- See also: History of Bengal
Bangladesh became one of the youngest major nation states following a pair of twentieth century secessions from India (1947) and Pakistan (1971). The term South Asia usually refers to the political entities of the Sub- Himalayan region - namely Republic of India, Pakistan, This article is about the history of South Asia prior to the Partition of British India in 1947 The South Asian Stone Age covers the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic periods in the South Asia. Mehrgarh, ( Urdu: مﮩرگڑھ) one of the most important Neolithic (7000 BC to 3200 BC sites in Archaeology, lies on what The Indus Valley Civilization (Mature period 2600&ndash1900 BCE abbreviated IVC, was an ancient Civilization that flourished in the Indus River basin The Cemetery H culture developed out of the northern part of the Indus Valley Civilization around 1900 BCE in and around the Punjab region which is located on the The Vedic Period (or Vedic Age) is the period in the History of India during which the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, were being The Iron Age in the Indian subcontinent succeeds the Late Harappan (Cemetery H culture also known as the last phase of the Indus Valley Tradition Mahajanapadas ( Sanskrit: महाजनपद Mahājanapadas) literally "Great Kingdoms" (from Maha, "great" and Janapada Magadha (मगध formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas ( Sanskrit, "great countries" or regions in ancient India. The Maurya Empire ( 322 – 185 BCE) ruled by the Mauryan dynasty was a geographically extensive and powerful political and military Middle kingdoms of India refers to the political entities in India from the 2nd century BC since the decline of the Maurya Empire, and the corresponding The Sātavāhanas ( Marathi: सातवाहन Telugu:శాతవాహనులు were a Dynasty which ruled from Junnar ( The Kushan Empire (c 1st &ndash 3rd centuries) was a Bactrian state that at its cultural zenith Circa 105 &ndash 250 The Gupta Empire ( Hindi: गुप्त राजवंश was ruled by members of the Gupta dynasty from around 320 to 550 C The Pala Empire was a dynasty in control of the northern and eastern Indian subcontinent, mainly the Bengal and Bihar regions from the 8th to The Chalukya dynasty ( Kannada: ಚಾಲುಕ್ಯರು ʧaːɭukjə was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and Central The Rashtrakuta Dynasty ( Sanskrit: राष्ट्रकूट rāṣṭrakūṭa, Kannada: ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರಕೂಟ was a royal The Western Chalukya Empire ( Kannada: ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಚಾಲುಕ್ಯ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯ) ruled most of the western Deccan, South The Hoysala Empire ( Kannada: ಹೊಯ್ಸಳ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯ ( pronunciation: in Kannada was a prominent South Indian Kannadiga The Kakatiya dynasty was a South Indian Dynasty that ruled parts of what is now Andhra Pradesh, India from 1083CE to 1323CE During the late Middle Ages, several Islamic Empires were established in South Asia. The Delhi Sultanate ( Urdu: دلی سلطنت, दिल्ली सलतनत or Sultanat e Hind ( سلطنتِ هند; सलतनत ए The Deccan sultanates were five Muslim -ruled late medieval kingdoms–- Bijapur, Golkonda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar, and Berar The Ahom Kingdom (1228–1826 called Kingdom of Assam in medieval times was a medieval kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam that maintained its The Vijayanagara Empire ( Kannada: ವಿಜಯನಗರ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯ Telugu: విజయనగర సామ్రాజ్యము was a South The Mughal Empire ( Persian and self-designation گورکانی; مغلیہ سلطنت) was an Islamic imperial power which ruled most The Maratha Empire ( Marathi: मराठा साम्राज्य Marāṭhā Sāmrājya; also transliterated Mahratta The Sikh Confederacy was a nation that existed from 1716 to 1799 The Sikh Confederacy was a nation that existed from 1716 to 1799 The Honourable East India Company ( HEIC) referred to most commonly as the East India Company, also historically and colloquially as John Company, or For usage see British rule in India British Raj ( rāj, lit "reign" in Hindustani) primarily refers to the British The Partition of India was the partition of the British Indian Empire which led to the creation on August 14, 1947 and August 15, Bhutan 's early history is steeped in Mythology and remains obscure The History of the Republic of India began on August 15, 1947 when India became an independent Dominion within the British Commonwealth The Maldives is a nation consisting of 26 natural Atolls, comprising 1192 islands Historical setting Since very ancient times the Maldives were ruled The History of Nepal (नेपालको इतिहास is characterized by its isolated position in the Himalayas and its two dominant neighbors India The history of Pakistan as a modern nation began with independence from British India on 14 August 1947, although Traditionally the recorded History of Sri Lanka boasts of 25 chronicled centuries The history of Assam is the history of a confluence of peoples from the east west and the north the confluence of the Indo-Aryan, Austro-Asiatic and The Baloch people are an Iranian ethnic group that are mainly settled in the Balochistan areas of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. See also History of Bangladesh The history of Bengal (including Bangladesh and West Bengal) dates back four millennia The history of Himachal Pradesh dates back to the time when the Indus valley civilisation flourished Orissa formed in 1926 was known as Kalinga in ancient times Kalinga was a prosperous nation whose merchants traded with the lands of Java and Sumatra The former subdivisions of Pakistan are states provinces and territories which mainly existed between 1947 and 1975 when the current provinces The first known use of the word Punjab is in the book Tarikh-e-Sher Shah Suri (1580 which mentions the construction of a fort by "Sher Khan of Punjab" The history of South India covers a span of over two thousand years during which the region saw the rise and fall of a number of dynasties and empires Tibetan history is characterized by a special dedication to the Buddhist religion both in the eyes of its own people as well as for the Mongol and Manchu Coinage of India, issued by Imperial dynasties and smaller Middle kingdoms of India began during the 1st millennium BCE, and consisted The following list of Indian monarchs is one of several Lists of incumbents. Economic history of India, in the sense of the meaning of the term economic in its current sense is at least 5000 years old Indology refers to the academic study of the languages texts History and Cultures of the Indian subcontinent, and as such a subset of Asian studies Originating over 5000 years ago the linguistic history of India describes the evolution and transformation of early human communications techniques - from pictures pictorial scripts Indian literature is generally acknowledged as one of the oldest in the world Indian maritime history begins during the 3rd millennium BCE when the inhabitants of the Indus Valley initiate trading with Mesopotamia. India has a long military history dating back several millennia This is a timeline of Indian history. It includes the history of South Asia ( Indian subcontinent) especially the history of the regions now known See also History of Bangladesh The history of Bengal (including Bangladesh and West Bengal) dates back four millennia ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and The region's history combines Indo-Aryan, Austro-Asiatic, Dravidian, Mughal, Arab, Persian, Turkic and British influences. The Austro-Asiatic languages are a large Language family of Southeast Asia, and also scattered throughout India and Bangladesh. Dravidian peoples refers to the peoples that natively speak languages belonging to the Dravidian language family. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding layout and formatting it should ensure no clashes with the top of the infobox Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Bangladesh's territory became part of the state of Bengal as part of the Mughal Empire for two centuries and also during the succeeding two centuries of British rule. Etymology and ethnology The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang During the twentieth century, its resilient inhabitants seem to have suffered one trauma after another. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Mujib) led the nation to independence in 1971, but he and his successor Ziaur Rahman (Zia) were both assassinated only in a span of six years. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান ''Shekh Mujibur Rôhman'' Ziaur Rahman (জিয়াউর রহমান Ziaur Rôhman) (January 19 1936 &ndash May 30 1981 was the President of Bangladesh and the founder Their legacies (and families) define Bangladesh's democracy to this day.
Etymology
The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown, though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang that settled in the area around the year 1000 BCE. [1] [2]
Other accounts speculate that the name is derived from Vanga(bôngo), which came from the Austric word "Bonga" meaning the Sun-god. The Austric language superfamily is a large theoretical grouping of languages primarily spoken in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and the eastern Indian subcontinent According to Mahabharata, Purana, Harivamsha Vanga was one of the adopted sons of king Vali who founded the Vanga kingdom. For other meanings see Purana (disambiguation. The Puranas ( Sanskrit: sa पुराण purāṇa, "of ancient times" The Harivamsha (also Harivamsa; Sanskrit Harivaṃśa sa हरिवंश "the lineage of Hari ( Vishnu)" is an important The Muslim Accounts refer that "Bong", a son of Hind (son of Hām who was a son of Noah) colonized the area for the first time. Noah (or Noe, Noach;; Nūḥ; Arabic: نوح; "Rest") was according to the Bible, the tenth and last of [3] The earliest reference to "Vangala"(bôngal) has been traced in the Nesari plates (805 AD) of Rashtrakuta Govinda III which speak of Dharmapala as the king of Vangala. The Rashtrakuta Dynasty ( Sanskrit: राष्ट्रकूट rāṣṭrakūṭa, Kannada: ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರಕೂಟ was a royal Govinda III (793 - 814 CE was a famous Rashtrakuta king who succeeded his illustrious father Dhruva Dharavarsha. Dharamapala (ধর্মপাল Dhôrmopal) (rule 770 AD - 810 AD was the second ruler of the Pala Empire of Bengal. Shams-ud-din Ilyas Shah took the title "Shah-e-Bangalah" and united the whole region under one nationality for the first time. Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah (1342-1358 was the founder of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty.
