakistan despite winning the referendum and the various geographical inadequacies of East Pakistan during
4450-635: The independence of Bangladesh, Mansur was the minister of communications and later home affairs. After the introduction of a one-party, presidential system in 1975, Mujib became the President of Bangladesh . Mansur was appointed the prime minister. He helped Mujib organise the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League . He married Begum Amina the daughter of a District Judge from the area of Rangpur. They had five sons and one daughter. His eldest son Dr Mohammad Selim became
4539-407: The masses, students, professionals, and intellectuals of East Pakistan. Many observers believed that Bengali nationalism was a rejection of Pakistan's founding two-nation theory but Mujib never phrased his rhetoric in these terms. Mujib was able to galvanise support throughout East Pakistan, which was home to the majority of Pakistan's population. He became one of the most powerful political figures in
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#17327796850014628-489: The massive reallocation of revenue to West Pakistan despite East Pakistan's role in generating most of Pakistan's export income. Rehman Sobhan paraphrased the two-nation theory into the two economies theory. He argued that East and West Pakistan had two fundamentally distinct economies within one country. In 1966, Mujib put forward a 6-point plan at a national conference of opposition parties in Lahore . The city of Lahore
4717-568: The matter is decided. Mujib often called for increased recruitment and affirmative action in East Pakistan. Bengalis were under-represented in the civil and military services despite making up the largest ethnic group in the federation. Mujib felt that Bengalis were being relegated to provincial jobs instead of federal jobs because most Bengalis could not afford to travel outside the province in spite of holding master's degrees and bachelor's degrees. A similar situation also prevailed under British rule when Bengali degree holders were employed mostly in
4806-446: The minority votebanks. Suhrawardy joined the party within a few years and became its main leader. He relied on Sheikh Mujib to organise his political activities in East Bengal. Mujib became Suhrawardy's political protégé. Prior to partition, Suhrawardy mooted the idea of an independent United Bengal . But in Pakistan, Suhrawardy reportedly preferred to preserve the unity of Pakistan in a federal framework; while Mujib supported autonomy and
4895-481: The next government. Bhutto threatened to break the legs of any West Pakistani MP-elect who accepted Mujib's mandate. However, Khan Abdul Wali Khan of the Awami National Party from North West Frontier Province was open to accepting an Awami League government and travelled to Dhaka to meet with Mujib. Many in Pakistan's establishment were opposed to Mujib becoming Pakistan's prime minister. At
4984-478: The other side to allow the people to give their verdict in any way, in the form of referendum or in the form of plebiscite. Mujib was often a vocal defender of human rights . Speaking on freedom of assembly and freedom of speech , he told Pakistan's parliament the following on 29 November 1955:- For whom are you going to frame the Constitution? Are you going to give freedom of speech, freedom of action to
5073-572: The party. The Awami League veered away from the left-wing extremism of its founding president Maulana Bhashani . Under Suhrawardy and Mujib, the Awami League emerged as a centre-left party. The Awami League strongly backed the Bengali Language Movement. Bengalis argued that the Bengali language deserved to be a federal language on par with Urdu because Bengalis formed the largest ethnic group in Pakistan. The movement appealed to
5162-414: The people of Pakistan? When you do not have any other law under which you can arrest a person, you haul him under this so-called Public Safety Act. This is the blackest Act on the statute book of Pakistan. I do not know how long such an Act will continue. I want to warn you. Sir, that you must do justice to all people without fear or favour. If justice fails, equity fails, fair-play fails, then we will see how
5251-791: The politics of the Bengal Provincial Muslim League , the All India Muslim Students Federation , the Indian independence movement and the Pakistan movement . In 1943, he was elected as a councillor of the Muslim League. In 1944, he was elected as secretary of the Faridpur District Association, a Calcutta-based association of residents from Faridpur. In 1946, at the height of the Pakistan movement, Mujib
5340-460: The pressure on Yahya Khan to take a stand on dissolving the government. Sheikh Mujib spent 4682 days in prison in his political life. Among them, he spent 7 days in prison during the British raj and the remaining 4,675 days under the government of Pakistan. In 1938, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman went to the house of Gopalganj Hindu Mahasabha president Suren Banerjee when his classmate friend Abdul Malek
5429-415: The rights of East Bengal . Mujib served 13 years in prison during the British Raj and Pakistani rule. By the 1960s, Mujib adopted Bengali nationalism and became the undisputed leader of East Pakistan soon. He became popular for opposing political, ethnic and institutional discrimination; leading the six-point autonomy movement ; and challenging the regime of Field Marshal Ayub Khan . In 1970, he led
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#17327796850015518-400: The same year i.e. 63 days from 25 October to 27 December 1949 and 787 consecutive days from 1 January 1950 to 26 February 1952. Sheikh Mujib had to spend 206 days in prison even after winning the United Front elections in 1954. Sheikh Mujib was arrested again on 11 October 1958 after Ayub Khan imposed martial law. At this time, he had to spend 1 thousand 153 consecutive days in prison. Then he
