Sylhet | Language Movement

In august, 1947, Al Islah the local newspaper in the editorial column entitle “Prubo Pakistaner Rastor Bhasha” demanded Bangla as the state language of East Pakinstan. The Tamaddun Majilis, a sacio-cultural organization came out with its pamphlet Pakistaner Rasto Bhasha Bangla na Urdu on 15th September 1947. Sylhet played a pioneer role in the state Language Movement. On 9th November 1947 one of the literary sessions of the Muslim Shahityo Snagsad the local literary society was devoted to the issue of the state language. In the meeting presided over by M. Matinuddin Ahmed, an eminent litterateur, M. Muslim Chowdhury, who was then an Assistant Inspector of Schools, presented an erudite paper entitled Pakistaner Rastro Bhasha. In this paper he argued that Bangla should be the official language and the medium of instruction in East Bengal; Bangla and English should be the state languages of Pakistan and any West Pakistan language should as well be another state language. This was well attended meeting in which six discussants spoke for Bangla, two for Urdu and one for Arabic as the state language of Pakistan. Two other meeting followed on the same subject on 30 November and 28 December. The meeting on 30 November gave a foretaste of what was to come in 1948 in the nation-wide State Language Movement. This was held in the compound of Alia Madrasha and was presided over by M. Matinuddin Ahmed, Hosain Ahmed, who was Assistant secretary of the Sangsad, presented a short paper. Syed Mujtaba Ali, the distinguished linguist and litterateur and a son of the soil, was invited to deliver the keynote address. This was subsequently published in Al Islah under the title Purbo Pakistaner Rastrobaha in March 1949. A handful of people, mostly Madrasha students, tried to disturb the meeting and five spekers took the floor for Urdu. Ali made a strong case for Bangla and found the demand for Urdu totally unjustified. He suggested response to the plea for promotion of Islamic ethos that in that case Arabic should be the state language. In the last meeting on the subject, the main paper “Purbo Pakistaner Rastrobasha” was presented by the renowned philosopher Dewan Mohammad Azraf. In this meeting also a couple of discussants took up the cause of Urdu.

The state Language Movement in Dhaka practically began in December 1947 as to the decision of the Education Conference held in Karachi on 3 and 4 of that month. Sylhet as we have noted, was already active in this respect. Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, Pakistan’s Minister for communications, visited Sylhet on 11 January and two delegations meeting him urged for recognition of Bangla as one of the state languages. Nazimuddin as the Chief Minister of Est Bangal signed an eight-point agreement in Dhaka with the student leaders on 15 March 1948 for proper recognition of Bangla as well as other matter but the movement continued as the implementation process gave rise to suspicion of earnest intention. The students of Sylhet sent a memorandum to the Governor General Quad-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah on 4th April although all the points of the understanding with the Chief Minister were not implemented. The only outlying area where there was some activity in 1948 was Kulaura and that was because of the presence there of a band of dedicated workers such as Syed Almal Husain, A. Majid and Tara Miah.

The year 1949 was a less eventful year for the State Language Movement. There was the peasant revolt known as Nankar Abolition Movement. The beginning of 1950 witnessed a disgraceful communal carnage in which Sylhet stood up firmly against riots. Peace committees under local leaders and students were set to bring the situation under control. In 1950 Dr. Shahidullah, the eminent scholar, while visiting Hobigonj spoke publicly against the foisting Arabic script on Bangla. Students activism took a new turn taking a non-partisan and progressive stance. There were two salutary national events in which as far as Sylhet was concerned students played the major role. The Muslim Students Federation after the 1948 movement withered away as some of it’s stalwarts left for Dhaka. Determined suppression by the government and the serve police surveillance of the students Federation, the front organization of the Communist Party, took away the alternative option of the students. But the peace operation gave them confidence and inspiration as well. The arrest of Mahmud Ali, Convener of the Peace Committee, not on 14th March and licking up of the office of the Peace Committee brought forth strong protest but also some dismay. Soon after March, 1950 students decided to form their own organization, Sylhet Students Education Committee, not linked to any political party or other students organizations. This received the blessing of Mahmud Ali, Pir habibur Rahman encouraged it and A. M. A Muhit was elected its Convener. For the next year or so this was the only organization in Sylhet that kept the light of nationalistic aspirations in Sylhet. The students in Dhaka decided to hold a Provincial Education Conference on 15 and 16th September, 1950. The Education committee sent delegates to the conference and on return held meetings to publicize the declaration adopted in the conference. 

In the political front Youth League was formed in February, 1951 and Mahmud Ali was Its Secretary. In Sylhet, the Awami League was formed in 1951 and most of the associates of Mahmud Ali joined it. It was gaining ground but was not a force worth any mention. The Muslim League was rife with internal discussion ad-hoc committee were functioning without much public support.

The ignition key was Khawaja Nazimuddin’s statement about the state language of Pakistan at arrival on a visit to East Pakistan on 27 January 1952. He had become Pakistan’s second Prime Minister after the assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan on 16 October 1951. In Dhaka, the students held the first protest March on 29 January and gradually the momentum was building for the big demonstration on 21 February.

In Sylhet, a demonstration was planned for 21 February and the local administration found no reason to impose any restrictions on it. Incidentally Hussain Haider, who as District Magistrate of Dhaka, did not agree to impose Section 144 restriction, was transferred overnight to Sylhet. It was the news of police shooting and martyrdom of students that brought forth outrage among the public and involvement of all sections of the society in the State Language Movement. The rumor that Dewan Ahmed Kabir, a student from Sylhet, was shot in Dhaka added grater fuel to the fire. In actual fact while marching to the Assemble Hall he was lathi-charged and became unconscious. The state Language Committee of action, whose Convener was Pir Habibur Rahman, planned continuous strike and rally. The business community under the leadership of Abdur Rahman (Dudu Miah) also rose to the occasion. Unlike the 1948 situation there was no overt opposition to supporters of Bangla this time. Again, this time the movement was all voe3r the district and it went into remote areas as well. In 1952 the students, politicians and public in general came out strongly in favor of Bangla, showing their courage and love for their mother tongue.

The State Language Movement instilled self-confidence among the Bangalis. They became aware of their separate identity and they learnt that the plea of Islamic unity of Pakistan could be misleading. Rights need to be asserted and obtained with diligence and perseverance. It also threw up leaders of the future and strengthened political force opposing the ruling Muslim League.

As a result, In 1969, the Awami League in Grater Sylhet was organized right down to the union level. The students were mainly organized in Students League and Students Union, both of which were supporters of the six-point programme. President Yahya’s temporary moratorium on political activities did not sap interest as everybody was preparing for the impending election. l at last when political activities restarted in 1970,the momentum of the Six-point programme rallied virtually all political forces to one platform. AL candidates won every seat in the National assembly and in the Provincial Assembly conceding only one seat to an independent candidate wedded to the Six-point programme Suranjit Sen Gupta. All the leaders of Sylhet except General M.A.G Osmany and Abdus Samad Azad were in Sylhet and this contributed to the discipline of the Civil Disobedience Movement of March. This also helped immediate build-up of the Resistance Movement after the Military crackdown on the night of 25 March, 1971.

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