Ethnology
The Proto-Australoids were the earliest inhabitants of Bengal. The Proto-Australoids were a hypothetical ancient Hunter-gatherer people descended from the first major wave of modern humans to leave Africa 100000 years ago Dravidians migrated to Bengal from Southern India, while Tibeto-Burman people migrated from the Himalayas, followed by the Indo-Aryans from north-western India. Dravidian peoples refers to the peoples that natively speak languages belonging to the Dravidian language family. South India is the area encompassing India 's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union The Tibeto-Burman family of languages (often considered a sub-group of the Sino-Tibetan Language family) is spoken in various central and south Asian countries including India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The ancestors of modern Bengali people were a blend of these peoples. The Bengali people are the ethnic community from Bengal (divided between Bangladesh and India) on the Indian subcontinent with a history dating Pathans, Iranians, Arabs and Turks also migrated to the region in the late Middle Ages while spreading Islam. Pashtuns ( Pashto: پښتون Paṣtūn, Paxtūn, also rendered as Pushtuns, Pakhtuns, Pukhtuns) also called The Iranian people are a collection of Ethnic groups defined along linguistic lines as speaking Iranian languages. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family The Late Middle Ages is a term used by historians to describe European history in the period of the 14th and 15th centuries (AD 1300–1499
Ancient period
The Alpine civilization
Remnants of civilization in the greater Bengal region date back three millennia. A Civilization is a society in which large numbers of people share a variety of common elements Etymology and ethnology The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang The civilization that flourished in this region before the Aryan conquest was the Alpine civilization. The Alpines (Eastern Bracycephalic) from Taklamakan Desert in Central Asia settled in eastern India (Bengal, Orissa and the plains of Assam) and formed the main elements of today's Bengali people. The Taklamakan Desert (Takelamagan Shamo 塔克拉玛干沙漠 also known as Taklimakan, is a Desert in Central Asia, in the Xinjiang Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south The Alpines were divided into various indigenous tribes: Vanga (south Bengal), Pundra (north Bengal), and Rarh/Suhma (West Bengal) according to their respective Totems. Vanga (also known as Banga was a kingdom located in the eastern part of the Indian sub-continent and comprised of modern West Bengal and what is now Bangladesh This article is about the kingdom of Pundra in Indian epic literature Suhma was an eastern kingdom located in regions now occupied by West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Not much is known about this civilization. Mahasthangarh (মহাস্থানগড় Môhasthangôṛ) is the earliest urban archaeological site Some deprecatory references indicate that the primitive people in Bengal were different in ethnicity and culture from the Vedic beyond the boundary of Aryandom and who were classed as 'Dasyus'. Dasa ( IAST dāsa) is a Sanskrit term Under the primary meaning 'enemy' sometimes relates to tribes identified as the enemies of the Aryan The Bhagavata Purana classes them as sinful people while Dharmasutra of Bodhayana prescribes expiatory rites after a journey among the Pundras and Vangas. However, the Alpines successfully resisted the Vedic Aryan invaders for about a millennium. The Vedic Period (or Vedic Age) is the period in the History of India during which the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, were being It was only in the 4th century BCE when aryanism started to flux into this region with the Mauryan conquest.
Overseas Colonization
According to Mahavamsa, Vijaya Singha, a Vanga prince, conquered Lanka (modern day Sri Lanka) in 544 BC and gave the name Sinhala to the country. The Mahavamsa, ("Great Chronicle " is a historical poem written in the Pali language of the kings of Sri Lanka. Vijaya (c 543 BC - 504 BC) was the first king of Sri Lanka mentioned in the ancient Sri Lankan Pali chronicles The vangas are a group of little-known small to medium-sized Passerine Birds restricted to Madagascar. Lanka ( Sanskrit: लंका lankā means "island" is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Bengali people also colonized Laat(Gujarat), Madras and the Indonesian archipelago. Gujarat (ગુજરાત Gujǎrāt, pronounced) is a state in western India. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. The Chera, Tamil, Andhra and Karnataka people are also said to be connected with the Bengalis. Sohar (صحار is a city located in the Al Batinah Region of the Sultanate of Oman, 240 Kilometers north-west of the capital Muscat. Tamil people (also called Tamils or Tamilians) ( are an Ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, a state in India, and the north-eastern Karnataka (ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ pronounced) is a state in the southern part of India
Few Naga worshipping peoples--Marana, Chera, Pangalathirayar--migrated from Bengal to South India and established their own kingdoms there. Nāga ( नाग, IAST: nāgá, Indonesian: naga, Javanese: nogo, Khmer: neak) is Lac Long Quan, a Naga warrior migrated from bôn-lang(Bengal) to Anam (Vietnam) conquered the land (7th century BCE) and renamed it according to the name of his motherland (bon-lang). Lạc Long Quân ( Han tu: 雒[[wikt 龍|龍]] 君; literally "Dragon Lord of Lạc" sometimes spelled 駱[[wikt 龍|龍]] 君 Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially The kings of Lac Long's line were known as bôns (Bongs)and they would rule Anam up to the 3rd century BCE.
Gangaridai Empire
In 326 BCE, with the invasion of Alexander the Great the region again comes into prominence. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' The Greek and Latin historians suggested that Alexander the Great withdrew from India anticipating the valiant counter attack of the mighty Gangaridai and Prasioi empires which were located in the Bengal region. Gangaridai was the name of a kingdom in 300 BC in what is now the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. Alexander, after the meeting with his officer, Coenus, was convinced that it was better to return. Diodorus Siculus mentions Gangaridai to be the largest and the most powerful empire in India whose king possessed an army of 20,000 horses, 200,000 infantry, 2,000 chariots and 4,000 elephants trained and equipped for war. The allied forces of Gangaridai and Prasii (Nanda Empire) were preparing a massive counter attack against the forces of Alexander on the banks of Ganges. The Nanda dynasty ruled Magadha during the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Gangaridai according to the Greek accounts kept on flourishing at least up to the 1st century AD.
Early Middle Ages
The pre-Gupta period of bengal is shrouded with obscurity. Before the conquest of Samudragupta Bengal was divided into two kingdoms Pushkarana and Samatata. Samudragupta, ruler of the Gupta Empire (cAD 335 &ndash 380 and successor to Chandragupta I, is considered to be one of the greatest military geniuses in Chandragupta II had to defeat a confederacy of Vanga kings. Chandragupta II (very often referred to as Vikramaditya or Chandragupta Vikramaditya) was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta empire Bengal was a part of the Gupta Empire. However, the Mrigashikhaban Stupa of Varendra is a strong proof that the Guptas themselves had originated from Bengal. This implies that the Guptas were Bengali and the Gupta empire was in fact a Bengali empire. Even today the origin of the Guptas is still hotly debated.
Gupta Empire
Maharaja Sri-Gupta the founder of the dynasty probably ruled a portion of Northern or Central Bengal. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder In the Buddhist context a bodhisattva (बोधिसत्त्व bodhisattva;; Vietnamese Bồ Tát; बोधिसत्त bodhisatta The Pala Empire was a dynasty in control of the northern and eastern Indian subcontinent, mainly the Bengal and Bihar regions from the 8th to The Poona Copper inscription of Prabhavati Gupta describes Sri Gupta ( 240 - 280) as the Adhiraja of the Gupta dynasty. Later, the Guptas extended their dominion as far as Magadha, Prayaga, and Saket(Ayodhya). Magadha (मगध formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas ( Sanskrit, "great countries" or regions in ancient India. Allahabad ( Hindi: इलाहाबाद Urdu: الہ آباد Ilāhābād) is a city in the north Indian state of Uttar Ayodhya (अयोध्या IAST Ayodhyā) is an ancient city of India, the old capital of Awadh, in the Faizabad district Samudragupta and Chandragupta II were two celibrated kings of the empire. Samudragupta, ruler of the Gupta Empire (cAD 335 &ndash 380 and successor to Chandragupta I, is considered to be one of the greatest military geniuses in Chandragupta II (very often referred to as Vikramaditya or Chandragupta Vikramaditya) was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta empire Gupta Age is often considered as the Golden Age of India by modern historians. The term Golden age is best known from Greek mythology and legend but can also be found in other ancient cultures (see below The Guptas, already weakened by the Hephthalite invasions was finally brought to an end by Yasodharman of Malwa. The Hephthalites or White Huns were a Central Asian Nomadic confederation whose precise origins and composition remain obscure Yasodharman or Yashôdharman ( Devanagari:यशोधर्मा was the king of Malwa, in central India, during Factions of the Gupta dynasty, however, survived in Bengal where they will later form the Gauda kingdoom.
