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59-668: The history of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar can be traced back to before the independence of Bangladesh . Designed by Louis I. Kahn , the complex in Dhaka was designed to make a significant impact locally and internationally and to represent the strong presence of the central government of what was then Pakistan. 11 kilometres (7 mi) from the city center, the project originally consisted of the National Assembly building and three hostels (that is, temporary accommodations for officials and delegates coming from West Pakistan when parliament

118-410: A Bangladeshi poet, wrote the poem "Our Language: The Language of Bengal" in 1952, during the time of the language movement; the poem shows how strongly language played a role in the national identity of the new state. For our language many have died, drawn from the arms of our mother but down the road, smeared with their blood I hope freedom will come to this land: the simple language of

177-760: A Group C. Princely States will retain all subjects and powers other than those ceded to the Union. Through the scheme, the British expected to maintain Indian unity, as both they and Congress wanted, and also to provide Jinnah the substance of Pakistan. The proposals almost satisfied Jinnah's insistence on a large Pakistan, which would avert the North-Eastern Pakistan without the mostly non-Muslim districts in Bengal and Punjab being partitioned away. By holding

236-634: A crackdown on East Pakistan called Operation Searchlight and declared martial law, which was heard by only a limited number of people due to the broadcasting system used. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was detained by Pakistan Army soon after. On 27 March, Major Ziaur Rahman, officer of the East Bengal Regiment, declared the Independence of Bangladesh from Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and called

295-466: A government able to industrialise the country and to eliminate poverty. Nehru's speech on 10 July 1946 rejected the idea that the provinces would be obliged to join a group and stated that the Congress was neither bound nor committed to the plan. In effect, Nehru's speech squashed the mission's plan and the chance to keep India united. Jinnah interpreted the speech as another instance of treachery by

354-767: A government-in-exile in London. But Nehru did not want to talk to Mujib as the Sino-Indian war was going on. From 1963 to 1965, East Pakistan presented a case of economic deprivation with resources from the province benefitting West Pakistan at the cost of development in East Pakistan. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, now leader of the Awami League, was arrested in 1966 and charged in the Agartala conspiracy case , which accused prominent East Pakistanis of trying to separate

413-399: A national language!" (rastrabhdsa bamla cai!). As soon as the students passed the campus gates, armed policemen baton-charged them; the students retaliated by throwing bricks before policemen fired tear gas into the crowd as a response. Many were injured while five people died; demonstrations, killings, and arrests would continue for a few more days. A memorial was then erected on the spot where

472-461: A new state. Members of the organisations from Bengal Provincial Muslim League following the ideals of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose were close to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman . This organization based in Dhaka wanted to engage in armed struggle with the help of Great Britain under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. East Pakistan, where Bengali was the language spoken by the majority, opposed the move by

531-656: A repudiation of the demand for Pakistan, and its position was that, in case a Group Constitution was framed by its Constituent Assembly, the Provinces should have one vote each. Therefore, in Group C, Muslim-majority Bengal and Hindu-majority Assam would have one vote each. However, Muslim League interpreted the plan to mean that the state's influence in the Group Constituent Assembly would be proportional to its population. Another point of difference concerned

590-628: A simple people Will meet the demands of this our land. The independence of Bangladesh in December 1971 regarded the national identity as a regional one, rather than a religious one like Pakistan's foundation. The new Bengali elite envisioned the society that was taking place in the delta as distinctly Bengali, where Bangladesh stood as a nation-state, a homeland to the Bengali community that had been unjustly treated in Pakistan. The main pillars of

649-567: A three-tier administrative structure for British India, with the Federal Union at the top tier, individual provinces at the bottom tier and Groups of provinces as a middle tier. Three Groups were proposed, called Groups A, B and C, respectively, for Northwest India, eastern India and the remaining central portions of India The Cabinet Mission's plan failed because of the distrust between the Indian National Congress and

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708-899: Is across from the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED). Sher-e-Bangla Nagar houses the Department of Immigration and Passports, an attached department under the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The National Parliament is located here which is one of the country's prominent aesthetic architectural structures designed by American architect Louis I. Kahn . Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies and Sher-e-Bangla nagar Telephone Exchange Dhaka are here as well. Islamic Development Bank Bangladesh branch

