Prof Abdul Ghafur :
(After previous write-up)
After the death of Jinnah on September 11 in 1948, Khwaja Nazimuddin was made the Governor General of Pakistan. But he was the titular head with real powers of the Government shifting into the hand of Prime Minister Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan. Liaqat Ali visited Dhaka during the closing days of 1948. He was accorded a reception on behalf of the DUCSU. The then DUCSU Secretary read out the Address of Welcome, which included demands of provincial autonomy, and Bengali as a state language of Pakistan. Liaqat Ali Khan in his address condemned the demand for provincial autonomy as provincialism but kept silent on the state language issue.
On June 23, 1949, the first ever opposition political party of Pakistan was floated at the East Pakistan Muslim League Workers Convention held at the Rose Garden, Dhaka. The party was named East Pakistan Awami Muslim League. Former President of the Assam Provincial Muslim League Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, Shamsul Huq, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Khandakar Moshtaq Ahmad, were elected President, General Secretary, Joint Secretary and Asstt. Secretary respectively. The organisation adopted a draft manifesto in support of Islamic order, provincial autonomy and Bengali as a state language of Pakistan.
Although Jinnah’s visit to East Pakistan in March 1949 proved to be setback for the Language Movement at the moment, its fire continued to burn in the hearts of the people. Since 1949 every year ‘Rastra Bhasha Dibas’ was regularly observed on March 11 to remind the people that their goals were yet to be achieved. The year 1949 witnessed a new conspiracy against Bengali language. It was the move to change the script of Bengali language into Arabic one. Storms of protest raged against this new conspiracy throughout the country. Tamaddun Majlis organised a protest meeting at the Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall auditorium. Abdul Ghafur read out an article entitled, “Bangla Horofer Upor Kono Shaytani Hamla Bordast Kora Hoibe Na” in the meeting. This article along with an editorial named ‘Sanskriti Hotyar Shorojontro’ (Conspiracy to slaughter culture) was published on December 9 in 1949 issue of the Weekly Sainik.
Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaqat Ali Khan submitted on September 28, 1950, an interim report on the Basic Principles of the Constitution in the Constituent Assembly. The report, among other things, recommended Urdu as the only state language of Pakistan.
A Grand National Convention was held against this on November 4 and 5, 1950 in the Dhaka District Bar Library Hall. Representatives of all political and cultural organisations supporting Bengali as a state language and regional autonomy including Tamaddun Majlis, East Pakistan Muslim Students League and Awami Muslim League attended the Convention. The Convention adopted alternative basic principles recommending regional autonomy in the spirit of the Lahore Resolution and Bengali and Urdu as the two state languages of Pakistan.
The year 1951 witnessed the formation of yet another organisation supporting the cause of Bengali as a state language. It was the Purba Pakistan Jubo League, founded at a Youth Conference held at Dhaka on March 27 and 28, 1951. Former General Secretary of Assam Provincial Muslim League Mahmud Ali and Oli Ahad were elected President and General Secretary respectively.
Towards February 1952: On October 16, 1951, Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaqat Ali Khan, while addressing a public meeting at Rawalpindi, was assassinated. Khwaja Nazimuddin was made the next Prime Minister. In January 1952 Khwaja Nazimuddin visited Dhaka and addressed a public meeting at Paltan Maidan on January 27. In course of his speech he declared that only Urdu shall be the state language of Pakistan bluntly forgetting that it was he, who, in his capacity as the Provincial Chief Minister in 1948, signed agreement with the then State Language of Action Committee to make Bengali one of the state languages of Pakistan. Nazimuddin’s comments sparked off wave of protests throughout East Pakistan. People from all walks of life came out in the streets holding processions, rallies, and meetings to voice their protest against the treacherous remarks of the Prime Minister.
On January 30, 1952 a meeting of representatives from different organisations was held at the Dhaka District Bar Library Hall with Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani in the chair and an All Party State Language Committee of Action was formed with the following persons:
Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Abul Hashim, Shamsul Huq, Abdul Ghafur, Prof. Abdul Quasem, Ataur Rahman Khan, Kamruddin Ahmad, Khairat Hossain MLA, Mrs. Anwara Khatun MLA, Almas Ali, Abdul Awal, Syed Abdur Rahim, Mohammad Toaha, Oli Ahad, Shamsul Huq Chowdhury, Khaleq Nawaz Khan, Kazi Golam Mahbub (Convener), Mirza Golam Hafiz, Mujibul Huq, Hedayet Hossain Chowdhury, M. Shamsul Alam, Anwarul Huq Khan, Golam Mawla, Syed Nurul Alam, Mohammad Nurul Huda, Shaokat Ali, Abul Matin and Ahtaruddin Ahmad. The meeting decided to observe general strike, and hold meeting and processions throughout East Pakistan on February 21, the day on which the East Bengal Legislative Assembly was to go into session.[Vide-‘Jatiya Rajniti’, Oli Ahad, 3rd edition, 1997, P.104-106] Hectic activities started to make the February 21 programme a success throughout the whole province.