Gauda Kingdom
By the sixth century, the Gupta Empire ruling over the northern Indian subcontinent was largely broken up. The Gupta Empire ( Hindi: गुप्त राजवंश was ruled by members of the Gupta dynasty from around 320 to 550 C Eastern Bengal became the Vanga kingdom while the Gauda kings rose in the west with their capital at Karnasuvarna (Murshidabad). East Bengal ( Bengali: পূর্ববঙ্গ Purbobôngo) was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded Vanga (also known as Banga was a kingdom located in the eastern part of the Indian sub-continent and comprised of modern West Bengal and what is now Bangladesh WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Murshidabad (মুর্শিদাবাদ is a city in Murshidabad district of West Bengal The first two kings of Independent Gauda kingdom Kumargupta and Damodargupta consolidated their power in Gaur and Magadha. Mahasengupta the greatest king of this dynasty not only expanded his kingdom to the Brahmaputra valley in Assam but also to Malava in Central India. Shashanka the successor of Mahasengupta unified the smaller principalities of Bengal (Gaur, Vanga, Samatata) and vied for regional power with Harshavardhana in northern India. Shashanka (শশাঙ্ক Shôshangko) Shashanka the first important king of ancient Bengal, occupies a prominent place in history of the region Harsha or Harshavardhana (हर्षवर्धन or "Harsha vardhan" ( 590 &ndash 647) was an Indian emperor who ruled Northern India But this burst of Bengali power did not last beyond his death, as Bengal descended afterwards into a period marked by disunity and foreign invasion.
The Pala Empire
The first independent Buddhist king of Bengal, Gopala I came to power in 750 in Gaur. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Power is a measure of a person's ability to control the environment around them including the behavior of other people Events By Geography Asia Gopala is proclaimed as the first ruler of the Pala Empire. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Gaur, or Gour, as it is spelt mostly in modern times or Lakhnauti is a ruined city in the Gopala founded the Buddhist Pala dynasty which lasted for four centuries (750-1120 AD), ushering in a period of relative stability and prosperity. The Pala Empire was a dynasty in control of the northern and eastern Indian subcontinent, mainly the Bengal and Bihar regions from the 8th to
At its peak, under Dharmapala the empire extended into much of Bihar and once more wrestled for control of the subcontinent. He conquered Bhoja (Berar), Matsya (Jaipur), Madra (Central Punjab), Kuru (Thaneswar), Yadu (Mathura & Dwaraka), Avanti (Malwa), Yavana (Muslims of Sindh/Multan), Gandhara (Kabol valley), Kambojja (Northern Bengal ruled by Barman kings; later after the fall of Kambojja, another Kambojja was born -- Cambodia, ruled by Barmans) and Kira (Kangra). Jaipur ( Hindi: जयपुर also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital of Rajasthan state, India. Punjab ( ਪੰਜਾਬ پنجاب, पंजाब پنجاب also Panjab (پنجاب meaning "Land of the Five Rivers") (c Mathura ( IAST mathurā)( Hindi: मथुरा is a holy City in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Sindh ( Sindhī: سنڌ Urdu: سندھ is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhis. ( Urdu:, Punjabi ملتان، ਮੁਲਤਾਨ is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District
Devapala the Great, successor of Dharmapala, expanded his empire farther up to Assam and Utkala in the east, Kamboja in the north-west and Deccan in the south. Devapala (rule 810 AD - 850 AD was a powerful king of Pala dynasty of Bengal. Assam) ( Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a suburb of the city Utkala Kingdom is located in the north-western portion of the modern-day Indian state of Orissa. He exterminated the Utkalas, conquered the Pragjyotisha (Assam) shattered the pride of the Huna and humbled the lords of Gurjara, Pratiharas and the Dravidas. The Huna (also known as Indo-Hephthalites or Alchon) as they were known in South Asia, seem to have been part of the Hephthalite group who The Gujjar ( Hindi: गुज्जर Urdu: گجر or Gurjar (Hindi गुर्जर Urdu گُرجر are an ethnic group in India and Origin The Gurjar Pratiharas were one of the Agnikula clans of Rajputs according to a legend given in later manuscripts of Prithviraj Raso Dravidian peoples refers to the peoples that natively speak languages belonging to the Dravidian language family.
The Pala empire can be considered as the Roman empire of Bengal. Paharpur may refer to Paharpur NWFP, a town and tehsil headquarters in NWFP Pakistan Vihara (विहार is Sanskrit or Pali for ( Buddhist) Monastery. Never had the Bengali people reached such height of power and glory and never had they influenced the outside world to that extent. Palas were responsible for the introduction of Mahayana Buddhism in Tibet, Bhutan, Myanmar. Mahayana ( Sanskrit: mahāyāna, Devanagari: महायान 'Great Vehicle' is one of the two main existing schools of Buddhism and a term for Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. The pre-dominant Pala sculptures and the proto-Bangla scripts of the Sailendra empire (Malaya, Java, Sumatra) of the late 8th century attest that the Sailendra dynasty originated from Bengal. Sailendra (Sanskrit Lord of the Mountain) is the name of an influential Indonesian dynasty that emerged in 8th century Java. The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula (Semenanjung Tanah Melayu (คาบสมุทรมลายู is a major Peninsula located in Southeast Java (Jawa is an Island of Indonesia and the site of its Capital city Jakarta. Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is the sixth largest island in the world (approximately 470000 km² and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two
The death of Devapala ended the period of ascendancy of the Pala empire and several independent dynasties and kingdoms emerged during this time including the Khadgas, Devas, the Chandras, and Varmanas.
Mahipala I rejuveneted the reign of the Palas. Mahipala I (c 995 - 1043 CE is considered the second founder of the Pala dynasty He recovered north Bengal from the Kambojas and survived the invasions of Rajendra Chola and the Chalukyas. "Rajendra Chola" redirects here For Rajendra Chola II see Rajendra Chola II. The Chalukya dynasty ( Kannada: ಚಾಲುಕ್ಯರು ʧaːɭukjə was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and Central Mahipala I did not join the Hindu confederacy against Mahmud of Ghazni. Mahmud of Ghazni (محمود غزنوی Maḥmūd-e Ghaznawī ( November 2, 971 - April 30, 1030) also known as Yāmīn
After Mahipala I the Pala dynasty again saw its decline until Ramapala,the last great ruler of the dynasty, managed to retrieve the position of the dynasty to some extent. Ramapala was the successor to the Pala king Shurapala II, and fifteenth ruler of the Pala line reigning for 53 years He crushed the Varendra rebellion and extended his empire farther to Kamarupa, Orissa and Northern India. Varendra (or Barind was a region of Bengal, now in Bangladesh.
The Palas were followed by the Sena dynasty who brought the East and West Bengal under one ruler only during the twelfth century. The Sena dynasty ( Bengali সেন Shen) ruled Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. The Sena dynasty brought a revival of Hinduism and cultivated Sanskrit literature.
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Late Middle Ages - Arrival of Islam
Islam made its first appearance in Bengal during the twelfth century AD when Sufi missionaries arrived. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفیگری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Later occasional Muslim invaders reinforced the process of conversion by building mosques, madrassas and Sufi Khanqahs. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə. Beginning in 1202 a military commander from the Delhi Sultanate, Ikhtiar Uddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiar Khilji, overran Bihar and Bengal as far east as Rangpur, Bogra and the Brahmaputra River. The Delhi Sultanate ( Urdu: دلی سلطنت, दिल्ली सलतनत or Sultanat e Hind ( سلطنتِ هند; सलतनत ए Ikhtiyar Uddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji ( Bengali ইখতিয়ার উদ্দিন মুহম্মদ বখতিয়ার খলজী Persian Bihar ( Hindi:बिहार Urdu: بہار bɪhaːr) is a state in eastern India. This article is about the city For the district see Bogra District. The Brahmaputra, also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra is a Trans-boundary river and one of the major Rivers of Asia. The defeated Laksman Sen and his two sons moved to a place then called Vikramapur (south of Dhaka), where their diminished dominion lasted until the late thirteenth century.