5607-529: The sister of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, drew huge crowds in East Pakistan during her presidential campaign which was supported by the Combined Opposition Party, including the Awami League. East Pakistan was the hotbed of opposition to the presidency of Ayub Khan. Mujib became popular for voicing the grievances of the Bengali population, including under-representation in the military and central bureaucracy. Despite generating most of Pakistan's export earnings and customs tax revenue, East Pakistan received
5696-449: The third grade of Gopalganj Public School. His parents transferred him to Madaripur Islamia High School after two years. Mujib withdrew from school in 1934 to undergo eye surgery. He returned to formal education after four years owing to the severity of the surgery and slow recovery. Mujib was 18 years old when he was married to eight years old Fazilatunnesa , widely known in Bangladesh as Begum Mujib, in an arranged marriage , according to
5785-420: The time neither Mujib nor the Awami League had explicitly advocated political independence for East Pakistan, but smaller nationalist groups were demanding independence for Bangladesh . After the election victory, Mujib was ornamented as " Sher-e-Pakistan " (Lion of Pakistan) on a newspaper ad published on The Daily Ittefaq on 3 January 1971. Both Bhutto and Yahya Khan travelled to Dhaka for negotiations with
5874-447: The time, Calcutta was the capital of British Bengal and the largest city in undivided India. He studied liberal arts , including political science , at the erstwhile Islamia College of Calcutta and lived in Baker Hostel . Islamia College was one of the leading educational institutions for the Muslims of Bengal. He obtained his bachelor's degree from the college in 1947. During his time in Calcutta, Sheikh Mujib became involved in
5963-451: The vested interests want to divide the people of East and West Pakistan". When asked about the prospect of East Pakistan ruling West Pakistan if the Awami League gained power, Mujib replied that majority rule is important in a democracy but the people of East Pakistan had no intention to discriminate against West Pakistan, and that West Pakistani parties would continue to play an important role. Mujib toured West Pakistani cities by train after
6052-501: The vice-president of the Faridpur district branch of the All Bengal Muslim Chhatra League in 1941. After the establishment of Pakistan, Sheikh Mujib was in jail for five days from 11 March – 15 March 1948. He was arrested on 11 September of the same year and released on 21 January 1949. He spent 132 days in prison during this period. Then on 19 April 1949, he was again taken to jail and was released on 28 June after serving 80 days of imprisonment. At that point he spent 27 days in prison. In
6141-410: The violent days in the run up to partition. In 1947, Sheikh Mujib also joined the "United Bengal Movement" which was organized under the leadership of Suhrawardy, Abul Hashim , Sarat Chandra Bose and others to form an undivided independent Bengal outside the jurisdiction of India and Pakistan. Later, when the creation of the states of India and Pakistan was confirmed, a referendum was held to decide
6230-515: The works of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in state media. Censorship in state media spurred Bengali civil society groups like Chhayanaut to preserve Bengali culture. When Ayub Khan compared Bengalis to beasts, the poet Sufia Kamal retorted that "If the people are beasts then as the President of the Republic, you are the king of the beasts". The Daily Ittefaq led by Tofazzal Hossain voiced growing aspirations for democracy, autonomy, and nationalism. Economists in Dhaka University pointed to
6319-414: The world. His foreign policy during the time was dominated by the principle "friendship to all and malice to none". He remained a close ally to Gandhi 's India and Brezhnev 's Soviet Union , while balancing ties with the United States . He strongly opposed the apartheid policies of South Africa and dispatched an army medical unit during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War . He gave the first Bengali speech to
6408-472: Was assassinated along with his family by a group of military officers. The 15 August coup d'état was masterminded by Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad , a disgruntled member of Mujib's regime who would become president. Mansur went into hiding immediately after the killing. When Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad invited Awami League leaders such as Mansur Ali, Syed Nazrul Islam , A. H. M. Qamaruzzaman and Tajuddin Ahmad to join his government, they refused. They were arrested by
6497-624: Was a forceful orator at the assembly in Karachi. He opposed the government's plan to rename East Bengal as East Pakistan as part of the One Unit scheme. On 25 August 1955, he delivered the following speech. Sir [President of the Constituent Assembly], you will see that they want to use the phrase 'East Pakistan' instead of 'East Bengal'. We have demanded many times that you should use Bengal instead of Pakistan. The word Bengal has
6586-411: Was arrested again on 6 January 1962 and released on 18 June of that year. He spent 158 days in prison. Then in 1964 and 1965 he was in prison for 665 days in different terms. After making the six-point proposal, he was arrested at the place where he went to hold the rally. At that time, he held 32 public meetings and spent 90 days in prison for different periods. Then he was arrested again on 8 May 1966 and
6675-561: Was arrested by police in 1952 for helping to organise protests against the declaration of Urdu as the sole official language, in what became known as the Language Movement . Mansur and his party demanded that Bengali also receive recognition and the provinces be granted autonomy . After his release, Mansur was elected a member of the East Pakistan Legislative Assembly in 1954 as a candidate of
