সাবিনা ইয়াসমিন
প্রভাষক
১৬ জানুয়ারি, ২০২১ ০৭:৪৭ পূর্বাহ্ণ
Autobiography of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman shortened as Sheikh Mujib
or Just Mujib, a Bangladeshi politician and statesman was born on 17 March,
1920 in Tungipara a village in Gopalganj District in the province in British
India. His father’s name is Sheikh Lutfur Rahman and his mother’s name is
Sheikh Sayera Khatun. He was the third child in a family of four daughters and
two sons. His parents adoringly called him “Khoka”.
In 1929, Mujib entered into class three at Gopalganj Public
School and two years later class four at Madaripur Islamia High School. Mujib
withdrew from school 1934 to undergo eye surgery and returned to school only
after four years. Later he passed his Matriculation from Gopalganj Missionary
School in 1942 and Intermidiate of Arts from Islamia College in 1944 and BA
from the same college in 1947. After the partian of India, he was admitted into
the University of Dhaka to study law but he did not complete the course because
he was expelled from the university.
Mujib became
politically active when he joined the ‘All India Muslim Students Federation’ in
1940. He joined the ‘Bengal Muslim League’ in 1943 and in 1946 he became
general secretary of the ‘Islamia College Students Union ‘. In 1947, Mujib was
one of the Muslim Politicians working under Suhrawardy. After the partition of
India, Mujib chose to stay in the newly created Pakistan.
But on 21 March 1948, when Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared that
the people of East Bengal would have to adopt Urdu as the state language,
protests broke out amongst the population. Mujib immediately decided to start a
movement against his former planned decision of Muslim League. In the same year
on 2 March a conference was held at Dhaka University’s Fazlul Haq Muslim Hall
with leaders of different political parties. In this conference, discussions
about the movement against the Muslim League were discussed. From here on, the
decision of the constitution of the All- party Parliamentary Council was
decided. The strike was celebrated in Dhaka on 11 March 1948, at the direction
of the council. During the strike, some other political activists, including
Mujibur were arrested on 15 March. On the occasion of their release the
Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad (National Language Action Committee) arranged a
rally which took place at Dhaka University. The police blocked this rally. In
protesting police activities Mujib immediately announced a nationwide student
strike on 17 March 1948. On 19 March, he organized a movement aimed at security
the rights of the fourth class employees of Dhaka University. On 11 September
he was again arrested. On 21 January 1949,
Mujib was released from prison. Out of jail, he again became involved in
the demand for the demand of the fourth class employees, for which he was fired
from the University. On 26 April, Muslim League -backed candidate
Shamsul Haq won a by-election in Tangail. Then Mujib on hunger strike in front
of Vice Chancellors residence fro the success of his movement, for which he was
again arrested. At that time he was expelled from Dhaka University. He was
accussed of leading the movement of the fourth class workers’ rights in the
university.
On 23 June, Suhrawardy and Maulana Bhashani formed East
Pakistan Awami Muslim League. After the formation, Mujib left ‘Muslim League’
and joined this new team, the predecessor of the ‘Awami League’. Maulana
Bhashani was elected as President and Yar Mohammad Khan was the treasurer.
Mujib was elected joint Secretary of its ‘East Bengal Unit’ in 1949. While
Suhrawardy worked to build a larger coalition of East Bengali and socialist
parties. The Mujib focused on expanding the grass roots organization. He was elected to the East Bengal Legislative
Assembly on a unit Front coalition ticket in 1954, serving briefly as the
Mnister of Agriculture during A.K. Fazlul Huq’s government. Mujib was briefly arrested for organizing
protest of the central government decision to dismiss the united front ministry.
Later he was elected to the second Constituent Assembly of Pakistan and served
from 1955 to 1958.But in 1956, East Bengal was renamed as East Pakistan as part
of one unit. Then Mujib demanded that the Bengali people’s ethnic identity be
respected. The word Bengal has a history, has a tradition. You can change it
only after the people have been consulted. In 1958 General Ayub Khan suspended
the constitution and imposed Martial Law. Mujib was arrested for organizing
resistance and imprisoned till 1961. After his release Mujib started organizing
an undergo political body called the ‘Swadhin Bangal Biplobi Parishad’ to
oppose the regime of Ayub Khan. He was briefly arrested again in 1962 for
organizing protests.
