Dr Firoz Mahboob Kamal

The Pakistan Era

During 200 years of British rule, there was only one university in East Bengal: the University of Dhaka. Even that, it is claimed, was opposed by Rabindranath Tagore and the influential circles in Kolkata. Even Dhaka University had less than one thousand students in 1947.

The British made almost no development in East Bengal over nearly two centuries. They came to this prosperous land only to plunder. Whenever there were attempts to do something, the elites of Kolkata -located in West Bengal, allegedly stood in the way. They had made Kolkata the capital of India. They didn`t want Dhaka to emerge as its competitor.

In the schools and colleges of Bangladesh, it is taught that Pakistan exploited the people of East Pakistan for 24 years. But it is never told about the achievement during the Pakistani period. Yet many of Bangladesh’s major developments took place during the Pakistan era. That amount of development never happened before.

5 major universities were established during the Pakistan period. All of these universities are residential with a large number of dormitories. These are:

1.   Rajshahi University (1953)

2.   University of Chittagong (1966)

3.   Jahangirnagar University (1970)

4.   Jagannath University (1968)

5.   East Pakistan Agricultural University (now Bangladesh Agricultural University) (1961)

The universities that were built after 1971, are very small universities in comparison to those built during the Pakistan era.

4 engineering universities were established during the Pakistan period:

1.   Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) – 1962

2.   Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET) – 1964

3.   Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) – 1968

4.   Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) – 1969

It is worth noting that Bangladesh currently has 5 engineering universities, of which 4 were founded during the Pakistan era. Only 1 was established in the following 50 years.

During the Pakistan era, 87 colleges were built, including the noted ones:

Notre Dame College, Dhaka (1949) with private involvement

Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College (1949)

 Bangla College (1962)

Viqarunnisa Noon School and College

It is also stated that Dhaka currently has 39 colleges: 8 founded during British rule, 21 during Pakistan rule, and only 10 in the 50 years after independence.

During the Pakistan era, 8 huge government medical colleges were established:

1.   Chittagong Medical College (1957)

2.   Rajshahi Medical College (1958)

3.   Mymensingh Medical College (1962)

4.   Sylhet M.A.G. Osmani Medical College (1962)

5.   Sir Salimullah Medical College (1963)

6.   Institute of Postgraduate Medical Research (now Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University) (1966)

7.   Sher-e-Bangla Medical College, Barisal (1968)

8.   Rangpur Medical College (1970)

It is noted that only one medical college was established during 200 years of British rule: Dhaka Medical College. Although it was founded before 1947, its operations were expanded during the Pakistan era.

During the Pakistan era, 17 polytechnic institutes were established. Bangladesh currently has 49 government polytechnic institutes. That means Pakistan established 17 in 24 years, while Bangladesh established 32 in 50 years.

During the Pakistan era, 4 huge cadet colleges were established:

1.   Faujdarhat Cadet College (1958)

2.   Mirzapur Cadet College (1963)

3.   Jhenaidah Cadet College (1963)

4.   Rajshahi Cadet College (1965)

Bangladesh currently has 12 cadet colleges, of which 4 were founded during the Pakistan era.

Chittagong Marine Academy was established in 1962 by the Pakistan Navy to train naval officers and marine engineers. It is now called Bangladesh Marine Academy (BMA).

Also established were:

East Pakistan Textile Institute (1950), now Bangladesh Textile University (BUTEX)

Chittagong Technical Training Center, through which technical education activities began in Bangladesh in 1962

Many other specialized colleges, universities, institutes, and nursing colleges were also founded during the Pakistan era. In addition, thousands of primary schools and high schools were established nationwide.

Many complain that East Pakistan lagged behind West Pakistan because less development was done here. But note: during British rule, Bangladesh had only 1 university, while West Pakistan had many. In other words, before the creation of Pakistan, we were already behind in higher education. Moreover East Pakistan had only one capital city, West Pakistan had four. 

In 1947, literacy in this region was only 12%. In the 1961 census, it rose to 24.7%. That means literacy doubled in just 13 years. Since no 1971 census took place, the true literacy rate during the final Pakistan years is unknown.