February 21 and After: Government got panicky at the turn of events. On February 20 afternoon, Government promulgated 144 Cr PC banning all meetings, processions in Dhaka city for one month. An emergent meeting of the All Party Committee of Action was held on February 20 night at the Awami Muslim League Office, 94, Nawabpur Road to review the latest situation.
The meeting, which was chaired by Abul Hashim, after threadbare discussion for and against breaking 144 Cr. p.c. decided not to break 144 Cr. P.C. on the basis of 11 to 4 votes. It was, however, decided that both the views would be placed before the students gathering to be held on the University campus on 21 February morning, and also that the decision of the gathering would be considered final.
The students gathering of February 21 was held at the University campus with Gaziul Huq in the chair. Shamusl Huq (Awami League) and Abdul Matin (University Committee of Action) respectively placed the majority and minority views in the meeting. The meeting overwhelmingly decided to break 144 Cr. p.c. The meeting over, the students began to go out in the streets in groups of sixes, eights and tens voluntarily courting arrest by breaking 144 cr. pc.
The process of peaceful breaking of 144 Cr.P.C. however, did not continue for long. At one stage police entered into the University campus and took resort to lathicharge on student crowds. This made the students furious. They started brick batting on the police and tried to rush towards the Legislative Assembly, which was in session in the Jagannath Hall auditorium.
The police tried to resist the demonstrating students by resorting to lathicharge and firing tear gas shells on them. The student who far outnumbered the police tried to clear their path towards the Assembly by resorting to incessant brick-batting. As a result the situation fast grew tense. The caution and insight that was needed to tackle such a critical situation could not be demonstrated by the District Magistrate Qureshi who ordered the police to fire. The result of the order was tragic. One language demonstrator after another started falling on the ground in front of the Medical College Hostel, with blood spiling from their bodies. Bloodstained body of Abul Barkat fell on the ground, followed by Salahuddin who lost the skull of his head. Then there were Jabbar, Shafiq, Rafiq and a host of other known and unknown youths who either lost their lives or were admitted in the hospital in a critical state. According to government account, the number of casualties was four, but this was far from truth. In the evening curfew was promulgated in the city and it is apprehended that many dead bodies were removed from the hospital morgue during the night.
The news of students killing spread fast throughout the city and the country. Offices and shops closed down spontaneously. Members of the Legislative Assembly including Maulana A Rashid Tarkabagish, Khairat Hossain and Anwara Khatun walked out of the Assembly session, while Abul Kalam Shamsuddin resigned as a member of the Legislative Assembly in protest. Thousands of people came out in the streets of Dhaka spontaneously to protest against the barbaric incident. For subsequent 3 to 4 days Dhaka turned into a city of demonstrations and processions by thousands and lakhs of people chanting angry slogans against police atrocities, although curfew was still in force.
On 22 February police again opened fire on demonstrators killing quite a few more of them. The Weekly Sainik brought out special issue on February 22. As all the copies were exhausted soon, it had to go for 2nd and 3rd editions on February 23 with reports on the latest situation. Most of the leaders went into hiding as police had been frantically trying to arrest them. Within two weeks from the nightfall of February 23 most of the members of the Committee of Action and other leaders of the Movement including Maulana Bhashani, Abul Hashim, Shamsul Huq, Kazi Golam Mahbub, Khairat Hossain, Oil Ahad, Abdul Matin, Mirza Golam Hafiz, Khandakar Moshtaq Ahmad, Mohammd Toaha, Khaleq Nawaz Khan, Aziz Ahmad, etc. were arrested. At about 3:00am in the night following February 23 police surrounded the office of Tamaddun Majlis at 19 Azimpur in order to arrest Prof MA Quasem and Abdul Ghafur, but they were able to go out of the office and escape arrest.
