History of Bangladesh

The  history of  Bangladesh  as a  nation state  began in 1971, when it seceded from  Pakistan. Prior to the creation of Pakistan in 1947, modern-day Bangladesh was part of  ancient,  classical,  medieval  and  colonial  India. The area's early history featured a succession of  Indian empires, internal squabbling, and a tussle between  Hinduism  and  Buddhism  for dominance. Islammade its first appearance between the 8th-10th centuries when Muslim missionaries arrived. Later, Muslim rulers reinforced the process of conversion by building  mosques,  madrassas  and Sufi  Khanqah.The borders of present-day Bangladesh were established with the  partition of Bengal  and  India  in 1947, when the region became  East Pakistan, part of the newly formed  Islamic State  of  Pakistan. However, it was separated from the  western wing  by 1,600  km (994  mi) of Indian territory. Due to political exclusion, ethnic and linguistic dis crimination, as well as economic neglect by the politically dominant West Pakistan, popular agitation led by  Sheikh Mujibur Rahman grew against  West Pakistan, resulting in the  Bangladesh Liberation War  of 1971, which the  Bengali people  won with the support of India.After independence, the new state endured  famine,  natural disasters  and  widespread poverty, as well as political turmoil and  military coups. The restoration of democracy in 1991 has been followed by relative calm and economic progress. The Bengali Language Movement The  Bengali Language Movement, also known as the  Language Movement  Bhasha Andolon, was a political effort in  Bangladesh  (then known as  East Pakistan), advocating the recognition of the  Bengali language  as an  official language  of  Pakistan. Such recognition would allow Bengali to be used in government affairs.When the state of Pakistan was  formed  in 1947, its two regions, East Pakistan (also called  East Bengal) and  West Pakistan, were split along cultural, geographical, and linguistic lines. In 1948, the  Government of Pakistan  ordained  Urdu  as the sole national language, sparking extensive protests among the Bengali-speaking majority of East Pakistan. Facing rising sectarian tensions and mass discontent with the new law, the government outlawed public meetings and rallies. The students of the  University of Dhaka  and other political activists defied the law and organised a protest on 21 February 1952.The movement reached its climax when police killed student demonstrators on that day. The deaths provoked widespread civil unrest led by the  Awami Muslim League, later renamed the  Awami League. After years of conflict, the central government relented and granted official status to the Bengali language in 1956. In 2000,  UNESCO  declared 21 February  International Mother Language Day  for the whole world to celebrate,[7]  in tribute to the Language Movement and the ethno-linguistic rights of people around the world.The Language Movement catalysed the assertion of Bengali national identity in Pakistan, and became a forerunner to Bengali nationalist movements, including the  6-point movement  and subsequently the  Bangladesh Liberation War  in 1971. In Bangladesh, 21 February is observed asLanguage Movement Day, a national holiday. The  Shaheed Minar  monument was constructed near Dhaka Medical College in memory of the movement and its victims. ———————– The  History of  Bangladesh