Infrastructure, industries, mills and factories during Pakistan era:

Bangladesh Secretariat (after 1971, the old Building No. 6 was demolished and replaced with a 20-story building)

Sher-e-Bangla Nagar was planned as Pakistan’s second capital

National Parliament Building

Baitul Mukarram Mosque

Bangla Academy

Islamic Academy (now Islamic Foundation)

Radio centers in Rajshahi, Chittagong, Khulna, Rangpur, and Sylhet

Kamalapur Railway Station

Mirpur Zoo

Kurmitola Airport (Dhaka’s international airport)

Jamuna Bridge (approved in parliament in 1966)

Rooppur Nuclear Power Project (planned in 1961, later canceled in 1972)

Shahjibazar Power Plant

Ashuganj Power Plant

Karnaphuli Power Plant

Hotel Intercontinental

Ganges-Kobadak Project

Rampura Television Building

Dhaka Stadium

Dhaka Museum

WAPDA and hundreds of dams and irrigation projects

Urban development of Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Gulshan, Banani, etc.

Hundreds of jute and textile mills later destroyed through naturalization after independence

East Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (EPIDC) for industrialization.

Other development projects:

Gazipur Ordnance Factory

Gazipur Machine Tools Factory

Mongla Seaport

New Market in Dhaka and one in each divisional city

Tejgaon Industrial Area

Hazaribagh Tannery Area

Khalishpur Industrial Area

Adamjee Jute Mills (Narayanganj): 1951

Khulna Newsprint Mills: 1959

Chittagong Dry Dock: 1960

Eastern Refinery Limited (Chittagong): 1968

Dhaka Jute Mills Limited: 1950s

Amin Jute Mills Limited (Chittagong): 1953

Khulna Jute Mills: 1950s

Ispahani Cotton Mills: founded during Pakistan era

Kaptai Hydroelectric Project – 1962

Chandraghona Paper Mill – 1953

Karnaphuli Rayon Mill – 1953

Pragati Industries – 1953

Bangladesh’s only oil refinery was also built by Pakistan.

Pakistan`s achievement after 1971

After the 1971 war, Pakistan “ate grass” and built nuclear bombs. It now possesses an estimated arsenal of around 170 nuclear warheads.

Because of the sky-high success of its air force, the country has taken responsibility for Saudi Arabia’s security. Pakistan Air Force ranks seventh among the world’s strongest air forces, with 1,434 combat aircraft and strategy, centered around the American F-16, JF-17 Thunder, and modern Chinese J-10C.

It possesses multiple advanced missiles such as Shaheen-III (range up to 2,750 km), Ghauri, and Ghaznavi. It also has the Babur missile, capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads, launched from land or sea.

Its army has more than 2,600 main battle tanks, including advanced Khalid, VT-4, and T-80UD tanks.

The country has elevated its defense sector to international standards. In joint cooperation with China, it has built its own fighter aircraft. It has advanced drone capabilities such as the Burraq and cooperates with China on Wing Loong drones.

It has eight submarines, along with modern frigates, corvettes, and fast missile boats to secure its coastline and economic interests.

It also possesses more than 3,000 artillery pieces (both towed and self-propelled) and multiple rocket launchers.

Even Pakistan has 11 universities recognized as international standard. In education quality too, Pakistan is said to be far ahead. Most importantly, it has played a major role in international diplomacy by helping stop the Iran war. It has established itself as an important global player from both diplomatic and military perspectives—able to bring even America and Iran to the same table.

Achievement of Bangladesh after 1971

And victorious Bangladesh in 1971, after fighting a war, received only a certificate of servitude from India. Bangladesh was plundered by India. Democracy was replaced by Mujib`s BAKSHALli fascism. The country became a bottomless begging basket. Invited famine in 1974 that killed more than a million. Bangladesh became a land of easy political, intellectual and military invasion by India. Because of India, the country became a land of oppression, persecution and genocide for the Islam loving people.  

The lost opportunity for the Bengali Muslims

If the united Pakistan had survived, it could be the third largest nuclear state in the world in terms of population. Pakistan could easily make more than one trillion economies.  Since the Bengalies were the majority ethnic group in Pakistan, they could easily possess the driving seat of the country and play an important role in world politics. Since Pakistan was the largest Muslim country in the world, it could play a leading role in Muslim World`s politics.  Because of its pan-Islamic essence in its creation, Pakistan could be the model of a civilisational state in the world. 

In 24 years of Pakistan, 4 Prime Ministers and 2 Head of the State of Pakistan were from East Pakistan. Three Parliament speakers and some Supreme Court Chief Justices were Bengali. Many federal ministers were Bengali. After the death of Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Khazwa Nazimuddin became the head of Pakistan.

The Bengali Muslims never rule their own country. They were always ruled by the non-Bengalies. This is the problem with the people who lived thousands of years as subjects of others and never became rulers. They became addicted to returning to their old state of servitude. Therefore, though Pakistan offered huge opportunities for the Bengalis, in 1971, they preferred to be a subservient vassal state of India.