6764-464: Was beaten up. Sheikh Mujib was arrested for the first time in a case filed by the leaders of the Hindu Mahasabha when the scuffle took place there. After seven days in jail, Sheikh Mujib was released when the case was dropped through settlement. In addition, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was temporarily arrested twice for making a speech and staying at the meeting place during disturbances while being
6853-577: Was chosen because of its symbolism as the place where the Lahore Resolution was adopted by the Muslim League in 1940. The six points called for abolishing the Basic Democracy scheme, restoring universal suffrage, devolving federal power to the provinces of East and West Pakistan, separate fiscal, monetary and trade policies for East and West Pakistan, and increased security spending for East Pakistan. Mujib's points catalysed public support across East Pakistan, launching what historians have termed
6942-554: Was declared that Urdu will be the sole national language of Pakistan. This sparked the Bengali Language Movement . Mujib became embroiled in the language movement, as well as left-wing trade unionism among Bengali factions of the Muslim League. Bengali factions eventually split away and formed the Awami Muslim League in 1949. Mujib was arrested many times. His movements were tracked by spies of
7031-500: Was dismissed on 30 May 1954. Mujib was arrested upon his return to Dhaka from Karachi . He was released on 23 December 1954. Governor's rule was imposed in East Bengal. The elected government was eventually restored in 1955. On 5 June 1955, Mujib was elected to a newly reconstituted second Constituent Assembly of Pakistan . The Awami League organised a huge public meeting at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka on 17 June 1955 which outlined 21 points demanding autonomy for Pakistan's provinces. Mujib
7120-623: Was elected as General Secretary of the Islamia College Students Union in Calcutta. His political mentor Suhrawardy led the center-left faction of the Muslim League. Suhrawardy was responsible for creating 36 trade unions in Bengal, including unions for sailors, railway workers, jute and cotton mills workers, rickshaw pullers, cart drivers and other working class groups. Mujib assisted Suhrawardy in these efforts and also worked to ensure protection for Muslim families during
7209-533: Was not a very good player but still had a good position in the school team. At this time I was not interested in politics." Once the farmers in his village lost their crops and faced a near-famine situation, which had a great impact on Mujib. During these days, he usually used to distribute rice among the poor farmers and students from his own or collecting from others. Mujib was enrolled in Gimadanga Primary School in 1927. In 1929, he entered
7298-515: Was open to the idea of East Bengali independence. Mujib reportedly remarked that "[t]he Bengalis had initially failed to appreciate a leader of Mr. Suhrawardy's stature. By the time they learned to value him, they had run out of time". At the federal level, the Awami League was led by Suhrawardy. At the provincial level, the League was led by Sheikh Mujib who was given a free rein over the party's activities by Suhrawardy. Mujib consolidated his control of
7387-514: Was released on 22 February 1969 through a popular uprising. At that time he was in prison for 1,021 days. He was arrested by the Pakistan government soon after declaring independence in the early hours of 26 March 1971. During this period he was in prison for 288 days. 15 August 1975 Bangladesh coup d%27%C3%A9tat Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
7476-413: Was the eldest son and third child in the family of four daughters (Fatima, Achia, Helen, Laili) and two sons (Mujib, Naser ). His parents nicknamed him "Khoka". As a child, Mujib was described as "compassionate and very energetic". Either playing or roaming around. Feeding birds, monkeys and dogs. In his autobiography, Mujib mentions, "I used to play football , volleyball and field hockey . Although I
7565-455: Was the founder of Bangladesh . As the leader of Bangladesh, he had held continuous positions either as Bangladesh's president or as its prime minister from April 1971 until his assassination in August 1975. His nationalist ideology, socio-political theories, and political doctrines are collectively known as Mujibism . Born in an aristocratic Muslim family in Tungipara , Mujib emerged as
7654-413: Was the most powerful opposition leader at the Round Table Conference. Ayub Khan shook hands with Mujib, whom Khan previously had imprisoned. Talking to British media, Mujib said "East Pakistan must get full regional autonomy. It must be self-sufficient in all respects. It must get its due share and legitimate share in the central administration. The West Pakistani people support [East Pakistani demands]. Only
7743-469: Was the only socialist period in Bangladesh's history, which was marked with huge economic mismanagement and failure, leading to the high mortality rate in the deadly famine of 1974 . In 1975, he launched Second Revolution , under which he installed a one party regime and abolished all kinds of civil liberties and democratic institutions, by which he "institutionalized autocracy " and made himself
7832-483: Was widely considered to be the Prime Minister-elect , including by President Yahya Khan. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) came in second with 86 seats. The new parliament was scheduled to hold its first sitting in Dhaka, Pakistan's legislative capital under the 1962 constitution. The political crisis emerged when PPP leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto declared that his party would boycott parliament if Mujib formed
7921-434: Was widely considered to be the weak and ineffective response of the federal government to the disaster. Public opinion and political parties in East Pakistan blamed the ruling military junta for the lack of relief efforts. The dissatisfaction led to divisions between East Pakistanis and West Pakistanis within the civil services, police and Pakistani Armed Forces. In the Pakistani general elections held on 7 December 1970 ,
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