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All-Pakistan Awami League

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All-Pakistan Awami League
آل پاکستان عوامی لیگ
নিখিল পাকিস্তান আওয়ামী লীগ
AbbreviationAL
FounderHuseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
FoundedFebruary 1950 (1950-02)
Banned26 March 1971 (1971-03-26)
Merger ofEast Pakistan Awami Muslim League
Frontier Awami Muslim League
Jinnah Muslim League
Succeeded byBangladesh Awami League
HeadquartersHaroon Abdullah Road, Karachi
NewspaperIttefaq
IdeologyBengali nationalism (after 1966)
Socialism
Democratic socialism
Factions:
Secularism
Islamic socialism
Political positionLeft-wing
National affiliationCombined Opposition Parties (1965)
Colors  Green
Election symbol
AL party symbol
Boat
Party flag

The Awami League (officially the All-Pakistan Awami League, and before 1955 the All-Pakistan Awami Muslim League) was a Pakistani political party founded by Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy in February 1950. Pir of Manki Sharif and Khan Ghulam Mohammad Khan from the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) joined it soon afterwards.[1][2]

History

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After 1947, the independence of Pakistan, Amin ul-Hasanat, former Muslim League politician in North-West Frontier Province, established Frontier Awami Muslim League. He got this idea from Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, who advised him this name. Suhrawardy advised the former Muslim League members in East Bengal to established new political party under similar name too.[3] In East Pakistan, East Pakistan Awami Muslim League was founded by Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Yar Mohammad Khan on 23 June 1949.[2] It was established as the Bengali alternative to the Urdu dominated Muslim League in Pakistan and over centralization of the government. The party quickly gained massive popular support in East Bengal.[4]

In 1949, Suhrawardy left Muslim League saying that the party became the party of elites and the party distanced itself from people.[5] In the same year, Iftikhar Mamdot was dismissed from the premiership of Punjab and formed a party called Jinnah Muslim League.[5] In 1950, Suhrawardy established All-Pakistan Awami Muslim League in West Pakistan.[3] The two parties merged to form Jinnah Awami Muslim League prior to the provincial elections in 1951.[6] In the Punjab provincial election in 1951, the Jinnah Awami Muslim League polled 18.3 percent votes and won 32 seats.[6] In the NWFP, it won four seats.[1] It was also established in Sindh.[3]

Subsequently, the East Pakistani party merged with All-Pakistan Awami Muslim League in 1952[3] and used the name All Pakistan Awami Muslim League.[7] In the 1954 provincial election in Bengal, the party won 143 seats. The United Front of East Pakistan led by Haq, Bhasani and Surahwardhy the party won a total of 223 seats, soundly defeating the Muslim League with 10 seats.[8] The party later dropped All Pakistan and named the party Awami Muslim League in East Pakistan. Later, the party evolved under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (himself a former aide to Suharwardy) and was named the Awami League .[4] After long arduous consultations and negotiations by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with the West Pakistan establishment of remaining united as a single nation without bloodshed eventually led the forces of Bangladesh nationalism in the struggle against West Pakistan's military, socio economic and political control, and the civil establishment.[4]

After Operation Searchlight, in a radio address on the evening of March 26, Yahya Khan, the then president of Pakistan, declared the Awami League treasonous and banned the party. In addition to this, the government seized the bank accounts of the Awami League.[9]

Officials

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President

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Name Assumed office Left Office Source
Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani 23 June 1949 27 July 1956
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy 27 July 1956 10 October 1957
Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan ? ? [10]
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ? 1971 [11]

General Secretary

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Name Assumed office Left office Ref
Shamsul Huq 1949 1953 [12]
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman 1953 1966 [13]
Abul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman ? 1971 [14]

State leaders

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Prime Minister of Pakistan
Name Term in office
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy 1956–1957

Chief Minister of East Pakistan
Name Term in office
Ataur Rahman Khan 1956–1958

Electoral history

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Pakistan National Assembly elections

Election Party leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Government
1970 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman 12,937,162 39.2%
160 / 300
Increase 160 Increase 1st Banned

East Pakistan Provincial Assembly elections

Election Votes % Seats +/– Position Government
1954
143 / 237
Increase 143 Increase 1st Government
1970 12,937,162 73.2%
288 / 300
Increase 45 Steady 1st Opposition

North-West Frontier Province Provincial Assembly elections

Election Votes % Seats +/– Position Government
1951
4 / 85
Increase 4 Increase 2nd Opposition

Punjab Provincial Assembly elections

Election Votes % Seats +/– Position Government
1951
32 / 192
Increase 32 Increase 2nd Opposition

References

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  1. ^ a b Kamran 2009, p. 269.
  2. ^ a b Chowdhury 2012, p. 72.
  3. ^ a b c d Wazed, Jafar (23 June 2024). প্লাটিনাম জয়ন্তী ও নিখিল পাকিস্তান আওয়ামী লীগ. Daily Kalbela (in Bengali).
  4. ^ a b c Abu Zafar Shamsddin, Atmasriti (Self-memories) -1st part, Dhaka, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Paracha, Nadeem F. (26 January 2017). "The Muslim League: A factional history". Dawn.
  6. ^ a b Kamran 2009, p. 264.
  7. ^ Kamran 2009, p. 274.
  8. ^ Kamran 2009, p. 277–278.
  9. ^ Chowdhury 2021, pp. 58.
  10. ^ "Mujibur Rahman leaves for Dacca". Dawn. 24 July 1965.
  11. ^ "No alliance with any party before elections : Mujib". Morning News. 5 July 1970.
  12. ^ "Bangladesh Awami League, a pioneer in practicing democracy within party". Bangladesh Awami League. 23 July 2009. Archived from the original on 17 June 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  13. ^ "Bangladesh Awami League Constitution". Bangladesh Awami League. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  14. ^ "পশ্চিম পাকিস্তানে ঐতিহাসিক সফরশেষে আজ শেখ মুজিবের ঢাকা প্রত্যাবর্তন". The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). 6 July 1970.

Bibliography

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