Turkic dynasties
The period after Bakhtiar Khilji's death in 1206 devolved into infighting among the Khiljis - representative of a pattern of succession struggles and intra-empire intrigues during later Turkish regimes. Ghiyasuddin Iwaz Khalji prevailed and extended the Sultan's domain south to Jessore and made the eastern Bang province a tributary. Jessore (or Jashahor) is a district in south western Bangladesh with a population of 154000 in 1991 The capital was made at Lakhnauti on the Ganges near the older Bengal capital of Gaur. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Gaur, or Gour, as it is spelt mostly in modern times or Lakhnauti is a ruined city in the WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Gaur, or Gour, as it is spelt mostly in modern times or Lakhnauti is a ruined city in the He managed to make Kamarupa, Orissa and Trihut pay tribute to him. But he was later defeated by Shams-ud-Din Iltutmish. Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, or Altamash, ( شمس الدین التتمش) was the third Muslim Turkic sultan of the Sultanate of Delhi
The weak successors of Iltutmish encouraged the local governors to declare independence. Bengal was sufficiently remote from Delhi that its governors would declare independence on occasion, styling themselves as Sultans of Bengal. It was during this time that Bengal earned the name "Bulgakpur"(land of the rebels). Tughral Togun Khan added Oudh and Bihar to Bengal. For the Oudh tree see Agarwood. Awadh ( Hindi: अवध Urdu: اودھ) also known in various British historical texts as Oudh Bihar ( Hindi:बिहार Urdu: بہار bɪhaːr) is a state in eastern India. Mughisuddin Yuzbak also conquered Bihar and Oudh from Delhi but was killed during an unsuccessful expedition in Assam.
Two Turkish attempts to push east of the broad Jamuna and Brahmaputra rivers were repulsed, but a third led by Mughisuddin Tughral conquered the Sonargaon area south of Dhaka to Faridpur, bringing the Sen Kingdom officially to an end by 1277. Sonargaon ( Bangla: সোনারগাঁও is the ancient capital of Isa Khan 's kingdom in Bengal. Mughisuddin Tughral repulsed two massive attacks of the sultanate of Delhi before finally being defeated and killed by Ghiyas ud din Balban. Ghiyas ud din Balban (1200 &ndash 1286 ( غیاث الدین بلبن) was a Turkic ruler of the Delhi Sultanate during the Mamluk dynasty (or
Ilyas Shahi dynasty
Ilyas Shah founded an independent dynasty that lasted from 1342-1487 which successfully repulsed attempts by Delhi to rein them in. Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah (1342-1358 was the founder of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty. They continued to reel in the territory of modern-day Bengal, reaching to Khulna in the south and Sylhet in the east. Khulna is the third largest city in Bangladesh. It is located on the banks of the Rupsha and Bhairab rivers in Khulna District. This article is about the city For the upazila or district or the administrative division see Sylhet Sadar Upazila or Sylhet District or Sylhet Division The sultans advanced civic institutions and became more responsive and "native" in their outlook, cut loose from Delhi. Considerable architectural projects were completed in Gaur including the massive Adina Mosque and the 1479 Darasbari Mosque which still stands in Bangladesh near the border. The gaur (ˈɡaʊɚ ( Bos gaurus, previously Bibos gauris) is a large dark-coated bovine animal of South Asia and Southeast Asia. Adina Mosque (আদিনা মসজিদ is a mosque located in Sylhet District, Bangladesh. The Sultans of Bangalah were patrons of Bengali literature and began a process in which a common Bengali culture and identity would coalesce.
The Ilyas Shahi Dynasty was interrupted by an uprising of the Hindus under Ganesh. However the Ilyas Shahi dynasty was restored by Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah, which was finally overthrown by the Habshi (Abyssinian) slaves of the sultanate. Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah (নাসিরুদ্দিন মাহমুদ শাহ (1435-1459 was a sultan of Bengal Not to be confused with the Hindu term Siddhi (though sometimes spelt in the same way
Hussain Shahi dynasty
The Habshi rule gave way to the Hussain Shahi dynasty that ruled from 1494-1538. Alauddin Hussain Shah, considered as the greatest of all the sultans of Bengal for the cultural renaissance during his reign, conquered Kamarupa, Kamata, Jajnagar, Orissa and extended the sultanate all the way to the port of Chittagong, which witnessed the arrival of the first Portuguese merchants. Alauddin Husain Shah (reign 1494-1519 the founder of the Husain Shahi dynasty occupied the throne of Bengal by assassinating the Habshi Sultan Shamsuddin Muzaffar Shah under whom he Chittagong ( Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম Chôţţogram) is Bangladesh 's main Seaport and its second-largest city
Nasiruddin Nusrat Shah gave refuge to the Afghan lords during the invasion of Babur though he remained neutral. Babur ( February 14 1483 - December 26 1530) was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who following a series of setbacks However Nusrat Shah made a treaty with Babur and saved Bengal from a Mughal invasion.
The last Sultan of the dynasty, who continued to rule from Gaur, had to contend with rising Afghan activity on his northwestern border. Eventually, the Afghans broke through and sacked the capital in 1538 where they remained for several decades until the arrival of the Mughals.
Afghan rule
Sher Shah Suri established the Sur dynasty in Bengal. Sher Shah Suri (1486 Sasaram &ndash May 22, 1545 Kalinjar) ( - Šīr Šāh Sūrī) also known as Farid Khan or The Suri Dynasty was founded by the powerful Afghan conqueror Sher Shah, an ethnic Pasthun who's family hailed from Peshawer ( Pakistan) After the battle of Chausa he declared himself independent Sultan of Bengal and Bihar. Sher Shah was the only Muslim Sultan of Bengal to establish an empire in northern India. The Afghan rule in Bengal remained for 44 years. Their most impressive achievement was Sher Shah's construction of the Grand Trunk Road connecting Sonargaon, Delhi and Peshawar. The Grand Trunk Road (commonly abbreviated to GT Road is one of South Asia 's oldest and longest major roads ( پښور; Urdu: پشاور) is the capital of the North-West Frontier Province and the administrative centre for the Federally Administered
The Sur dynasty was followed by the Karrani dynasty. Sulaiman Karrani annexed Orissa to the Muslim sultanate permanently. Daud Shah Karrani declared total independence from Akbar which led to four years of bloody war between the Mughals and the Afghans. The Mughal onslaught against the Afghan Sultan ended with the battle of Rajmahal in 1576, led by Khan Jahan. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Rajmahal is a city and a notified area in Sahibganj district in the Indian state However, the Afghans and the local land-lords (Baro Bhuyans) led by Isa Khan resisted the Moghul invasion. The Baro-Bhuyans were the local chiefs and Zamindars who put up strong resistance to the Mughals during the time of Akbar and Jahangir. The United States held an Afghani in extrajudicial detention in Guantanamo Bay named Isa Khan.
Mughal period
Bengal came once more under the suzerainty of Delhi as the Mughals conquered it in 1576. Not far from Sonargaon, Dhaka rose from the mists of obscurity as a Mughal provincial capital. Dhaka (also known as Dacca ( Bangla: ঢাকা ɖʱaka is the Capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka District. But it remained remote and thus a difficult to govern region--especially the section east of the Brahmaputra River--outside the mainstream of Mughal politics. The Brahmaputra, also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra is a Trans-boundary river and one of the major Rivers of Asia. The Bengali ethnic and linguistic identity further crystallized during this period, since the whole of Bengal was united under an able and long-lasting administration. Furthermore its inhabitants were given sufficient autonomy to cultivate their own customs and literature.
In 1612, during Emperor Jahangir's reign, the defeat of Sylhet completed the Mughal conquest of Bengal, except for Chittagong. Nuruddin Salim Jahangir (full title Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram Khushru-i-Giti Panah Abu'l-Fath Nur ud-din Muhammad Jahangir Padshah Ghazi ''( September 20 At this time the capital was established at Dhaka. Chittagong was later annexed in order to stifle Arakanese raids from the east. A well-known Dhaka landmark, Lalbagh Fort was built during Aurangzeb's sovereignty as well. Lalbagh Fort (লালবাগ দূর্গ (also known as "Fort Aurangabad" is an incomplete Mughal palace fortress at the Buriganga River in
History repeated itself as the frontier Bengal province broke off from a Delhi-based empire around the time Aurangzeb's death in 1707. Murshid Quli Khan ended Dhaka's century of grandeur as he shifted the capital to Murshidabad ushering in a series of independent Bengal Nawabs. Murshid Quli Khan was grandson of famous maratha general Mohammed Quli Khan (formerly Netaji Palkar from his Iranian wife Nusrat Banu daughter of Mughal Vazir Asad Khan,Murshid Quli Khan WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Murshidabad (মুর্শিদাবাদ is a city in Murshidabad district of West Bengal A Nawab or Nawaab ( Urdu: نواب Hindi: नवाब was originally the Subedar (provincial governor or viceroy of a Nawab Alivardi Khan showed military skill during his wars with the Marathas. Birth Ali Vardi was born on 10 May 1671. He was named Mirza Muhammad Ali the son of Shah Quli Khan Mirza Muhammad Madani and the daughter of Nawab Aqil The Marāthās ( Marathi: mr मराठा also Mahrattas) form an Indo Aryan group of Hindu Warriors hailing mostly from the present-day He completely routed the Marathas from Bengal. He crushed an uprising of the Afghans in Bihar and made the British pay 150,000 Tk for blocking Mughal and Armenian trade ships.