Although the country lost a good number of valuable lives on February 21, 1952, blood of the language martyrs did not go in vain. After February 21, 1952, nobody ever dared to oppose the demand of making Bengali a state language of Pakistan. In the 1954 general elections, which were fought on the basis of 21-point manifesto of the United Front, the ruling Muslim League was given a crushing defeat by the Bengali-supporting United Front. n
(Concluded)
(After previous write-up)
After the death of Jinnah on September 11 in 1948, Khwaja Nazimuddin was made the Governor General of Pakistan. But he was the titular head with real powers of the Government shifting into the hand of Prime Minister Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan. Liaqat Ali visited Dhaka during the closing days of 1948. He was accorded a reception on behalf of the DUCSU. The then DUCSU Secretary read out the Address of Welcome, which included demands of provincial autonomy, and Bengali as a state language of Pakistan. Liaqat Ali Khan in his address condemned the demand for provincial autonomy as provincialism but kept silent on the state language issue.
On June 23, 1949, the first ever opposition political party of Pakistan was floated at the East Pakistan Muslim League Workers Convention held at the Rose Garden, Dhaka. The party was named East Pakistan Awami Muslim League. Former President of the Assam Provincial Muslim League Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, Shamsul Huq, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Khandakar Moshtaq Ahmad, were elected President, General Secretary, Joint Secretary and Asstt. Secretary respectively. The organisation adopted a draft manifesto in support of Islamic order, provincial autonomy and Bengali as a state language of Pakistan.
Although Jinnah’s visit to East Pakistan in March 1949 proved to be setback for the Language Movement at the moment, its fire continued to burn in the hearts of the people. Since 1949 every year ‘Rastra Bhasha Dibas’ was regularly observed on March 11 to remind the people that their goals were yet to be achieved. The year 1949 witnessed a new conspiracy against Bengali language. It was the move to change the script of Bengali language into Arabic one. Storms of protest raged against this new conspiracy throughout the country. Tamaddun Majlis organised a protest meeting at the Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall auditorium. Abdul Ghafur read out an article entitled, “Bangla Horofer Upor Kono Shaytani Hamla Bordast Kora Hoibe Na” in the meeting. This article along with an editorial named ‘Sanskriti Hotyar Shorojontro’ (Conspiracy to slaughter culture) was published on December 9 in 1949 issue of the Weekly Sainik.
Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaqat Ali Khan submitted on September 28, 1950, an interim report on the Basic Principles of the Constitution in the Constituent Assembly. The report, among other things, recommended Urdu as the only state language of Pakistan.
A Grand National Convention was held against this on November 4 and 5, 1950 in the Dhaka District Bar Library Hall. Representatives of all political and cultural organisations supporting Bengali as a state language and regional autonomy including Tamaddun Majlis, East Pakistan Muslim Students League and Awami Muslim League attended the Convention. The Convention adopted alternative basic principles recommending regional autonomy in the spirit of the Lahore Resolution and Bengali and Urdu as the two state languages of Pakistan.
The year 1951 witnessed the formation of yet another organisation supporting the cause of Bengali as a state language. It was the Purba Pakistan Jubo League, founded at a Youth Conference held at Dhaka on March 27 and 28, 1951. Former General Secretary of Assam Provincial Muslim League Mahmud Ali and Oli Ahad were elected President and General Secretary respectively.
Towards February 1952: On October 16, 1951, Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaqat Ali Khan, while addressing a public meeting at Rawalpindi, was assassinated. Khwaja Nazimuddin was made the next Prime Minister. In January 1952 Khwaja Nazimuddin visited Dhaka and addressed a public meeting at Paltan Maidan on January 27. In course of his speech he declared that only Urdu shall be the state language of Pakistan bluntly forgetting that it was he, who, in his capacity as the Provincial Chief Minister in 1948, signed agreement with the then State Language of Action Committee to make Bengali one of the state languages of Pakistan. Nazimuddin’s comments sparked off wave of protests throughout East Pakistan. People from all walks of life came out in the streets holding processions, rallies, and meetings to voice their protest against the treacherous remarks of the Prime Minister.
On January 30, 1952 a meeting of representatives from different organisations was held at the Dhaka District Bar Library Hall with Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani in the chair and an All Party State Language Committee of Action was formed with the following persons:
Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Abul Hashim, Shamsul Huq, Abdul Ghafur, Prof. Abdul Quasem, Ataur Rahman Khan, Kamruddin Ahmad, Khairat Hossain MLA, Mrs. Anwara Khatun MLA, Almas Ali, Abdul Awal, Syed Abdur Rahim, Mohammad Toaha, Oli Ahad, Shamsul Huq Chowdhury, Khaleq Nawaz Khan, Kazi Golam Mahbub (Convener), Mirza Golam Hafiz, Mujibul Huq, Hedayet Hossain Chowdhury, M. Shamsul Alam, Anwarul Huq Khan, Golam Mawla, Syed Nurul Alam, Mohammad Nurul Huda, Shaokat Ali, Abul Matin and Ahtaruddin Ahmad. The meeting decided to observe general strike, and hold meeting and processions throughout East Pakistan on February 21, the day on which the East Bengal Legislative Assembly was to go into session.[Vide-‘Jatiya Rajniti’, Oli Ahad, 3rd edition, 1997, P.104-106] Hectic activities started to make the February 21 programme a success throughout the whole province.
