The document discusses the founding of the Awami Muslim League in East Pakistan in 1949 in response to the authoritarian and oppressive rule of the Muslim League government in East Bengal. Key leaders in the formation of the Awami League included Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, and others who were frustrated by the Muslim League's exclusion of Bengali leaders from power. The Awami League adopted secular and democratic principles, advocating for provincial autonomy, recognition of Bengali language, and greater rights for East Pakistanis.
The document discusses the founding of the Awami Muslim League in East Pakistan in 1949 in response to the authoritarian and oppressive rule of the Muslim League government in East Bengal. Key leaders in the formation of the Awami League included Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, and others who were frustrated by the Muslim League's exclusion of Bengali leaders from power. The Awami League adopted secular and democratic principles, advocating for provincial autonomy, recognition of Bengali language, and greater rights for East Pakistanis.
The document discusses the founding of the Awami Muslim League in East Pakistan in 1949 in response to the authoritarian and oppressive rule of the Muslim League government in East Bengal. Key leaders in the formation of the Awami League included Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, and others who were frustrated by the Muslim League's exclusion of Bengali leaders from power. The Awami League adopted secular and democratic principles, advocating for provincial autonomy, recognition of Bengali language, and greater rights for East Pakistanis.
The document discusses the founding of the Awami Muslim League in East Pakistan in 1949 in response to the authoritarian and oppressive rule of the Muslim League government in East Bengal. Key leaders in the formation of the Awami League included Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, and others who were frustrated by the Muslim League's exclusion of Bengali leaders from power. The Awami League adopted secular and democratic principles, advocating for provincial autonomy, recognition of Bengali language, and greater rights for East Pakistanis.
BIRTH OF AWAMI LEAGUE • Historical Background- At the birth of Pakistan, the Muslim League was in power. Soon the Party turned into a narrow and self-centred political organisation FOUNDATION • Muslim League government both at the centre and East Bengal turned into authoritarian, parochial and oppressive more often using religion for political gain. • But most important the government adopted a policy to repress the legitimate interest of the people of East Bengal. • Muslim League- a party of pocket and coterie. MUSLIM LEAGUE • Muslim League did not allow the dedicated leaders from East Bengal to become Party leaders or ministers. • In a planned manner the Pakistan Constituent Assembly excluded some of the most known and charismatic leaders from East Bengal like Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Abul Hashim and Fazlul Huq from the cabinet. • Of the seven Ministers, only two were Bengali then again of doubtful character. NEW SITUATION • Democracy was not followed within the Muslim League. • Moderate and non communal leaders were not welcome. • Leaders of East Bengal became frustrated. • Moreover, the Language Movement ‘exposed the need of a party for the people of East Bengal – to protect their culture and their rights’. • Economic depression of East Bengal NEW SITUATION • Food situation in East Bengal deteriorated from August 1947 • Famine broke out in many places in 1948-49 • Muslim League became virtually fragmented due to internal conflicts among the top leaders of the Party. • It was in this backdrop that the Awami League was formed. Rose Garden AiMS and Obejectives OF THE East pakistanAWAMI MUSLIM LEAGUE • The League adopted a draft manifesto in its conference on 23 and 24 June 1949 at Rose Garden, Dhaka. • In the manifesto party support the Islamic Order, provincial autonomy and Bengali as a state language of Pakistan. • At its birth the party adopted a 42– point program with special emphasis on the demand for provincial autonomy. • The Aims and Objectives of the Awami Muslim League were as follows - AiMS and Obejectives OF THE EPAml
1. To provide the Sovereignty, integrity, dignity
and stability of Pakistan. 2. To ensure that the constitution and the laws of Pakistan are founded on the principles of the true democracy. 3. To promote and maintain the religious, cultural, social, educational and economic interest of the Muslims of Pakistan and to ensure similar rights to other non-Muslim citizens of Pakistan. AiMS and Obejectives OF THE EPAml
4. To ensure the basic necessities of life for every
citizen of Pakistan namely food, shelter, clothes, education, medical aid and the scope to earn an honest and honorable competence. 5. To improve the lot of the common man to raise his standard of living and to procure for him full remuneration for his labour. 6. To relieve sufferings, propagate knowledge, promote equality and justice, banish oppression, eradicate corruptions, elevate moral and material standard of the people by organising social service on the basis of self-help and co-operation. AiMS and Obejectives OF THE EPAml
7. To separate the Judiciary from the Executive and
maintain the independence of Judiciary and the Public Service Commissions; to provide judicial trial before any detention unless in emergencies such as war or mutiny. 8. To safeguard civil liberties, such as individual and collective freedom of belief, expression, association and organization. 9. To strengthen the bond of brotherhood amongst Muslims all over the world; to established and strength friendly and economic relationship with the neighbouring countries as well as with the Muslim countries all over the world. AiMS and Obejectives OF THE EPAml
10. To disseminate true knowledge of Islam and its