Europeans in Bengal
Portuguese traders and missionaries were the first Europeans to reach Bengal in the latter part of the fifteenth century. Etymology and ethnology The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang They were followed by representatives of the Dutch, the French, and the British East India Company(Honourable East India Company). The Honourable East India Company ( HEIC) referred to most commonly as the East India Company, also historically and colloquially as John Company, or The Mughal Subahdar of Bengal Kasim Khan Mashadi completely destroyed the Portuguese in the Battle of Hoogly (1632). Subahdar was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah (province during the Mughal era of India who was alternately designated as Sahib-i-Subah About 10,000 Portuguese men and women died in the battle and 4,400 were sent captive to Delhi.
During Aurangzeb's reign, the local Nawab sold three villages, including one then known as Calcutta, to the British. Aurangzeb ( (full title Al-Sultan al-Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram Abul Muzaffar Muhiuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I Padshah Ghazi) ( November 4, Calcutta was in fact Britain's initial foothold on the Indian subcontinent and remained a focal point of their activity. The British gradually extended their commercial contacts and administrative control beyond Calcutta to the rest of Bengal. Job Charnock was one of the first dreamers of a British empire in India. Job Charnock (c 1630-1693 was a servant and administrator of the English East India Company, traditionally regarded as the founder of the city of Calcutta. He almost waged war against the Mughal authority of Bengal which led to the Anglo-Mughal war of Bengal (1686-1690). Shaista Khan, the Nawab of Bengal, defeated the British in the battles of Hoogly, Baleshwar, and Hijly and expelled the British from Bengal. Mirza Abu Talib, better known by his title Shaista Khan শায়েস্তা খাঁ was a Subahdar and general in the Army of the The Nawabs of Bengal were the hereditary nazim s or Subadars (provincial governors of the Subah (province of Bengal during Captain William Heath with a fleet moved towards Chittagong but it was a failure and he had to retreat to Madras. William Heath ( March 7, 1737 &ndash January 24, 1814) was an American farmer soldier and political leader from Massachusetts
British Rule
The British East India Company gained official control of Bengal following the Battle of Palashey in 1757. The Battle of Plassey (পলাশীর যুদ্ধ Pôlashir Juddho) was a decisive British East India Company victory over the Nawab of Bengal This was the first conquest, in a series of engagements that ultimately lead to the expulsion of other European competitors, the defeat of the Mughals and the consolidation of the subcontinent under the rule of a corporation -- a doubly unique event. Kolkata (Anglicized as "Calcutta") on the Hooghly became a major trading port for the Muslin and Jute produced in Dhaka and the rest of Bengal. Muslin is a type of finely-woven Cotton fabric, introduced to Europe from the Middle East in the 17th century Jute is a long soft shiny Vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse strong threads
Scandals and the bloody rebellion known as the Sepoy Mutiny (Sipahee Andolon) prompted the British government to intervene in the affairs of the East India Company. In 1858, authority in India was transferred from the Company to the crown and the rebellion was brutally suppressed. Rule of India was organized under a Viceroy and continued a pattern of economic exploitation. A viceroy is a royal official who governs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the Monarch. Famine racked the subcontinent many times, including at least two major famines in Bengal. The British Raj was politically organized into seventeen Provinces--of which Bengal was one of the most significant--most headed by a Governor. For usage see British rule in India British Raj ( rāj, lit "reign" in Hindustani) primarily refers to the British For a brief period in the early twentieth century, an abortive attempt was made to divide Bengal into two zones, West Bengal and East Bengal & Assam. East Bengal ( Bengali: পূর্ববঙ্গ Purbobôngo) was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded
- See also: Bengal renaissance
Creation of Pakistan
As the independence movement throughout British-controlled India began in the late nineteenth century gained momentum during the twentieth century, Bengali politicians played an active role in Gandhi's Congress Party and Jinnah's Muslim League, exposing the opposing forces of ethnic and religious nationalism. The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of Bengal in Undivided India during the Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી moɦən̪d̪äs kəɾəmʧən̪d̪ gän̪d̪ʱi (2 October 1869 – 30 January Indian National Congress-I (also known as the Congress Party and abbreviated INC) is a major Political party in India. Muhammad Ali Jinnah Urdu: (December 25 1876 – September 11 1948 was a Pakistani politician and leader of the All India Muslim League who founded Pakistan The All India Muslim League ( Urdu: آل انڈیا مسلم لیگ Bengali:?????? ??? founded at Dhaka in 1906 was a political party in British By exploiting the latter, the British probably intended to distract the independence movement, for example by partitioning Bengal in 1905 along religious lines (the split only lasted for seven years). At first the Muslim League sought only to ensure minority rights in the future nation. In 1940 the Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution which envisaged one or more Muslim majority states in South Asia. The Lahore Resolution ( Qarardad-e-Lahore قرارداد لاھور commonly known as the Pakistan Resolution (قرارداد پاکستان Qarardad-e-Pakistan Non-negotiable was the inclusion of the Muslim parts of Punjab and Bengal in these proposed states. The stakes grew as a new Viceroy Mountbatten was appointed expressly for the purpose of effecting a graceful British exit. Mountbatten is the family name adopted by two branches of the Battenberg family due to rising Anti-German sentiment among the British public during World War Communal violence in Noakhali and Calcutta sparked a surge in support for the Muslim League, which won a majority of Bengal's Muslim seats in 1946. For the village in Barisal see Noakhali Barisal Division. Noakhali (নোয়াখালী জিলা is a district in South-eastern Accusations have been made that Hindu and Muslim nationalist instigators were involved in the latter incident. At the last moment Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Sarat Chandra Bose came up with the idea of an Independent and Unified Bengal state, which was endorsed by Jinnah. Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy ( September 8, 1892 - December 5, 1963) was a politician from Bengal in undivided India, and later Sarat Chandra Bose (September 1889 - February 20, 1950) was a Barrister and Indian This idea was vetoed by the Indian National Congress. Indian National Congress-I (also known as the Congress Party and abbreviated INC) is a major Political party in India.
British India was partitioned and the independent states of India and Pakistan were created in 1947; the region of Bengal was divided along religious lines. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The predominantly Muslim eastern half of Bengal became the East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan) state of Pakistan and the predominantly Hindu western part became the Indian state of West Bengal. East Bengal ( Bengali: পূর্ববঙ্গ Purbobôngo) was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded East Pakistan ( Bengali: পূর্ব পাকিস্তান Purbo Pakistan, Urdu: مشرقی پاکستان Mashriqi Pakistan) was West Bengal ( Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchim Bônggo poʃtʃim bɔŋgo is a state in eastern India.
Pakistan's history from 1947 to 1971 was marked by political instability and economic difficulties. In 1956 a constitution was at last adopted, making the country an "Islamic republic within the Commonwealth". Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The nascent democratic institutions foundered in the face of military intervention in 1958, and the government imposed martial law between 1958 and 1962, and again between 1969 and 1971. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Almost from the advent of independent Pakistan in 1947, frictions developed between East and West Pakistan, which were separated by more than 1,000 miles of Indian territory. East Pakistanis felt exploited by the West Pakistan-dominated central government. Linguistic, cultural, and ethnic differences also contributed to the estrangement of East from West Pakistan.
