Why impose the Fathers of Pakistan on us?

Opinion

NCP leader Nahid Islam has brought the rhetoric that suddenly emerged after August 5 into the discussion anew. He spoke about several Fathers of the Nation of Bangladesh, saying that Sheikh Mujib would not have been created without Maulana Bhashani.

Come to the first conversation.

In 1940, the Pakistan proposal was raised in Lahore by the Prime Minister of the united Bengal, AK Fazlul Haque. A true Barshailla man. In 1918, he was presiding over the central meeting of the Muslim League and also the secretary of the Congress National Council. He became the Mayor of Kolkata, the Education Minister and the Prime Minister of the united Bengal. A huge thing. Even after becoming Pakistan, he was a lot of things. Chief Minister, Governor, Attorney General of East Pakistan, etc. He died in 1962. The movement for independent Bangladesh had not yet started.

Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy. Bengali from West Bengal. An aristocrat. It can be said that he initiated modern Westminster-style politics instead of feudal politics. His stance against the reactionary politics of Khwaja Nazimuddin within the Muslim League was more acceptable to the youth. Prime Minister of undivided Bengal in 1946. Under his leadership, if the most populous state, Bengal, had not been for Pakistan, Pakistan would not have been created. After Pakistan was formed, Pakistan’s politics were dominated by Gujaratis, North Indians and Punjabis, and he could not have been as prominent. He remained in West Pakistan as a central leader, but the young nationalists of East Pakistan accepted him as their leader. He died in 1963. At that time, the Bangladesh movement had not yet taken root.

Abul Hashim. West Bengali aristocrat. Secretary of the Bengali Muslim League. A learned man. The young progressives within the Muslim League considered him a theoretical guru. Sarat Bose was involved in the last-minute failed attempt to unite Bengal with Suhrawardy. He remained in India after partition. He came to East Pakistan after 1950. He formed a party called Khilafat Rabbani, but it did not gain importance. He served as the director of Ayub Khan’s Islamic Academy. In that state, he went blind and died in 1974. He played no role in the Bangladesh movement.

Yogendra Nath Mandal. Leader of the lower caste Hindus of South Bengal. Lawyer. Member of the Calcutta Corporation. A huge event for that time. He was a favorite of Fazlul Huq. Later, he was a close friend of Mr. Jinnah. Law Minister in the first cabinet of Pakistan. After Jinnah’s death, he was in a quandary again. Resigned in 1950, later took refuge in India. He played an important role in the creation of Pakistan but had no connection with the creation of Bangladesh.

Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani. Although a native of East Bengal, he rose to political prominence in Assam, India. Politics focused on the rights of the poor Muslims of lower Assam. President of the Assam Provincial Muslim League. After partition, he was expelled from India and came to East Pakistan. In 1949, he became the president of the East Pakistan Awami League, formed by pro-Suhrawardy youth. In 1957, he broke away from the Awami League and formed the NAP, which became a mass organization of pro-Chinese communists. He was close to Pakistan’s military ruler Ayub Khan. He rejected the Six Points as a CIA document.

He played a greater role in the emergence of Bangladesh than the rest. But his own role was greater in the creation of Pakistan than in the emergence of Bangladesh.

If Pakistan wants, it can recognize these five along with Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan as the Father of the Nation. This is more historical. For the sake of argument, if you say – Bangladesh came into being because Pakistan came into being. Well, then Pakistan came into being because British India came into being. Before that, the Mughals had built such a big empire, so the British got it. Even before that, the Turks-Afghans, Sens, Palas, Mauryas. Even before that, just Austrians, Negroids. They brought a few thousand to the board of the Father of the Nation.

Now let’s come to the second conversation. 1943 to 1947 – Young Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Gopalganj was an activist of the Muslim League student organization in Kolkata. He was in the Suhrawardy group in the Khwaja vs. Suhrawardy group. Suhrawardy also loved this handsome, courageous young man. This relationship continued until Suhrawardy’s death in 1963. Although Sheikh Mujib had differences with Suhrawardy over the language movement, the policy of numerical equality, the autonomy of East Pakistan, etc., Mujib did not disobey him. He waited for the time. After Suhrawardy’s death, he independently pursued his own politics.

On the other hand, Bhasani was the president of the Assam Muslim League at that time. He never met Sheikh Mujib at that time. That is, he had no contact with Bhasani when Sheikh Mujib became a politician, let alone had any influence. On January 4, 1948, Sheikh Mujib had formed the East Pakistan Muslim Chhatra League.

When the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League was formed on June 23 of the following year, he was elected joint general secretary while still in prison. Maulana Bhashani became the president. He was an old teacher from Assam. The rest were all young. Except for Shamsul Haque, all were student leaders of the Suhrawardy group in Calcutta. Shamsul Haque also belonged to the Suhrawardy group. But Suhrawardy was the central leader and would not leave the center. Therefore, Maulana Saheb was the president.

From 1949 to 1957 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Maulana Bhashani were political colleagues for 8 years. When Bhasani broke away from the Awami League and formed the NAP, the following long years were political antagonisms. The two pursued separate politics.

Maulana Bhashani is a staunch opponent of the six points, which were Sheikh Mujib’s masterstroke, the 1970 elections, the freedom movement from the elections, and ultimately the liberation war and independent Bangladesh, based on the six points.

Therefore, there is no historical basis for the statement that Mujib would not have been created without Bhashani. Sheikh Mujib frankly wrote his assessment of Maulana’s character and politics in his unfinished autobiography and prison diary. After Mujib’s assassination, Maulana also expressed his attitude towards Mujib by blessing the killers. The case is closed here.

I will not say that young people like Nahid Islam are lying, although one of their mentors, Professor Asif Nazrul, has already been proven to be a liar. However, I hope that these young people will study history more closely, using the criteria of logic. May they not fall into the trap of old liars. Best wishes to them.

-Hasan Morshed

Writter, Blogger and Online Activist