Following Suhrawardy’s death in 1963, Mujib became the
leading figure in and eventually the leader of the “Awami League”, which became
one of the largest political parties in Pakistan. The party had dropped the
word “Muslim” from its name in a shift towards secularism and a broader appeal
to non-Muslim communities. Then Mujib was one of the key leaders to rally
oppositions to president Ayub Khan’s Democracies Plan, the imposition of
Martial Law and merged the provinces. Working other political parties, he
supported opposition candidate Fatima Jinnah against Ayub Khan in 1964
election. Mujib was arrested two week before the election, charged with
sedition and jailed for a year. In 1966, Mujib proclaimed a ‘6 point Plan’
titled ‘Our Charter or Survival’ at a national conference of opposition
political parties at Lahore, in which he demanded self-government and
considerable political, economic and defence autonomy for East Pakistan in a
Pakistani Federation with a weak central government. Mujib’s points castalysed public
support across East Pakistan, launching what some historians have termed the 6-
point movement recognized as definitive gambit for autonomy and rights of
Bengalis in Pakistan. Mujib was arrested by the Pakistan Army and after two
years in jail, an official sedition trial in military court opened. Widely
known as the Agartala Conspiracy Case, 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 the charges on 22
February 1969 and unconditionally released Mujib the following day. He returned
to East Pakistan as a public hero. He was again reception on 23 February at
Racecourse Ground and conferred with the title “Bangabandhu’ meaning friend of
the Bengal.
Joining an all parties conference convened by Ayub Khan,
president of Pakistan, in 1969, Mujib demanded the acceptance of his six points
and the demands of other political parties walked out following its rejection.
On 5 December 1969 Mujib made a declaration at a public meeting held to observe
the death anniversary of Suhrawardy, that henceforth East Pakistan would be
called “Bangladesh”. In the Pakistani General elections held on 7 December
1970, the Awami League under Mujib’s leadership won a massive majority the
provincial legislature. The largest and most successful party in the western
wing of the nation was the ‘Pakistan People’s Party’ (PPP) headed by Zulfikar
Ali Bhutto. He was completely opposed to Mujib’s demand for greater autonomy
Bhutto threatened to boycott the assembly and oppose the government if Mujib
was invited by Yahya Khan, the president of Pakistan.
Following political deadlock, Yahya Khan delayed the
convening of the assembly, a move seen by Bengalis as a plan to deny Mujib’s
party, which formed a majority, from taking charge. It was known 7 March 1971
that Mujib called for Independence. Following a last ditch attempt to foster
agreement, Yahya Khan declared Martial Law, banned the Awami League and ordered
the Pakistan Army to arrest Mujib and other leaders and activists. The Army
launched ‘Operation Searchlight to curb the political and civil unrest,
fighting the nationalist militias speaking on radio even as the army began its
crackdown, Mujib asked his fellows to create resistance against the Army
occupation by telegraph at midnight on 26 March 1971. Mujib was arrested and
taken to West Pakistan after midnight from Tejgaon Airport, while Bengali
civilians, students, intellectuals, politicians and military defectors were
murdered as part of the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide. During Mujib’s absence, many Bengalis joined
the Mukti Bahini and helped by the Indian Armed Forces, defeated the Pakistan
armed Forces during the liberation war. After nine month blood stained war of
liberation, the Pakistani army surrendered to the joint force of Bengali Mukti
Bahini and the Indian army and the leadership created a government in Dhaka which
was called the Mujibnagar government.
Upon assuming the presidency after Yahya Khan’s resignation,
ulfikar Ali Bhutton responded to international pressure and released Mujib on 8th
January 1972. After release from prison, Bhutto and Mujib met Rawalpindi. In
that meeting Bhutto proposed some links between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
However Mujib said he could not commit to anything until he visited Bangladesh
and talked to his colleagues. He was then flown to London where he met with
British Prime Minister Edward Heath and addressed the international media at
Claridge’s Hotel. Mujib then flew to New Delhi on a Royal Air Force (RAF) jet
aircraft provided by the British government to take him back to Dhaka. In new
Delhi he was received by Indian President varahagiri Venkata Giri and Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi as well as entire Indian cabinet and chiefs of armed
forces. Delhi was given a festive look as Mujib and Gandhi addressed a huge
crowd where he publicly expressed his gratitude to Gandhi and ‘the best friends
of my people, the people of India”. From New Delhi Sheikh Mujib flew back to
Dhaka on the RAF jet where he received by a massive and emotional sea of people
at Tejgaon Airport. Thus he is regarded “Jatir Janak” or “Jatir Pita” both
meaning “Father of the Nation’” of Bangladesh.