When Mohammad Ali Jinnah died in September 1948, Khwaja Nazimuddin became the Governor General of Pakistan while Nurul Amin was appointed the Chief Minister of East Bengal. Muhammad Ali Jinnah Urdu: (December 25 1876 – September 11 1948 was a Pakistani politician and leader of the All India Muslim League who founded Pakistan Al- Hajj Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin, KCIE ( Urdu: خواجہ ناظم الدین Bengali: খাজা নাজিমুদ্দীন Nurul Amin ( Bengali: নূরুল আমীন Urdu: نورالامین July 15, 1893 - October 2, 1974) was a prominent Nurul Amin continued as the Chief Minister of East Bengal until 2 April 1954. Events 68 - Galba, Governor of Hispania, names himself legatus senatus populique Romani, breaking the line of Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) The abolition of the Zamindari system in East Bengal (1950) and the Language Movement were two most important events during his tenure. Zamindar ( Devanagari: ज़मींदार zamīndār, Urdu: زمیندار zamīndār, Eastern Nagari: জমিদার The Bengali Language Movement, also known as the Language Movement (ভাষা আন্দোলন Bhasha Andolon) was a political effort in Bangladesh
The Bengali Language Movement
The question as to what would be the state language of Pakistan was raised immediately after its creation. The Bengali Language Movement, also known as the Language Movement (ভাষা আন্দোলন Bhasha Andolon) was a political effort in Bangladesh The central leaders and the Urdu-speaking intellectuals of Pakistan declared that Urdu would be the state language of Pakistan, just as Hindi was the state language of India. Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised However, Bengalis strongly resisted attempts to impose Urdu as the sole official language of Pakistan, and the students and intellectuals of East Pakistan, demanded that Bengali (Bangla) be made one of the state languages, arguing that it was in any case the native language of the majority (54% native speakers as opposed to 7% native Urdu speakers) in the whole of Pakistan.
The Bengali Language Movement began in 1948 and reached its climax in a demonstration on 21 February 1952 at which several demonstrators were killed by police. The Bengali Language Movement, also known as the Language Movement (ভাষা আন্দোলন Bhasha Andolon) was a political effort in Bangladesh Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. After a lot of controversy over the language issue, the final demand from East Pakistan was that Bangla must be the official language and the medium of instruction in East Pakistan, and that for the central government it would be one of the state languages along with Urdu. The first movement on this issue was mobilised by Tamaddun Majlish headed by Professor Abul Kashem. Pakistan Tamaddun Majlish (commonly known as Tamaddun Majlish ( Bangla: পাকিস্তান তমদ্দুন মজলিশ was an Islamic cultural organization Mohammad Abul Kashem ( Bengali মোহাম্মদ আবুল কাশেম(commonly known as Principal Abul Kashem ( 28 June 1920 - 11 March Gradually many other non-communal and progressive organisations joined the movement, which finally turned into a mass movement, and ended in the adoption of Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan.
Politics: 1954 - 1970
The first election for East Bengal Provincial Assembly was held between 8 March and 12 March 1954. History of Bangladesh The history of Bangladesh from 1947 to 1971 covers the period of Bangladesh 's history between its independence as a part of Pakistan Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) The Awami Muslim League, Krishak-Sramik Party and Nezam-e-Islam formed the United Front, on the basis of 21-points agenda. Awami Muslim League ( Urdu: عوامی مسلم لیگ) is political party in Pakistan headed by Sheikh Rashid Ahmad.
Notable pledges contained in the 21-points were:
- making Bangla one of the main state languages
- autonomy for the province
- reforms in education
- independence of the judiciary
- making the legislative assembly effective, etc.
The United Front won 215 out of 237 Muslim seats in the election. The ruling Muslim League got only nine seats. Khilafat-E-Rabbani Party got one, while the independents got twelve seats. Later, seven independent members joined the United Front while one joined the Muslim League.
There were numerous reasons for the debacle of the Muslim League. Above all, the Muslim League regime angered all sections of the people of Bengal by opposing the demand for recognition of Bangla as one of the state languages and by ordering the massacre of 1952.
The United Front got the opportunity to form the provincial government after winning absolute majority in the 1954 election. Of the 222 United Front seats, the Awami Muslim League had won 142, Krishak-Sramik Party forty eight, Nezam-i-Islam]nineteen and Ganatantri Dal thirteen.
The major leaders of the United Front were Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani of Awami Muslim League and A. K. Fazlul Huq of Krishak-Sramik Party. Maulana Bhashani (full name Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani) (মাওলানা ভাসানী (1885-1976 was a popular political leader in Pakistan Sher-e-Bangla redirects here For other uses of the term see Sher-e-Bangla (disambiguation. Suhrawardy and Bhasani did not take part in the election and Fazlul Huq was invited to form the government. But a rift surfaced at the very outset on the question of formation of the cabinet. The unity and solidarity among the component parties of the United Front soon evaporated. Finally, on 15 May, Fazlul Huq arrived at an understanding with the Awami Muslim League and formed a 14-member cabinet with five members from that party. Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the Sher-e-Bangla redirects here For other uses of the term see Sher-e-Bangla (disambiguation.
But this cabinet lasted for only fourteen days. The Muslim League could not concede defeat in the elections in good grace. So, they resorted to conspiracies to dismiss the United Front government. In the third week of May, there were bloody riots between Bengali and non-Bengali workers in different mills and factories of East Bengal. The United Front government was blamed for failing to control the law and order situation in the province.
Fazlul Huq was then quoted in an interview taken by the New York Times correspondent John P Callaghan and published in a distorted form that he wanted the independence of East Bengal. Finally, on 29 May 1954, the United Front government was dismissed by the central government and Governor's rule was imposed in the province, which lasted till 2 June 1955. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) Events 455 - The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar)
Curiously enough within two months of his sacking, Fazlul Huq was appointed the central Home Minister. As Home Minister, Fazlul Huq utilised his influence to bring his party to power in East Bengal. Naturally, the United Front broke up. The Muslim members of the United Front split into two groups. In 1955 the Awami Muslim League adopted the path of secularism and non-communalism, erased the word 'Muslim' from its nomenclature and adopted the name of Awami League. (Source: Banglapedia. Banglapedia, or the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, is the first Bangladeshi encyclopedia )
Great differences began developing between the two wings of Pakistan. While the west had a minority share of Pakistan's total population, it had the maximum share of revenue allocation, industrial development, agricultural reforms and civil development projects. Pakistan's military and civil services were dominated by the fair-skinned, Persian-cultured Punjabis and Afghans. Punjabi may refer to The Punjabi language of Pakistan and India Punjabi grammar List of Punjabi Pashtuns ( Pashto: پښتون Paṣtūn, Paxtūn, also rendered as Pushtuns, Pakhtuns, Pukhtuns) also called Only one regiment in the Pakistani Army was Bengali. And many Bengali Pakistanis could not share the natural enthusiasm for the Kashmir issue, which they felt was leaving East Pakistan more vulnerable and threatened as a result. This article is about the geographical region of greater Kashmir
Independence
After the Awami League won all the East Pakistan seats of the Pakistan's National Assembly in the 1970-71 elections, West Pakistan opened talks with the East on constitutional questions about the division of power between the central government and the provinces, as well as the formation of a national government headed by the Awami League. The Bangladesh Liberation War (i ( Bengali: মুক্তিযুদ্ধ Muktijuddho) was an armed conflict between West Pakistan (later
The talks proved unsuccessful, however, and on March 1, 1971, Pakistani President Yahya Khan indefinitely postponed the pending national assembly session, precipitating massive civil disobedience in East Pakistan. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan ( February 4 1917 &ndash August 10 1980) was the President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971 following the resignation
On March 4, a group of students, lead by Abdur Rob, of Dhaka University raised the new (proposed) flag of Bangla. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth
On March 7, there was a historical public gathering in Paltan Maidan to hear the guideline for the revolution and independence from Shaikh Mujib, the frontier leader of movement that time. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Though he avoided the direct speech of independence as the talks were still on table, he influenced the mob to prepare for the separation war. The speech without the script is still an epic speech for the war of liberation. A hit dialog of that speech is, "Ebarer Shongram Muktir Shongram, Ebarer Shongram Shadhinotar Shongram. . . . " {"This revolution is for victory, this revolution is for freedom. . . ").
After the military crackdown by the Pakistan army since the night of March 25, 1971 Sheikh Mujib Mujibur Rahman was arrested and the political leaders dispersed, mostly fleeing to neighbouring India where they organized a provisional government afterwards. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান ''Shekh Mujibur Rôhman'' The people were at a loss. At this crucial moment with a sudden forced political vacuum, the Eighth East Bengal Regiment under the leadership of Major Ziaur Rahman revolted against the Pakistan Army and took up the Bangladesh flag as its mainstay on the night of March 26 - March 27, 1971. Ziaur Rahman (জিয়াউর রহমান Ziaur Rôhman) (January 19 1936 &ndash May 30 1981 was the President of Bangladesh and the founder Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Events 196 BC - Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt. 1309 - Pope Clement V excommunicates Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Major Zia declared, on behalf of the Great Leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the independence of Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Government was formed in Meherpur, adjacent to Indian border. There the war plan was sketched.