767-756: Is celebrated as Victory Day in Bangladesh. In the early hours of March 26, 1971, the undisputed leader of Bengali, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman , declared independence before being arrested by the Pakistani army. Later many others declared on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In 1905, the British Raj partitioned the Bengal Presidency into East Bengal and West Bengal . The British introduced the Morley-Minto Reforms in 1909 which made

826-538: Is near the Ministry of Defense. Some well-known schools including Gonobhaban Government High School , Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Government Boys' High School , St. Joseph Higher Secondary School are also housed in Sher-e-Bangla. Independence of Bangladesh The independence of Bangladesh was declared from Pakistan on 26 March 1971, celebrated as Independence Day . The Bangladesh Liberation War started on 26 March and lasted till 16 December 1971 which

885-528: Is on 16 December and it commemorates the surrender of Pakistan to Bangladesh India joint forces at the end of Bangladesh Liberation War . It is celebrated as Vijay Diwas in India. Cable 1971 , otherwise known as Priority Signal or File 1971 was a high profile and secret military signal communicated in December 1952 between the two main inter-services branches of Pakistan–the Pakistan Army and

944-627: Is released from prison on 22 February 1970 by President Ayub Khan . On 10 March 1970, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman demanded autonomy for East Pakistan based on the Six Point program of the Awami League. Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani ends a public event with the slogan East Pakistan Zindabad on 23 November. 1970 Bhola cyclone killed 300 to 500 thousand people in East Pakistan. The people of East Pakistan found relief efforts by Pakistan government inadequate and felt neglected. Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won 288 seats out of 300 seats in

1003-474: Is right beside BCS Computer City. The Bangladesh–China Friendship Conference Center , is one of the largest international convention centres in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh-China Friendship Center was built in 2002 at a cost of approximately ৳300 crore (US$ 56 million) in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. The Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University is located in Sher-e-Bangla. Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College

1062-533: The Muslim League , and the British government replaced Lord Wavell with a new viceroy, Lord Mountbatten , to find new solutions. Towards the end of their rule, the British found that their temporary patronage of the Muslim League conflicted with their longstanding need for Indian unity. The desire for a united India was an outcome of both their pride in having politically unified the subcontinent and

1121-543: The Pakistan Navy . It is notable for the fact that it essentially predicted the separation of Pakistan and Bangladesh and by coincidence its title contained the year in which the separation actually happened, almost 20 years later. The cable discussed the implication of One Unit and one culture policy , religious fanaticism , and the economic parity between the West and East Pakistan that will ultimately result in

1180-473: The Soviet Union to join the freedom movement, the party was reluctant to join as they did not receive a positive response. In 1962, a separatist organization called the "Provisional East Bengal Government" was formed which proposed the independence of East Pakistan. In 1963, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman wrote to prime minister Nehru to discuss the declaration of independence of East Pakistan and the formation of

1239-603: The Cabinet Mission's scheme by sending Nehru, Jinnah and Wavell in December to meet Attlee, Cripps and Pethick-Lawrence. The inflexible arguments were enough to cause Nehru to return to India and announce that "we have now altogether stopped looking towards London". Meanwhile, Wavell commenced the Constituent Assembly, which the League boycotted. He anticipated that the League would enter it as it had joined

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1298-415: The Congress opposed Jinnah's demand for a Pakistan comprising six full provinces. The mission proposed a complicated system for India with three tiers: the provinces, provincial groupings and the centre. The centre's power was to be confined to foreign affairs, defence, currency and communications. The provinces would keep all other powers and could establish three groups. The plan's main characteristic

1357-421: The Congress position that a sovereign constituent assembly would not be bound to the plan. Jinnah insisted that it was binding once the plan was accepted. The groupings plan maintained India's unity, but the organisation's leadership, most of all Nehru, increasingly believed that the scheme would leave the centre without the strength to achieve the party's ambitions. Congress's socialist section led by Nehru desired

1416-588: The Congress. With Nehru's speech on groupings, the Muslim League rescinded its previous approval of the plan on 29 July. Concerned by the diminishing British power, Wavell was eager to inaugurate an interim government. Disregarding Jinnah's vote, he authorised a cabinet in which Nehru was the interim prime minister. Sidelined and with his Pakistan of "groups" refused, Jinnah became distraught. To achieve Pakistan and impose on Congress that he could not be sidelined, he resorted to calling for his supporters to use "direct action" to demonstrate their support for Pakistan in