high moral and religious principles among the people. 11. To promote peace in international affairs. program OF THE EPAML 1. Abolition of the system of Zamindary without compensation and equitable distribution of land among the tillers of the soil. 2. Nationalise the key industries, essential to the life of the nation; to establish industries on government initiative and also to organize, expand and encourage cottage industries etc. 3. To introduce free and compulsory primary education; to reorganize secondary and higher education on modern and scientific basis. program OF THE EPAML 4. To eradicate corruption, favouritism, nepotism and all other kind of anti-social evils from the administration and social life. 5. To take bold and sweet measures to rehabilitate the Muhajereen in the life of the country and make them useful citizens. 6. To utilise to the fullest advantage- JUTE- the golden fibre, in the interest of the State and to ensure the highest price for the GROWERS and to establish sufficient number of mills to assure proper market for Jute. program OF THE EPAML 7. To adopt austerity measures and to curtail the expense of administration to the necessary minimum and provide for honest living of the low paid offices. 8. To provide a net-work of government charitable dispensaries to afford free medical aid all over the county. 9. To fix a just and fair appointment of all revenues between the Centre and the provinces. program OF THE EPAML 10. To eradicate the evil of begging and make provision for establishment of ‘Work houses’ and to undertake the maintenance education of the destitute orphans to make them useful citizen. 11. To improve the means of communication by roads, railways, river navigation. Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani’s ROLE IN EPAML Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani’s ROLE IN EPAML • Born in 1880 at village Dhanpara of Sirajganj district. • Between 1907 and 1909, Bhashani attended the famous Islamic University of Deoband, where he received theological training. Deoband was widely regarded as a centre with progressive leanings. • First Political involvement- NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT and KHILAFAT MOVEMENT • Bhashani is regarded as the proponent of anti-imperialist, non-communal and left-leaning politics in East Pakistan. • Gained Popularity through his Peasant Movement in Santosh, Tangail during the great depression period of 1937. Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani’s ROLE IN EPAML • Bhashani led the successful campaign in Sylhet referendum during 1946 and managed Sylhet to become a part of East Pakistan. • After Partition, Bhashani returned to East Bengal (East Pakistan). Here, he led a mass campaign in the 1950s in favor of regional autonomy and Bengali self-determination. This campaign was to play a key role in the Maulana’s journey towards the secularization of politics, for the momentum which the movement for autonomy gained decisively demonstrated that the hold of the Muslim League and of Pakistan’s rulers over the minds of the population in East Bengal was weakening, and that secularization was truly possible. SUHRAWARDY’S ROLE IN EPAML SUHRAWARDY’S ROLE IN EPAML
• Was born on 8 September 1892, in the town
of Midnapore, now in West Bengal. • Education at St. Xavier's College, Calcuta University and Oxford University, UK. • Started his practical political life as a labour leader in Calcutta, within a short period of time he succeeded in organising as many as 36 trade unions. • Political Affiliation- Swaraj part (1921-1926), All India Muslim League (1937-1947). In 1946, Suhrawardy established and headed a Muslim League government in Bengal SUHRAWARDY’S ROLE IN EPAML
• On the eve of the 1947 partition Suhrawardy envisioned
the establishment of a state in Eastern India comprising the whole of Bengal and Assam and the adjoining districts of Bihar. • This came to be known as his scheme for Greater Independent Bengal. His collaboration with some Bangali Hindu leaders, namely, Sarat Chandra Bose, Kiran Shankar Roy and Satya Ranjan Bakshi initiated a move for a United Independent Bengal as a third dominion alongside India and Pakistan. However, the project was not successful. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FOUNDATION OF EPAML • The foundation of the Awami Muslim League was laid on two conflicting forces. - On the one hand, there were the frustrated and dissident Muslim Leaguers whose political philosophy and ideology were not fundamentally different from those of the Muslim League. - On the other hand, the Awami Muslim League had a large number of followers mostly young who were secular in their attitude and anxious to establish true democracy in the country. Contribution of Awami Muslim League • From the very inception the Awami League has been a secular and non-communal party. As a mark of its secular posture, the term 'Muslim' was deleted from the name of the party at its council meeting held on 21-23 October 1955. • The party opened front organisations among the students, labourers, peasants, youths and women after inception. • The Awami Muslim League was the first opposition party in the then Pakistan. At its birth the party adopted a 42-point programme with a special emphasis on the demand for provincial autonomy. Contribution of Awami Muslim League • Recognition of Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan, one man one vote, democracy, framing of a constitution, parliamentary form of government and removal of disparity between the two wings had been the major demands of Awami Muslim League during the initial stage of the Pakistani rule.
• In the 1948-56 language movement, the Awami
League and its student front, Chhatra League (established in January,1948), played an important role in the formation of the 'All Party Central Language Action Committee’. Contribution of Awami Muslim League • In 1957, the Awami League faced a serious organisational crisis resulting in a split in the party on the issue of foreign policy. • Suhrawardy and Maulana Bhasani differed fundamentally on the issue of Pakistan foreign policy. While Suhrawardy favoured strong links with the West, particularly with America, Bhasani was in favour of a non-aligned foreign policy. • The division came to surface at the Kagmari Conference (Tangail) of the party (7-8 February 1957). Contribution of Awami Muslim League • On March 18, Maulana Bhasani resigned from the Awami League and from the position of president of the party. • In the spree of resignations, Bhasani was soon followed by 9 out of 37 members of the party's working committee. • This eventually led to the formation of a new party named the National Awami Party with Maulana Bhasani as its president. President and General Secretary of Awami League