A war force was established named "Muktibahini". M. A. G. Osmani was assigned as the Chief of the force. The land sketched into 11 sectors under 11 sector commanders. Major Ziaur Rahman was the sector commander of Chittagong-Comilla region.
The training and most of the arms-ammunitions were arranged by the Meherpur government which were supported by India.
As fighting grew between the army and the Bengali Mukti Bahini ("freedom fighters"), an estimated ten million Bengalis, mainly Hindus, sought refuge in the Indian states of Assam, Tripura and West Bengal. Mukti Bahini (মুক্তি বাহিনী "Liberation Army" also termed as the "Freedom Fighters" or FFs collectively refers to the armed organizations Assam) ( Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a suburb of the city
The crisis in East Pakistan produced new strains in Pakistan's troubled relations with India. The two nations had fought a war in 1965, mainly in the west, but the refugee pressure in India in the fall of 1971 produced new tensions in the east. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. Indian sympathies lay with East Pakistan, and on December 3, 1971, India intervened on the side of the Bangladeshis. Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. On December 16, 1971, Pakistani forces surrendered, and Bangla Desh ("Country of Bangla") was finally established the following day. Events 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. The new country changed its name to Bangladesh on January 11, 1972 and became a parliamentary democracy under a constitution. Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Shortly thereafter on March 19 Bangladesh signed a friendship treaty with India. Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China.
Post-Independence
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 1972-75
Mujib came to office with immense personal popularity but had difficulty transforming this popular support into the political strength needed to function as head of government. The new constitution, which came into force in December 1972, created a strong executive prime minister, a largely ceremonial presidency, an independent judiciary, and a unicameral legislature on a modified Westminster model. The 1972 constitution adopted as state policy the Awami League's (AL) four basic principles of nationalism, secularism, socialism, and democracy. [4]
The first parliamentary elections held under the 1972 constitution were in March 1973, with the Awami League winning a massive majority. No other political party in Bangladesh's early years was able to duplicate or challenge the League's broad-based appeal, membership, or organizational strength. Relying heavily on experienced civil servants and members of the Awami League, the new Bangladesh Government focused on relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of the economy and society. Economic conditions remained precarious, however. In December 1974, Mujib decided that continuing economic deterioration and mounting civil disorder required strong measures. After proclaiming a state of emergency, Mujib used his parliamentary majority to win a constitutional amendment limiting the powers of the legislative and judicial branches, establishing an executive presidency, and instituting a one-party system, the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BAKSAL), which all members of Parliament (and senior civil and military officials) were obliged to join. [4]
Despite some improvement in the economic situation during the first half of 1975, implementation of promised political reforms was slow, and criticism of government policies became increasingly centered on Mujib. In August 1975, Mujib, and most of his family, were assassinated by mid-level army officers. His daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, were out of the country. A new government, headed by former Mujib associate Khandakar Moshtaque, was formed. [4]
Ziaur Rahman, 1975-81
Successive military coups resulted in the emergence of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ziaur Rahman ("Zia") as strongman. He pledged the army's support to the civilian government headed by President Chief Justice Sayem. Acting at Zia's behest, Sayem dissolved Parliament, promising fresh elections in 1977, and instituted martial law. [4]
Acting behind the scenes of the Martial Law Administration (MLA), Zia sought to invigorate government policy and administration. While continuing the ban on political parties, he sought to revitalize the demoralized bureaucracy, to begin new economic development programs, and to emphasize family planning. In November 1976, Zia became Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA) and assumed the presidency upon Sayem's retirement 5 months later, promising national elections in 1978. [4]
As President, Zia announced a 19-point program of economic reform and began dismantling the MLA. Keeping his promise to hold elections, Zia won a 5-year term in June 1978 elections, with 76% of the vote. In November 1978, his government removed the remaining restrictions on political party activities in time for parliamentary elections in February 1979. These elections, which were contested by more than 30 parties, marked the culmination of Zia's transformation of Bangladesh's Government from the MLA to a democratically elected, constitutional one. The AL and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), founded by Zia, emerged as the two major parties. [4]
In May 1981, Zia was assassinated in Chittagong by dissident elements of the military. The attempted coup never spread beyond that city, and the major conspirators were either taken into custody or killed. In accordance with the constitution, Vice President Justice Abdus Sattar was sworn in as acting president. He declared a new national emergency and called for election of a new president within 6 months--an election Sattar won as the BNP's candidate. President Sattar sought to follow the policies of his predecessor and retained essentially the same cabinet, but the army stepped in once again. [4]
Hussain Mohammed Ershad, 1982-90
Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. H. M. Ershad assumed power in a bloodless coup in March 1982. Like his predecessors, Ershad suspended the constitution and--citing pervasive corruption, ineffectual government, and economic mismanagement--declared martial law. The following year, Ershad assumed the presidency, retaining his positions as army chief and CMLA. During most of 1984, Ershad sought the opposition parties' participation in local elections under martial law. The opposition's refusal to participate, however, forced Ershad to abandon these plans. Ershad sought public support for his regime in a national referendum on his leadership in March 1985. He won overwhelmingly, although turnout was small. Two months later, Ershad held elections for local council chairmen. Pro-government candidates won a majority of the posts, setting in motion the President's ambitious decentralization program. Political life was further liberalized in early 1986, and additional political rights, including the right to hold large public rallies, were restored. At the same time, the Jatiya (National) Party, designed as Ershad's political vehicle for the transition from martial law, was established. [4]
Despite a boycott by the BNP, led by President Zia's widow, Begum Khaleda Zia, parliamentary elections were held on schedule in May 1986. The Jatiya Party won a modest majority of the 300 elected seats in the National Assembly. The participation of the Awami League--led by the late President Mujib's daughter, Sheikh Hasina Wajed--lent the elections some credibility, despite widespread charges of voting irregularities. [4]
Ershad resigned as Army Chief of Staff and retired from military service in preparation for the presidential elections, scheduled for October. Protesting that martial law was still in effect, both the BNP and the AL refused to put up opposing candidates. Ershad easily outdistanced the remaining candidates, taking 84% of the vote. Although Ershad's government claimed a turnout of more than 50%, opposition leaders, and much of the foreign press, estimated a far lower percentage and alleged voting irregularities. [4]
Ershad continued his stated commitment to lift martial law. In November 1986, his government mustered the necessary two-thirds majority in the National Assembly to amend the constitution and confirm the previous actions of the martial law regime. The President then lifted martial law, and the opposition parties took their elected seats in the National Assembly. [4]
In July 1987, however, after the government hastily pushed through a controversial legislative bill to include military representation on local administrative councils, the opposition walked out of Parliament. Passage of the bill helped spark an opposition movement that quickly gathered momentum, uniting Bangladesh's opposition parties for the first time. The government began to arrest scores of opposition activists under the country's Special Powers Act of 1974. Despite these arrests, opposition parties continued to organize protest marches and nationwide strikes. After declaring a state of emergency, Ershad dissolved Parliament and scheduled fresh elections for March 1988. [4]
All major opposition parties refused government overtures to participate in these polls, maintaining that the government was incapable of holding free and fair elections. Despite the opposition boycott, the government proceeded. The ruling Jatiya Party won 251 of the 300 seats. The Parliament, while still regarded by the opposition as an illegitimate body, held its sessions as scheduled, and passed a large number of bills, including, in June 1988, a controversial constitutional amendment making Islam Bangladesh's state religion and provision for setting up High Court benches in major cities outside of Dhaka. While Islam remains the state religion, the provision for decentralizing the High Court division has been struck down by the Supreme Court. [4]
By 1989, the domestic political situation in the country seemed to have quieted. The local council elections were generally considered by international observers to have been less violent and more free and fair than previous elections. However, opposition to Ershad's rule began to regain momentum, escalating by the end of 1990 in frequent general strikes, increased campus protests, public rallies, and a general disintegration of law and order. [4]
On December 6, 1990, Ershad offered his resignation. On February 27, 1991, after 2 months of widespread civil unrest, an interim government headed by Acting President Chief Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed oversaw what most observers believed to be the nation's most free and fair elections to that date. [4]
Khaleda Zia, 1991-96