1475-499: The Independence of Bangladesh. Various programs are organised in the country to mark the occasion. The National Flag of Bangladesh is flown on all government buildings. The Independence Day Award was introduced by the Government of Bangladesh in 1977. The award is given on the Independence Day of Bangladesh on 26 March. The first Independence Day was celebrated on 26 March 1972. President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman addressed

1534-497: The Independence of Bangladesh. When a different party comes to power, they change the history books of Bangladesh to either prefer Sheikh Mujibur Rahman or Ziaur Rahman. 1946 Cabinet Mission to India A cabinet mission went to India on 24 March 1946 to discuss the transfer of power from the British government to the Indian political leadership with the aim of preserving India's unity and granting its independence. Formed at

1593-562: The Krishak Sramik Party was removed from power. Chief Minister A. K. Fazlul Huq and party general secretary Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were placed under house arrest on charges of separatism. After Ayub Khan imposed military rule in Pakistan in 1958, some members of Awami League formed a separatist organization called "East Bengal Liberation Front" in Jamalpur , they asked Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for help in

1652-504: The Language Action Committee in December 1947 when they learned about the plans to make Urdu the national language. The Bengali language movement , or Bhasha Andolon, was started by students at schools, colleges and universities. The success of this movement forced Pakistan to change its policies and fueled the emergence of Bengali ethno-nationalism, which led to the creation of Bangladesh as an independent state and

1711-659: The actions of Pakistan Army a massacre while asking for intervention of the United Nations. On 10 April, Bengals members of provincial and national assembly gathered in Kolkata and created a government in exile. It created the Proclamation of Independence which was read from Baidyanathtala in Meherpur District . Bhutan recognized Bangladesh on 6 December and was followed by India a few hours later on

1770-505: The breakup of Pakistan in 1971. When the movement began to challenge West Pakistani domination in East Pakistan, the citizens and the press in West Pakistan thought that it was orchestrated by Hindus, communists and anti-state elements trying to destabilize the state. Thousands of young Bengali boys and girls from schools and universities in Dhaka assembled on the campus of Dhaka University marching and shouting slogans like "Bengali as

1829-480: The country with help from India, in 1968. The 1969 East Pakistan mass uprising saw the charges in the Agartala conspiracy case being dropped. In a party meeting on 5 December 1969, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman proposed to name East Pakistan "Bangladesh" if it became independent. Sarbadalia Chhatra Sangram Parishad was created to press the government of Pakistan for the independence of East Pakistan. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

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1888-463: The division of Pakistan into two different groups. The cable's message read as: The cable is notable for its highlighted title and many historians found strange that the cable was coincidentally numbered: Cable/File 1971 . Language played a key role in the independence movement of Bangladesh and became a key feature in nation-building after the Liberation War against Pakistan. Since

1947-513: The doubts of most British authorities as to the feasibility of Pakistan. The desire for Indian unity was symbolised by the Cabinet Mission, which arrived in New Delhi on 24 March 1946, which was sent by the British government, in which the subject was the formation of a post-independent India. The three men who constituted the mission, A.V Alexander, Stafford Cripps, Pethick-Lawrence favoured India's unity for strategic reasons. Upon arriving in

2006-461: The electorate system based on religion and East Bengal was largely Muslim. The Bengal Provincial Muslim League was created to represent Bengali Muslims. The two Bengals were reunited in 1912 in a decision by the British which was unpopular among the Muslims which feared it would harm the interests of their community. The 1946 Cabinet Mission to India decided to partition Bengal and in 1947 Bengal

2065-688: The event chanted Jai Bangla (victory to Bengal). On 19 March, soldiers of Pakistan Army from East Pakistan and West Pakistan had a small skirmish at the Gazipur Ordnance Factory after the East Bengal Regiment refused to fire at crowds of protesting Bengalis. On 24 March, soldiers of East Pakistan Rifles raised the flag of independent Bangladesh in Jessore District . On 26 March 1971,Bir Uttam Major Ziaur Rahman declared independence on radio. Pakistan launched

2124-437: The first killings had taken place. A 1984 textbook introduces the language movement with the following, "February 21 of 1952 was the first united expression of Bangladesh's collective consciousness and a first bold step toward the independence movement". The language movement became a symbol for Bengali nationalism; the claim by Bengali textbooks is that 'Bengali' became the primary marker of Bangladesh's identity. Sufia Kamal ,

