By:Dr Shahjahan Khan OAM
Over the past decades, many aspects of the history of the Indian subcontinent have been revisited and reinterpreted. One of the most contested issues concerns the role of the Muslims of East Bengal—today’s Bangladesh—in the Pakistan Movement. According to a growing narrative, East Pakistan was imposed on the people of East Bengal against their wishes by leaders from West Pakistan. However, historical records present a different picture.
The movement for Pakistan was not solely driven by leaders from north-western India. Bengali Muslims played a central role in shaping, supporting and ultimately securing the creation of Pakistan in 1947. Their political leadership, electoral mandate and administrative contributions were instrumental in the birth of the new state.
Understanding this history is essential for appreciating the political evolution of South Asia and recognising the significant role played by the Muslims of Bengal, especially their wise and farsighted leaders.
Bengali Muslims: The Political Heartland of India
Under British rule, Bengal was the largest Muslim-majority province in India. According to the 1941 Census, Muslims made up approximately 54 per cent of the province’s population. Bengal was not only one of the most populous provinces but also among the most economically significant and politically farsighted.
No constitutional arrangement for Muslim India could realistically succeed without the support of Bengali Muslims. As a result, Bengal became one of the strongest centres of the Pakistan Movement following the establishment of the All-India Muslim League.
The Muslim League Was Born in Dhaka
The All-India Muslim League, the political party that led the Pakistan Movement, was founded in Dhaka in 1906 under the leadership of Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah Bahadur. The party was established to protect Muslim political and economic interests amid growing concerns about underrepresentation within the Indian National Congress and the dominance of Hindu landlords over many Muslim farmers in Bengal.
The creation of the Muslim League marked the beginning of an organised political movement of Indian Muslims that would eventually lead to the establishment of separate state for the Muslims of India, Pakistan including East Bengal.
The Lahore Resolution: A Heroic Bengali Leader
One of the defining moments in the Pakistan Movement came on 23 March 1940 at the annual session of the All-India Muslim League in Lahore. The historic Lahore Resolution was moved by Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fazlul Huq, then Premier of Bengal.
The resolution called for independent states in the Muslim-majority regions of north-western and eastern India. Although the word “Pakistan” did not appear in the resolution, it later became the constitutional and political foundation for the creation of Pakistan.
A K Fazlul Huq went on to serve as the second Governor of East Pakistan and remains one of the most influential political figures in Bengal’s history.
The 1946 Elections: A Bengali Mandate
Perhaps the strongest evidence of Bengali Muslim support for Pakistan came during the provincial elections of 1946, widely regarded as a referendum on the Pakistan demand.
Among Muslim-reserved seats, the Muslim League won 113 of 119 seats (95%) in Bengal; 31 of 34 seats (91%) in Assam; 73 of 86 seats (85%) in Punjab; and 27 of 35 seats (77%) in Sindh.
Across British India, the Muslim League secured an overwhelming majority of Muslim-reserved seats. Bengal’s result was particularly significant because of the province’s size, population and political influence.
These results demonstrated that support for Pakistan extended well beyond political elites and enjoyed broad backing among Muslim voters in Bengal.
Attempts at Hindu-Muslim Unity
Before demanding a separate homeland, several prominent Muslim leaders worked towards Hindu-Muslim political cooperation within a united India.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, during his early political career, advocated constitutional cooperation. Similarly, A. K. Fazlul Huq, while serving as General Secretary of the Indian National Congress, and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy a s the President of Muslim League sought to promote peaceful coexistence between Hindus and Muslims.
According to this interpretation of history, these leaders eventually concluded that Muslim political interests could not be adequately safeguarded within a united India and therefore supported separate Muslim-majority states. As a result, all Bengali Muslim leaders supported the two-nations theory of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. This is a historical concept stating that Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations with distinct religions, cultures, and ways of life.
Bengali Leadership in Pakistan
Following independence in 1947, Bengali Muslims occupied many of Pakistan’s highest offices. From East Pakistan came four Prime Ministers of Pakistan Khawaja Nazimuddin, Mohammad Ali Bogra, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, and Nurul Amin.
Pakistan’s first President, Iskander Ali Mirza, also hailed originally from Murshidabad in Bengal.
In addition to these offices, Bengali Muslims served as Governor-General, cabinet ministers, speakers of the National Assembly, provincial governors, senior diplomats, judges and senior civil servants, reflecting East Pakistan’s significant role in the country’s leadership during its early decades.
The valiant role of the East Bengal Regiment in the 1965 India-Pakistan war and the bravery of (the then) Major Ziaur Raham is another great contribution of Bengali Pakistanis at the time. The great act of shooting down five Indian Hawker Hunters with his F-86 Sabre fighter plane in less than a minutes by Bengali fighter Squadron Leader M M Alam is a world record and will be remembered by generations of Bangladeshis and Pakistanis.
A Missing Chapter in Bangladesh’s History
Many young Bangladeshis know relatively little about the leading role played by Bengali Muslims in the Pakistan Movement. As a result, important historical questions often remain unexplored.
Why did so many Muslims in East Bengal support Pakistan? Why did the Two-Nation Theory gain such widespread acceptance in Bengal? What role did Bengali leaders play alongside Muhammad Ali Jinnah and other Muslim League leaders?
Supporters of this perspective argue that historical narratives in Bangladesh have increasingly overlooked or minimised these questions, leaving younger generations with an incomplete understanding of the events that led to both Pakistan’s creation in 1947 and Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. If our visionary ancestors did not establish East Bengal (as a part of Pakistan) in 1947, there would have been no Bangladesh in 1971.
The Great Calcutta Riot
The communal violence in Calcutta between 16 and 19 August 1946 remains one of the most tragic episodes preceding Partition. Thousands of people, mainly Bengali Muslims, were killed during the riots. During October-November 1946, there was another communal riot in Noakhali causing scores of deaths and loss of properties.
For many Bengali Muslims, these events reinforced the belief that only a separate homeland for minority Muslims of India could guarantee their political rights, security and religious identity.
Supporters of the Pakistan Movement argue that the sacrifices made during this period reflected a determination to secure a safer future for Muslims across the subcontinent.
Remembering a Shared Legacy
History is best understood through balanced examination rather than selective memory.
The creation of Pakistan was a collective effort involving Muslims from many regions of British India. Within that broader movement, Bengal occupied a central position.
Bengali Muslims supplied one of the strongest electoral mandates for Pakistan, produced influential political leaders, introduced the Lahore Resolution through Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fazlul Huq, and contributed significantly to the administration and institution-building of the new state.
Recognising these contributions is not about reopening old political debates. Rather, it is about acknowledging an important chapter in South Asian history and giving due recognition to those whose efforts helped shape one of the twentieth century’s most significant political transformations.
Conclusion
Pakistan was not imposed upon the Muslims of East Bengal. Rather, Bengali Muslims played a leading role in the Pakistan Movement, contributed decisively to its success, and later occupied many of the highest offices in the new state.
According to this historical perspective, the people of East Bengal secured freedom from British colonial rule while seeking political security, religious identity and protection of their rights. The creation of East Pakistan in 1947 is therefore viewed as an important stage in the historical evolution that eventually led to the emergence of Bangladesh in 1971. The July-August 2024 revolution is a continuation of the struggle of the people of Bangladesh for a democratic system based on equity, dignity, justice, opportunities and freedom from policial exploitation and cultural hegemony.
Dr Shahjahan Khan OAM is Emeritus Professor at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia; former Vice-Chancellor of the Asian University of Bangladesh; and Expatriate Fellow of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences.
