Remembering fall of Dhaka! Most tragic incident in history of Pakistan

[Josh]

In 1971 the Pakistan Army and their local collaborators, most notably the extreme right wing Islamist militia groups Al-Badr, engaged in the systematic execution of Bengali pro-liberation intellectuals during the Bangladesh liberation war of 1971, a war crime. Intellectuals were killed during the entire duration of the war. The largest number of executions took place on 25 March and 14 December 1971, as it became apparent that Bangladesh would become independent. 14 December is commemorated in Bangladesh as Martyred Intellectuals Day

Around 1100 intellectuals were killed during this which had many reputed professors
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_killing_of_Bengali_intellectuals

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Wikipedia is not a credible source, it can be updated and edited by anyone. Very useful site for general knowledge but when there is a political or nationalist angle, I would take with a pinch of salt.

 

[Bosanquet]

East Pakistan/West Pakistan was a mistake, Bangladeshis are probably culturally closer to south India, while Pakistan is culturally closer to north India/Afghanistan depending where you live.

Better for both countries that Bangladesh was created, although my own personal opinion was that it should have reintegrated into India with Bengal becoming one state again.

Bengalis from Bangladesh are culturally & linguistically closest to Bengalis in West Bengal. After all they were part of the same state until the Brits divided them in 1911 (I think that's the correct year). Having said that, the vast majority of Bengalis in India would be quite appalled at the thought of any "re-union" with their neighbours in Bangladesh. Indeed I believe that there is construction of a border wall (a la Trump) going on.
Curious fact - the national anthem of both countries was written by the same Bengali poet - who is Asia's first nobel laureate.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Bengalis from Bangladesh are culturally & linguistically closest to Bengalis in West Bengal. After all they were part of the same state until the Brits divided them in 1911 (I think that's the correct year). Having said that, the vast majority of Bengalis in India would be quite appalled at the thought of any "re-union" with their neighbours in Bangladesh. Indeed I believe that there is construction of a border wall (a la Trump) going on.
Curious fact - the national anthem of both countries was written by the same Bengali poet - who is Asia's first nobel laureate.

I find Qazi Nazrul Islam better than Rabi thakur. Curious fact: I was born in the same town as the national poet of Bangladesh.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan should have been separate countries from the beginning. Apart from sharing the same religion, there was nothing in common between the ppl of two regions.

 

[DeadBall]

Another anniversary.

Great bump. People need to know.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan should have been separate countries from the beginning. Apart from sharing the same religion, there was nothing in common between the ppl of two regions.

They had one thing in common, fear of the rise of Hindutva. Otherwise how could partition ever have come about?

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

They had one thing in common, fear of the rise of Hindutva. Otherwise how could partition ever have come about?

OK. Add that to the illustrious list.

 

[Napa]

Bangladesh should never have broken off from Pakistan. It was and should still be part of Pakistan.

War was jusrified. You don’t just give up parts of your country like that. However that’s fine and <b>Bangladesh made their bed and they can lay in it.</b>

Bangladesh at the moment seems to be doing quite well, and definitely better than it was doing when it was part of Pakistan. Economically it is growing faster than Pakistan.

 

[Napa]

I find Qazi Nazrul Islam better than Rabi thakur. Curious fact: I was born in the same town as the national poet of Bangladesh.

You were born in India, and live in India. Why do you have the Bangladeshi flag on your profile? I don't mean to criticize you, just curious.

 

[Napa]

In 1971 the Pakistan Army and their local collaborators, most notably the extreme right wing Islamist militia groups Al-Badr, engaged in the systematic execution of Bengali pro-liberation intellectuals during the Bangladesh liberation war of 1971, a war crime. Intellectuals were killed during the entire duration of the war.

Dictators feel that intellectuals provide the organization and philosophy for the rebels. In a similar fashion, the Nazis tried to eliminate the Polish intelligentsia.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Bangladesh at the moment seems to be doing quite well, and definitely better than it was doing when it was part of Pakistan. Economically it is growing faster than Pakistan.