February 21 and After: Government got panicky at the turn of events. On February 20 afternoon, Government promulgated 144 Cr PC banning all meetings, processions in Dhaka city for one month. An emergent meeting of the All Party Committee of Action was held on February 20 night at the Awami Muslim League Office, 94, Nawabpur Road to review the latest situation.
The meeting, which was chaired by Abul Hashim, after threadbare discussion for and against breaking 144 Cr. p.c. decided not to break 144 Cr. P.C. on the basis of 11 to 4 votes. It was, however, decided that both the views would be placed before the students gathering to be held on the University campus on 21 February morning, and also that the decision of the gathering would be considered final.
The students gathering of February 21 was held at the University campus with Gaziul Huq in the chair. Shamusl Huq (Awami League) and Abdul Matin (University Committee of Action) respectively placed the majority and minority views in the meeting. The meeting overwhelmingly decided to break 144 Cr. p.c. The meeting over, the students began to go out in the streets in groups of sixes, eights and tens voluntarily courting arrest by breaking 144 cr. pc.
The process of peaceful breaking of 144 Cr.P.C. however, did not continue for long. At one stage police entered into the University campus and took resort to lathicharge on student crowds. This made the students furious. They started brick batting on the police and tried to rush towards the Legislative Assembly, which was in session in the Jagannath Hall auditorium.
The police tried to resist the demonstrating students by resorting to lathicharge and firing tear gas shells on them. The student who far outnumbered the police tried to clear their path towards the Assembly by resorting to incessant brick-batting. As a result the situation fast grew tense. The caution and insight that was needed to tackle such a critical situation could not be demonstrated by the District Magistrate Qureshi who ordered the police to fire. The result of the order was tragic. One language demonstrator after another started falling on the ground in front of the Medical College Hostel, with blood spiling from their bodies. Bloodstained body of Abul Barkat fell on the ground, followed by Salahuddin who lost the skull of his head. Then there were Jabbar, Shafiq, Rafiq and a host of other known and unknown youths who either lost their lives or were admitted in the hospital in a critical state. According to government account, the number of casualties was four, but this was far from truth. In the evening curfew was promulgated in the city and it is apprehended that many dead bodies were removed from the hospital morgue during the night.
The news of students killing spread fast throughout the city and the country. Offices and shops closed down spontaneously. Members of the Legislative Assembly including Maulana A Rashid Tarkabagish, Khairat Hossain and Anwara Khatun walked out of the Assembly session, while Abul Kalam Shamsuddin resigned as a member of the Legislative Assembly in protest. Thousands of people came out in the streets of Dhaka spontaneously to protest against the barbaric incident. For subsequent 3 to 4 days Dhaka turned into a city of demonstrations and processions by thousands and lakhs of people chanting angry slogans against police atrocities, although curfew was still in force.
On 22 February police again opened fire on demonstrators killing quite a few more of them. The Weekly Sainik brought out special issue on February 22. As all the copies were exhausted soon, it had to go for 2nd and 3rd editions on February 23 with reports on the latest situation. Most of the leaders went into hiding as police had been frantically trying to arrest them. Within two weeks from the nightfall of February 23 most of the members of the Committee of Action and other leaders of the Movement including Maulana Bhashani, Abul Hashim, Shamsul Huq, Kazi Golam Mahbub, Khairat Hossain, Oil Ahad, Abdul Matin, Mirza Golam Hafiz, Khandakar Moshtaq Ahmad, Mohammd Toaha, Khaleq Nawaz Khan, Aziz Ahmad, etc. were arrested. At about 3:00am in the night following February 23 police surrounded the office of Tamaddun Majlis at 19 Azimpur in order to arrest Prof MA Quasem and Abdul Ghafur, but they were able to go out of the office and escape arrest.
Although the country lost a good number of valuable lives on February 21, 1952, blood of the language martyrs did not go in vain. After February 21, 1952, nobody ever dared to oppose the demand of making Bengali a state language of Pakistan. In the 1954 general elections, which were fought on the basis of 21-point manifesto of the United Front, the ruling Muslim League was given a crushing defeat by the Bengali-supporting United Front. n
(Concluded)