2183-432: The foundation and independence of Pakistan in 1947, language was a key dividing issue in the newly established state. The new Pakistani elite faced a difficult task of uniting all its citizens into a united Pakistani nation, and one immediate question that arose with the new state was about the language that would be used to conduct Pakistan's state business. The Pakistan Educational Conference of November 1947 proposed Urdu as

2242-593: The founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah , to make Urdu the national language. The people of East Pakistan demanded Bengali be made a national language in the Bengali Language movement . Krishak Sramik Party demanded autonomy for East Bengal in 1953 and won the provincial election against the Pakistan Muslim League in 1954. A. K. Fazlul Huq, leader of the Krishak Sramik Party, becomes the chief minister of East Pakistan. On 31 May 1954,

2301-600: The full provinces of Punjab and Bengal, Jinnah could satisfy the provincial leaders who feared losing power if their provinces were divided. The presence of large Hindu minorities in Punjab and Bengal also provided a safeguard for the Muslim minorities remaining in the mostly-Hindu provinces. Jinnah explained in a letter to Karachi mayor Hatim Alavi on 10 June 1946, that the acceptance of the Cabinet Mission Plan

2360-518: The initiative of British Prime Minister Clement Attlee , the mission contained as its members, Lord Pethick-Lawrence ( Secretary of State for India ), Sir Stafford Cripps (President of the Board of Trade ), and A. V. Alexander ( First Lord of the Admiralty ). The Viceroy of India Lord Wavell participated in some of the discussions. The Cabinet Mission Plan , formulated by the group, proposed

2419-442: The interim government but sent Liaquat Ali Khan into it to play a secondary role. Congress did not want to give him the important position of home minister and instead allowed him the post of finance minister. Liaquat Ali Khan infuriated Congress by using his role to prevent the functioning of Congress ministries. He demonstrated, under Jinnah's instructions, the impossibility of a single government for India. Britain tried to revive

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2478-544: The interim government. Instead, the Congress became more forceful and asked him to drop ministers from the Muslim League. Wavell also could not obtain a declaration from the British government that would articulate its goals. On 15 December 1946, Mahatma Gandhi met the Assam Congress leaders and told them to refuse to join Group C in the Constituent Assembly. He continued : "If you do not act correctly and now, Assam will be finished. Tell Mr Bardoloi I do not feel

2537-531: The least uneasiness. My mind is made up. Assam must not lose its soul. It must uphold it against the whole world... It is an impertinent suggestion that Bengal should dominate Assam in any way." Thus, he rejected the Grouping Scheme in Cabinet Mission Plan to prevent Muslim League from controlling Hindu-majority Assam. Gandhi feared that League would use its power in a confederal arrangement, to continue large-scale Muslim infiltration into Assam, and make it

2596-543: The nation. The launch of Operation Searchlight and declaration of Independence marked the start of Bangladesh Liberation War on 26 March 1971. The war lasted nine months and ended on 16 December 1971. The Pakistan Army targeted religious minorities and political supporters of the Independence of Bangladesh. The actions culminated in what is known as the Bangladesh Genocide . During the war, 15 million refugees from East Pakistan moved to India. Victory Day

2655-447: The national language even though it was spoken by only 3% of Pakistanis, compared to 56% who spoke Bengali. The first population census revealed that Pakistan had 78 million inhabitants, of whom 44 million (55%) lived in East Pakistan. However, the country's rulers were concentrated in West Pakistan and used Islam to dismiss Bengali's protests as un-Islamic or anti-Islamic. Students in East Pakistan held meetings and demonstrations and formed

2714-426: The new nation were language, a regional style, and a search for modernity. The Bangla Academy was an institution established in the 1950s as a result of the language movement; after independence, it became a major publisher of textbooks, dictionaries, folk literature, etc. The written and the spoken language were two distinct languages, whose differences were greater than that of other languages. The language of books

2773-429: The provincial assembly. It won 167 of 300 seats in the National Assembly of Pakistan. Despite the overwhelming victory, the Awami League was not allowed to form a government by the military administration of Pakistan led by General Yahya Khan . On 7 March 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave a historic speech to resist the West Pakistan administration, through refusing to follow their orders and paying taxes. The crowd at