The center-right BNP won a plurality of seats and formed a government with support from the Islamic fundamentalist party Jamaat-I-Islami, with Khaleda Zia, widow of Ziaur Rahman, obtaining the post of prime minister. Only four parties had more than 10 members elected to the 1991 Parliament: The BNP, led by Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia; the AL, led by Sheikh Hasina; the Jamaat-I-Islami (JI), led by Ghulam Azam; and the Jatiya Party (JP), led by acting chairman Mizanur Rahman Choudhury while its founder, former President Ershad, served out a prison sentence on corruption charges. The electorate approved still more changes to the constitution, formally re-creating a parliamentary system and returning governing power to the office of the prime minister, as in Bangladesh's original 1972 constitution. In October 1991, members of Parliament elected a new head of state, President Abdur Rahman Biswas. [4]
In March 1994, controversy over a parliamentary by-election, which the opposition claimed the government had rigged, led to an indefinite boycott of Parliament by the entire opposition. The opposition also began a program of repeated general strikes to press its demand that Khaleda Zia's government resign and a caretaker government supervise a general election. Efforts to mediate the dispute, under the auspices of the Commonwealth Secretariat, failed. After another attempt at a negotiated settlement failed narrowly in late December 1994, the opposition resigned en masse from Parliament. The opposition then continued a campaign of marches, demonstrations, and strikes in an effort to force the government to resign. The opposition, including the Awami League's Sheikh Hasina, pledged to boycott national elections scheduled for February 15, 1996. [4]
In February, Khaleda Zia was re-elected by a landslide in voting boycotted and denounced as unfair by the three main opposition parties. In March 1996, following escalating political turmoil, the sitting Parliament enacted a constitutional amendment to allow a neutral caretaker government to assume power and conduct new parliamentary elections; former Chief Justice Mohammed Habibur Rahman was named Chief Adviser (a position equivalent to prime minister) in the interim government. New parliamentary elections were held in June 1996 and the Awami League won plurality and formed the government with support from the Jatiya Party led by deposed president Ershad; party leader Sheikh Hasina became Prime Minister. [4]
Sheikh Hasina, 1996-2001
Sheikh Hasina formed what she called a "Government of National Consensus" in June 1996, which included one minister from the Jatiya Party and another from the Jatiyo Samajtantric Dal, a very small leftist party. The Jatiya Party never entered into a formal coalition arrangement, and party president H. M. Ershad withdrew his support from the government in September 1997. Only three parties had more than 10 members elected to the 1996 Parliament: The Awami League, BNP, and Jatiya Party. Jatiya Party president, Ershad, was released from prison on bail in January 1997. [4]
International and domestic election observers found the June 1996 election free and fair, and ultimately, the BNP party decided to join the new Parliament. The BNP soon charged that police and Awami League activists were engaged in large-scale harassment and jailing of opposition activists. At the end of 1996, the BNP staged a parliamentary walkout over this and other grievances but returned in January 1997 under a four-point agreement with the ruling party. The BNP asserted that this agreement was never implemented and later staged another walkout in August 1997. The BNP returned to Parliament under another agreement in March 1998. [4]
In June 1999, the BNP and other opposition parties again began to abstain from attending Parliament. Opposition parties staged an increasing number of nationwide general strikes, rising from 6 days of general strikes in 1997 to 27 days in 1999. A four-party opposition alliance formed at the beginning of 1999 announced that it would boycott parliamentary by-elections and local government elections unless the government took steps demanded by the opposition to ensure electoral fairness. The government did not take these steps, and the opposition subsequently boycotted all elections, including municipal council elections in February 1999, several parliamentary by-elections, and the Chittagong city corporation elections in January 2000. [4]
In July 2001, the Awami League government stepped down to allow a caretaker government to preside over parliamentary elections. Political violence that had increased during the Awami League government's tenure continued to increase through the summer in the run up to the election. In August, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina agreed during a visit of former President Jimmy Carter to respect the results of the election, join Parliament win or lose, foreswear the use of hartals (violently enforced strikes) as political tools, and if successful in forming a government allow for a more meaningful role for the opposition in Parliament. The caretaker government was successful in containing the violence, which allowed a parliamentary general election to be successfully held on October 1, 2001. [4]
Khaleda Zia, 2001-2006
The four-party alliance led by the BNP won over a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Begum Khaleda Zia was sworn in on October 10, 2001, as Prime Minister for the third time (first in 1991, second after the February 15, 1996 elections). [4]
Despite her August 2001 pledge and all election monitoring groups declaring the election free and fair, Sheikh Hasina condemned the election, rejected the results, and boycotted Parliament. In 2002, however, she led her party legislators back to Parliament, but the Awami League again walked out in June 2003 to protest derogatory remarks about Hasina by a State Minister and the allegedly partisan role of the Parliamentary Speaker. In June 2004, the AL returned to Parliament without having any of their demands met. They then attended Parliament irregularly before announcing a boycott of the entire June 2005 budget session. [4]
On August 17, 2005, near-synchronized blasts of improvised explosive devices in 63 out of 64 administrative districts targeted mainly government buildings and killed two persons. An extremist Islamist group named Jama'atul Mujahideen, Bangladesh (JMB) claimed responsibility for the blasts, which aimed to press home JMB's demand for a replacement of the secular legal system with Islamic sharia courts. Subsequent attacks on the courts in several districts killed 28 people, including judges, lawyers, and police personnel guarding the courts. A government campaign against the Islamic extremists led to the arrest of hundreds of senior and mid-level JMB leaders. Six top JMB leaders were tried and sentenced to death for their role in the murder of two judges; another leader was tried and sentenced to death in absentia in the same case. [4]
In February 2006, the AL returned to Parliament, demanded early elections and requested significant changes in the electoral and caretaker government systems to stop alleged moves by the ruling coalition to rig the next election. The AL blamed the BNP for several high-profile attacks on opposition leaders and asserted the BNP was bent on eliminating Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League as a viable force. The BNP and its allies accused the AL of maligning Bangladesh at home and abroad out of jealousy over the government's performance on development and economic issues. Dialogue between the Secretaries General of the main ruling and opposition parties failed to sort out the electoral reform issues. [4]
Caretaker Government, October 2006-Present
The 13th Amendment to the constitution required the president to offer the position of the Chief Adviser to the immediate past Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice K. M. Hasan, once the previous parliamentary session expired on October 28, 2006. The AL opposed Justice Hasan, alleging that he belonged to the ruling BNP in the past and that the BNP government in 2004 amended the constitution to extend the retirement age for the Supreme Court judges to ensure Justice Hasan became the Chief Adviser to help BNP win the elections. Justice Hasan declined the position, and after two days of violent protests, President Iajuddin Ahmed also assumed the role of Chief Adviser to the caretaker government. [4]
On January 3, 2007, the Awami League announced it would boycott the January 22 parliamentary elections. The Awami League planned a series of country-wide general strikes and transportation blockades. [4]
On January 11, 2007, President Iajuddin Ahmed declared a state of emergency, resigned as Chief Adviser, and indefinitely postponed parliamentary elections. On January 12, 2007, former Bangladesh Bank governor Fakhruddin Ahmed was sworn in as the new Chief Adviser, and ten new advisers (ministers) were appointed. Under emergency provisions, the government suspended certain fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution and detained a large number of politicians and others on suspicion of involvement in corruption and other crimes. The government announced elections will occur in late 2008 and is registering an estimated 80 million voters in preparation for the elections. [4]
On July 16, 2007 the government arrested Awami League president and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on charges of extortion during her tenure as Prime Minister. On September 3, 2007 the government arrested BNP chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on charges of corruption. Subsequently, the Anti-Corruption Commission has filed more corruption cases against Bangladesh's two most influential political leaders. Both Hasina and Zia have challenged the cases filed against them under the Emergency Power Rules, which deny the accused the right to bail. While the cases are under judicial review, the two leaders continue to be imprisoned as of March 2008. [4]
References
- ^ (1989) "Early History, 1000 B. C. -A. D. 1202", in James Heitzman and Robert L. Worden: Bangladesh: A country study. Library of Congress.
- ^ History, Banglapedia
- ^ RIYAZU-S-SALĀTĪN: A History of Bengal, Ghulam Husain Salim, The Asiatic Society, Calcutta, 1902. Banglapedia, or the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, is the first Bangladeshi encyclopedia Ğulām Husayn “Salīm” Zaydpūrī was a Historian who migrated to Bengal and was employed there as a post-master to the East India Company serving
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad "Background Note: Bangladesh". Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (March 2008). The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, renamed in February 2006 when the Bureau of South Asian Affairs absorbed the Office of Central Asian Affairs, is Accessed June 11, 2008. Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
Sources
- CIA World Factbook (July 2005). The World Factbook ( ISSN; also known as the CIA World Factbook) is an annual publication of the Central Intelligence Agency of the Bangladesh
- US Department of State (August 2005). "Background Note: Bangladesh"
- Banglapedia. Banglapedia, or the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, is the first Bangladeshi encyclopedia History of Bangladesh
- Library of Congress (1988). The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress A Country Study: Bangladesh
See also
External links
- History: Bangladesh on Banglapedia
- Rulers.org — Bangladesh List of rulers for Bangladesh
- Ancient Bangladesh
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