East Pakistan
East Pakistan | |||||||||
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| 1956–1971 | |||||||||
Emblem
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| Anthem: Torana-i-Pakistan | |||||||||
Location of Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) in green and present-day Pakistan (then the Western wing of Pakistan) in light green | |||||||||
| Status | Administrative unit of Pakistan | ||||||||
| Capital and largest city | Dacca | ||||||||
| Official languages | |||||||||
| Native languages | |||||||||
| Demonyms |
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| Government | Self-governing wing subject to the federal government | ||||||||
| Chief Ministers | |||||||||
• 1955–1956, 1958 | Abu Hussain Sarkar | ||||||||
• 1956–1958, 1958 | Ataur Rahman Khan | ||||||||
| Governors | |||||||||
• 1955–1956 | Amiruddin Ahmad | ||||||||
• 1956–1958 | A. K. Fazlul Huq | ||||||||
• 1958–1960 | Zakir Husain | ||||||||
• 1962 | Ghulam Faruque Khan | ||||||||
• 1971 | Abdul Motaleb Malik | ||||||||
| Administratora | |||||||||
• 1960–1962 | Azam Khan | ||||||||
• 1962–1969 | Abdul Monem Khan | ||||||||
• 1969 | Mirza Nurul Huda | ||||||||
• 1969, 1971 | Lt. Gen. Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, PA | ||||||||
• 1969–1971 | VADM, Syed Mohammad Ahsan, PN | ||||||||
• 1971 | Lt Gen, Tikka Khan, PA | ||||||||
• 1971 | Lt Gen, A. A. K. Niazi, PA | ||||||||
| Legislature | Provincial Assembly | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
| 29 February 1956 | |||||||||
| 1 July 1970 | |||||||||
| 16 December 1971 | |||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• Total | 148,460 km2 (57,320 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1951 census | 44,251,826 | ||||||||
| Currency | Pakistani rupee | ||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+06:00 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Bangladesh | ||||||||
| Part of a series on the |
| History of Bangladesh |
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| Bangladesh portal |
| This article is part of the series |
| Former administrative units of Pakistan |
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East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1956 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, with a coastline on the Bay of Bengal. To distinguish this region from India's state West Bengal (which is also known as "Indian Bengal"), East Pakistan was known as "Pakistani Bengal". East Pakistanis were popularly known as "Pakistani Bengalis". In 1971, East Pakistan became the newly independent state Bangladesh, which means "country of Bengal" or "country of Bengalis" or "land of Bengalis" in the Bengali language. In standard meaning, "desh" refers to a country, but in Bangla local expressions, "desh" also means one's village or countryside, hometown, ancestral heritage, homeland, and they do not have to be a politically formed sovereign country.
East Pakistan was formed with West Pakistan at the reorganisation of One Unit Scheme orchestrated by the 3rd prime minister of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali. The Constitution of Pakistan of 1956 replaced the Pakistani monarchy with an Islamic republic. Bengali politician H.S. Suhrawardy served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan between 1956 and 1957 and a Bengali bureaucrat Iskander Mirza became the first President of Pakistan. The 1958 Pakistani coup d'état brought general Ayub Khan to power. Khan replaced Mirza as president and launched a crackdown against pro-democracy leaders. Khan enacted the Constitution of Pakistan of 1962 which ended universal suffrage. By 1966, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman emerged as the preeminent opposition leader in Pakistan and launched the six-point movement for autonomy and democracy. The 1969 uprising in East Pakistan contributed to Ayub Khan's overthrow. Another general, Yahya Khan, usurped the presidency and enacted martial law. In 1970, Yahya Khan organised Pakistan's first federal general election. The Awami League emerged as the single largest party, followed by the Pakistan Peoples Party. The military junta stalled in accepting the results, leading to civil disobedience, the Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971 Bangladesh genocide and persecution of Biharis.
The East Pakistan Provincial Assembly was the legislative body of the territory, it was the largest provincial legislature in Pakistan and elections were held only twice in 1954 and 1970. During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, most Bengali members elected to the Pakistani National Assembly and the East Pakistani provincial assembly became members of the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh.
Due to the strategic importance of East Pakistan, the Pakistani union was a member of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization. The economy of East Pakistan grew at an average of 2.6% between 1960 and 1965. The federal government invested more funds and foreign aid in West Pakistan, even though East Pakistan generated a major share of exports. However, President Ayub Khan did implement significant industrialisation in East Pakistan. The Kaptai Dam was built in 1965, and the Eastern Refinery was established in Chittagong. Dacca was declared as the second capital of Pakistan and planned as the home of the national parliament. The government recruited American architect Louis Kahn to design the national assembly complex in Dacca.