2832-410: The same day. They were the first two countries to recognize independent Bangladesh. East Germany recognized Bangladesh on 11 January 1972, becoming the third country to do so. On 7 February, Israel recognised Bangladesh following a request by the foreign minister of Bangladesh, Mostaq Ahmad . The Independence Day of Bangladesh is celebrated on 26 March on the day Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared

2891-416: The same manner as Gandhi's civil disobedience campaigns, but it led to rioting and massacres on religious grounds in some areas. Direct Action Day further increased Wavell's resolve to establish the interim government. On 2 September 1946, Nehru's cabinet was installed. Millions of Indian Muslim households flew black flags to protest the installation of the Congress government. Jinnah did not himself join

2950-402: The seats for Muslims. After having achieved victory in the elections Jinnah gained a strong hand to bargain with the British and with Congress. Having established the system of separate electorates, the British had to live with its consequences even though they didn't want a divided India. The mission made its own proposals, after inconclusive dialogue with the Indian leadership, and saw that

3009-522: The subcontinent the mission found both parties, the Indian National Congress and Muslim League, more unwilling than ever to reach a settlement. The two parties had performed well in the elections, general and provincial , and emerged as the two main parties in the subcontinent, the provincial organizations having been defeated because of the separate electorates system. The Muslim League had been victorious in approximately 90 percent of

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3068-565: The war of independence, but he refused because of the Nehru–Liaquat Pact . Later, when the government arrested the leaders of the organization, it became inactive. In 1961, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called upon the leaders of the East Pakistan Communist Party to jointly agitate with the Awami League for the independence of East Pakistan. When a group of Communist Party leaders led by Moni Singh sought permission from

3127-424: Was a 'nation' with entitlement to central representations equal to those of Hindu India. Despite his preference for only two groups, the Muslim League's Council accepted the mission's proposals on 6 June 1946 after it had secured a guarantee from Wavell that the League would be placed in the interim government if the Congress did not accept the proposal. Congress also accepted the proposals and understood them to be

3186-499: Was distinct, and without a trace of the popular, based on Sanskrit. This fact took a turn with Tekchand Thakur's "Alarer Ghorer Dulal", which was written in the language that everyone understood. From that moment on, books began to be written in the learned and popular languages in Bangladesh. There is some dispute between the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist party, founded by Ziaur Rahman, on who declared

3245-519: Was in session). One hostel was for ministers, one for secretaries, and one for the delegates to the National Assembly. The assembly and hostels were grouped together and called the "Citadel of the Assembly." An early version shows some civic functions, called by the architect the "Citadel of the Institutions," grouped opposite the assembly. None of its constituents was ever built and, in 1971, it

3304-400: Was only a first step. Once Group B and Group C were established in the northwest and northeast, nothing would stop them from seceding later. “We can work on the two decks, provincial and group,” he urged, “and blow up the topmast” at any time. Most of all, Jinnah wanted parity between Pakistan and India. He believed that provincial groupings could best secure that. He claimed that Muslim India

3363-410: Was partitioned again. West Bengal went to India and East Bengal went to Pakistan becoming East Pakistan . The Partition of India took place along religious lines with Muslim majority areas going to Pakistan. An organization called "Inner Group" was formed in 1947 before the independence of Pakistan . It was active in the 1950s with Indian help to separate East Bengal from Pakistan and form

3422-689: Was replaced by the National Secretariat of Bangladesh. After 1975, the nation became more stable, and the project was revived. The capítol complex was again seen as a symbol; this time of the new government's stability and accomplishments. According to 2011 Census of Bangladesh , Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Thana has a population of 137,573 with average household size of 4.6 members, and an average literacy rate of 78.2% vs national average of 51.8% literacy. The Ministry of Defense and Election Commission of Bangladesh are in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Furthermore, Asian Development Bank Bangladesh Resident Mission

3481-448: Was the grouping of provinces. Two groups would be constituted by the mainly-Muslim western and eastern provinces. The third group would comprise the mostly-Hindu areas in the south and the centre. Thus provinces such as United Provinces , Central Provinces and Berar , Bombay , Bihar , Orissa and Madras would make Group A. Group B would comprise Sind , Punjab , Northwest Frontier and Baluchistan . Bengal and Assam would make

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