East Pakistan

East Pakistan was Pakistan’s eastern province from 1947 until it became independent as Bangladesh in 1971. Separated from West Pakistan by about 1,600 kilometres of Indian territory, it had a Bengali-speaking majority.

Partition of India: The 1947 division of British India into the independent states of India and Pakistan. Partition created Pakistan’s two geographically separated wings, including its eastern province.
Six-point movement: A 1966 program by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman demanding extensive autonomy for East Pakistan. Its proposals gave the province’s autonomy campaign a clear political platform.
1970 Pakistani general election: Pakistan’s first nationwide general election, in which the Awami League won a majority of seats. Its result gave East Pakistan’s leading party a constitutional claim to form the national government.
West Pakistan: The western wing of Pakistan from 1947 to 1971, comprising the country’s provinces west of India. Its political and military dominance stood in sharp contrast to East Pakistan’s demographic majority.
Bengal: A historical region of South Asia encompassing parts of present-day Bangladesh and India. East Pakistan occupied the eastern part of Bengal, whose language and culture shaped provincial identity.
Awami League: A Bengali political party that led the movement for autonomy and independence in East Pakistan. The party won a national mandate in 1970, but Pakistan’s rulers blocked it from governing.
Yahya Khan: The Pakistani general and president who governed during the 1970 election crisis and 1971 war. His government’s refusal to transfer power helped trigger the crisis in East Pakistan.
One Unit scheme: A 1955 reform that merged West Pakistan’s provinces into a single administrative unit. It formally balanced the two wings while obscuring East Pakistan’s larger population.
Bengali language movement: A movement in East Pakistan demanding recognition of Bengali as a state language of Pakistan. The movement turned language policy into an early contest over provincial rights.
1970 Bhola cyclone: A devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan in November 1970, killing hundreds of thousands. The central government’s slow relief response deepened grievances before the election crisis.

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