Mujib briefly assumed the provisional presidency and later
took office as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. A new country, Bangladesh
begins with a lot of “rampage and rape of Bangladesh economy’ by the Pakistan
occupation force. Mujib described the fallout of the war as the’ biggest human
disaster in the world,” claiming the deaths of as many as 3 million people and
the rape of more that 200,000 women. Although the state was committed to
secularism, Mujib soon began moving closer to political islam through state
policies as well as personal conduct. He revived the Islamic Academy (which had
been banned in 972 for suspected collusion with Pakistani forces and banned the
production and sale of alcohol and banned the practice of gambling, which had
been one of the major demands of Islamic groups. In his public appearances and
speeches, Mujib made increased usage of Islamic greetings, slogans and
references to Islamic ideologies. In his final years Mujib largely abandoned
his trademark “Joy Bangla” salutation for “Khuda Hafez” preferred by religious
Muslims. He also declared a common amnesty to the suspected war criminals, on
some conditions, to get the support of far right groups as the communists were
not happy with mujib’s regime. He declared, “I believe that the brokers, who
assisted the Pakistanis during the liberation war have realized their faults. I
hope they will involve themselves in the development of the country forgetting
all their misdeeds. Those who were arrested and jailed in the collaborator act
should be freed before the 16th December1974”. He charged the
provisional Parliament in order to write a new constitution, and proclaimed the
four fundamental principles of “nationalism, secularism, democracy and
socialism,” which would come to be known as “Mujibism”. Mujib nationalized
hundreds of industries and companies as well as abandoned land and capital and
initiated land reform aimed at helping millions of poor farmers. A constitution
was proclaimed in 1973 and election was held which resulted in Mujib and his
party gaining power with an absolute majority. He further outlined state
programs to expand primary education in Bangladesh, sanitation, food,
healthcare, water and electric supply across the country.
However, Mujib’s government soon began encountering increased
dissatisfaction and unrest. His programs of nationalization and industrial
socialism suffered from lack of trained personnel, inefficiency, rampant,
corruption and poor leadership. Mujib focused almost entirely on national
issues and thus neglected local issues and government. The party and central
government exercised full control and democracy was weakened, with no
virtually, no elections organized at the grass roots or local levels. Political
opposition included communists as well as Islamic fundamentalists, who were
angered by the declaration of a secular state. Mujib was criticized for nepotism
in appointing family members to important positions. Intense criticism arose
over the lack of political leadership, a flowed pricing policy and a rising
inflation amidst heavy losses suffered by the nationalized industries. Mujib
ambitious social programs performed poorly, owing to scarcity of resources,
funds and personnel and caused unrest amongst the masses. In 974, when
political unrest gave rise to increase violence, during the famine, then in
response, Mujib began increasing his powers, declared a state of emergency. On
25 January 1975, the fourth Amendment to the constitution of Bangladesh was
passed, replacing the parliamentary system with a presidential system, reducing
the power of the National Parliament and Supreme Court and codifying a one
party state into law.
On 24 February 1975, Mujib formed a new party, on 7th
June 1975 Mujib’s political supports in his party and a few others amalgamated
to form the only legal political party, the “Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami
League, commonly known by its initials- BaKSAL. All MPs were required to join
BaKSAL. The party identified itself with the rural masses, farmers and laborers
and took control of all mechanisms of government. However, BaKSAL was protested
by different groups but they were killed by Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini militia.
On 15 August 1975 at the age of 55, a group of junior army
officers invaded the presidential residence with tanks and killed Mujib, his
family and personal stuff. Only his daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana
who was visiting West Germany at that time e, escaped’. Mujib’s death plunged
the nation into a political turmoil. The coup leaders were soon overthrown and
a series of counter- coups and political assassinations paralyzed the country.