communication
between East and
West. There was a
popular belief that
where West Pakistan
ends, the Middle East
begins, but where East
Pakistan ends, South Asia
starts.
Political factor
Between 1947 and 1951 power in
erstwhile Pakistan rested successively
with two non-Bengali political leaders,
Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali
Khan. After death of Mohammad Ali
Jinnah in 1948 and after Liaquat Ali
Khan‟s assassination in 1951 power
actually passed into the hands of a
small elite whose support came mainly
Particularly
the
people from the former
East Pakistan did not have
any say in the governance of
the country although they
constituted majority segment of
the society. People of East
Pakistan were never consulted
in decision-making process.
By 1970, only three Bengali
speaking had attained the rank of
Secretary out of twenty central
secretaries. Similarly, there were only
two Bengalis in the army who had the
privilege to enjoy the status of
Lt.General
and
Major-General
whereas thirty five army officers of the
rank of General, Lieutenant General
3
The significant fact is
that there was no
direct land
from senior civil servants and military
bureaucrats. Dictatorial cliques in
Pakistan exercised hard suppression of
the people and they identified
themselves with a very microscopic
dominant class. As a result,
other contending classes were
deprived of share in power.
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through the lower part of the
Brahmaputra and Ganges river basin,
which is one of the most fertile alluvial
lands in the world.