2. Background
It was noticed in the first Population Census counted by Pakistan in 1951
Among theTotal Population
Bengal : 54.60%
Panjabi : 28.04%
Urdu : 7.2%
Pashtu : 7.1%
Shindig : 5.8%
English : 1.8%
Total=104.54%, (N:B: Many of them referred themselves as a bilingual)
3. Real Scenario of the use of Language in Pakistan-1951
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Bangla Panjabi Urdu Pastu Shindi Others
4. Argument to the direction of Bengal or Urdu
as a state Language
▪ Mohajer – Who comes from North India , their Mother
tongue was Urdu, Like- Muhammed Ali Zinnah, Liakat Ali
Khan and Major Politician, Businessmen etc
▪ A statistics (1947-58) showed that , Among the total 27
Governor General/ President, Prime minster, Provincial
Governor 18 come from Mohajer and their Mother
Tongue was Urdu.
▪ Major Finance Controller of East Bengal named Ispahani,
Adomji who controlled the Muslim League they come
from Urdu
5. Origin & Development of Language
Debate
▪ In that time of Bengal Partition in 1905 was not
acute of Language Debate
▪ Muhammed Ali Zinnah took a initiative to accept
Urdu as a official Language in 1937 but Dr.
Muhammad Sahidulla Opposed at his decision.
▪ 17 May 1947, Tow Powerful Leaders named
Chowdhury Khalikujjaman and Chancellor of
Alighar University Dr. Zia Uddin Ahmad gave a
speech to the direction of Urdu.
6. 1 September 1947
(Formulation ofTamaddun Majlish)
▪ 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 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. Gradually
many other non-communal and
progressive organisations joined
the movement, which finally
turned into a mass movement.
7. Different phases of Language
Movement
15 September 1947
(Published 1st Pamphlet)
▪ Tamaddun Majlish published 1st pamphlet
based on the Language Movement
“Pakistaner Rashtro Bhasha Bangla na
Urdu? Argument was presented in the
three articles consisting of 18 page-
pamphlet edited by Professor Abul
Kashem.
▪ Abul Kashem
▪ Dr. Kaji Motahar Hossen.
15 September 1947
(The 1st Seminar for demanding
Bangla
as a state language)
▪ In the initiative of Tamaddun
Majlish, a seminar was
arranged named ‘The state
language of Pakistan might
be Bangla and Urdu’ at Nupur
Bhila of Dhaka College. Dr.
Muhammad Sahidulla was
president of this seminar. It
was the 1st seminar for
demanding State language of
8. Different phases of Language
Movement
▪ 06 December, 1947
▪ 1st Language Action Committee
Fazlur Rahman, the central education minister, to make Urdu the
only state language of Pakistan. On receipt of this information,
East Pakistani students became agitated and held a meeting on
the Dhaka University campus on 6 December 1947, demanding
that Bangla be made one of the state languages of Pakistan. The
meeting was followed by student processions and more agitation.
The first Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad (Language Action
Committee) was formed towards the end of December with
Professor Nurul Huq Bhuiyan ofTamaddun Majlish
9. Different phases of Language
Movement
23 February 1948
(Include Bangla as one of the languages of the Constituent
Assembly)
▪ Dherendranat Datta member from the East Pakistan
Congress Party, moved an amendment motion to include
Bangla as one of the languages of the Constituent Assembly.
He noted that
▪ out of the 6 crore 90 lakh population of Pakistan,
▪ 4 crore 40 lakh were from East Pakistan with Bangla as their
mother tongue.
The central leaders, including liaquat ali khan, prime
minister of Pakistan, and khwaja nazimuddin, chief minister
of East Bengal, opposed the motion.
10. Different phases of Language
Movement
11 March 1948
(All Parties State Language Movement
Association)
▪ A new committee to fight for
Bangla as the state language was
formed in 02 march 1948 with
Shamsul Huq as convener.
▪ The absence of Bangla letters On 11
March 1948 a general strike was
observed in the towns of East
Pakistan in protest against the
omission of Bangla from the
languages of the Constituent
Assembly .
11. Different phases of Language
Movement
15 March 1948
(An agreement with State Language Movement Association)
Khwaja Nazimuddin signed an agreement with the student
leaders. However, although he agreed to a few terms and
conditions, he did not comply with their demand that
Bangla be made a state language.
12. Different phases of Language
Movement
21 March 1948
(Urdu and Urdu shall be the
state
language-Zinnah)
Muhammed Ali Jinnah
treated that-
▪ ‘State Language is going
to be Urdu & no other
language’.
▪ ‘Urdu & only Urdu shall be
the state language of
Pakistan’
13. Different phases of Language
Movement
11 March 1950
The Dhaka University
Language Action Committee
was formed on 11 March 1950
with Abdul Matin as its
convener.
14. Different phases of Language Movement
31 January1952
▪ On 27 January 1952, Khwaja
Nazimuddin came to Dhaka
from Karachi. Addressing a
meeting at Paltan Maidan &
stated-Urdu would be the
state language of Pakistan.
▪ The students responded with
the slogan, 'Rashtrabhasha
Bangla Chai' (We want Bangla
as the state language).
An All-Party Central Language Action
Committee was formed with Kazi Golam
Mahboob as its convener.
15. Different phases of Language
Movement
20 February 1952
The government imposed Section
144 in the city of Dhaka, A meeting
of the Central Language Action
Committee was held on 20
February under the chairmanship of
Abul hashim. Opinion was divided
as to whether or not to violate
Section 144. The students were
determined to violate Section144
Meeting on the University of Dhaka
premises on 21 February 1952
16. Blood-shed Day Language
▪ On 21 February at 11.00 am on the Dhaka University
campus, the students, under their leaders - Abdul Matin
and gaziul haque - were adamant, students emerged in
groups, shouting slogans, the police resorted to baton
charge; , the police fired upon the crowd of students,
who were proceeding towards the Assembly Hall (at
present, part of Jagannath Hall, University of Dhaka).
Three young men, rafiq uddin ahmed, abdul jabbar and
abul barkat (an MA student of Political Science) were
fatally wounded. Many injured persons were admitted to
the hospital. Among them abdus salam, a peon at the
Secretariat, subsequently succumbed to his wounds. A
nine-year-old boy named Ohiullah was also killed.
19. Recognition
▪ Member Adel Uddin Ahmed (1913-1981; Faridpur) made
an important amendment proposal, which was adopted
unanimously by the Assembly (16 February 1956). Both
Bangla and Urdu were thus enacted to be the state
languages of Pakistan.
▪ Since 1952, 21 February has been observed every year to
commemorate the martyrs of the Language Movement.
With UNESCO adopting a resolution on 17 November
1999 proclaiming 21 February as international mother
language day
20. Influences of Ekushey on Liberation War
▪ First time they could realize that unity is power. That idea
helped them to construct Bengali Nationalism, which helped
the Bangalee nation to achieve their independence.
▪ . It provided determination, bravery and inspiration for
liberation war.
▪ Through that language movement intellectuals and public
came in the same platform.
▪ The language movement affected on the provincial election of
1954.
▪ That language movement gave students an influential power.