Sounds like a great opportunity for India then. They should dismantle the border dividing Bengal and make good use of Bangladesh economic prowess.

 

[Oxfordchamp]

Partition in 47 benefitted India greatly and partition in 71 benefitted Bangladesh ....Pak was the loser on both occasions..

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Partition in 47 benefitted India greatly and partition in 71 benefitted Bangladesh ....Pak was the loser on both occasions..

How so? You have given more legitimacy to the creation of Pakistan than any native of thac country could ever have dreamed of.

 

[Oxfordchamp]

Isn't it obvious..The results are for everyone to see.

 

[Napa]

Sounds like a great opportunity for India then. They should dismantle the border dividing Bengal and make good use of Bangladesh economic prowess.

All the following 3 statements are true:

1) Bangladesh is growing faster than Pakistan.

2) India's per cap GDP is far ahead of Bangladesh.

3) Unlike India, both Bangladesh and Pakistan are not developing modern industries.

So thanks, but no thanks.

 

[Green Patriot]

One of the darkest days of Pakistan history.We have only ourselves to blame.Not the regular citizens i mean but the people in power.
However we, of the current generations should not harbor a grudge against each other.We should respect and admire each other as brothers,independent and free with their own identities.History should be mourned only so much,it is more of a lesson than anything else.

 

[MenInG]

One of the darkest days of Pakistan history.We have only ourselves to blame.Not the regular citizens i mean but the people in power.
However we, of the current generations should not harbor a grudge against each other.We should respect and admire each other as brothers,independent and free with their own identities.History should be mourned only so much,it is more of a lesson than anything else.

I agree with that point of view - Pakistanis of today get along very well with our Bangladeshi friends

 

[RainMan_]

I'm not desensitizing it, I'm putting things into perspective. I like to think rationally, not emotionally. Since you want to talk about morals, what about the lives of non-Muslims? Do they not matter?

Quite a few independent researchers believe that death toll was between 1-1.5 million. Its extremely difficult to understand the magnitude and the gravity of persecution done by the Pakistan army in 71 since pak establishment systematically evicted all the foreign journalists before starting the operation searchlight.

 

[Pakistanian]

Quite a few independent researchers believe that death toll was between 1-1.5 million. Its extremely difficult to understand the magnitude and the gravity of persecution done by the Pakistan army in 71 since pak establishment systematically evicted all the foreign journalists before starting the operation searchlight.

Most studies put the number anywhere between 30,000 to 300,000. 1.5 million is highly exaggerated, history is written by the victors and the Bangladeshi govt obviously needs this increase nationalism and a sense of nationhood, I don't blame them for fudging the figures but it's just inaccurate.

 

[RainMan_]

Most studies put the number anywhere between 30,000 to 300,000. 1.5 million is highly exaggerated, history is written by the victors and the Bangladeshi govt obviously needs this increase nationalism and a sense of nationhood, I don't blame them for fudging the figures but it's just inaccurate.

PLS, dont accuse others of fudging the numbers when u urself is doing the same. Obviously that 3 million figure was exaggerated by mujib but as i said earlier, many neutral researchers from Bangladesh and other countries has estimated the death toll to be around 1/1.5 million.

As well known professor RJ rummel wrote in his book

In 1971 the self-appointed President of Pakistan and Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General Agha Mohammed Yahya Khan and his top generals prepared a careful and systematic military, economic, and political operation in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). They also planned to murder its Bengali intellectual, cultural, and political elite.

After a well-organized military buildup in East Pakistan the military launched its campaign. No more than 267 days later they had succeeded in killing perhaps 1,500,000 people, created 10,000,000 refugees who had fled to India, provoked a war with India, incited a counter-genocide of 150,000 non-Bengalis, and lost East Pakistan.

 

[RainMan_]

Bangladesh at the moment seems to be doing quite well, and definitely better than it was doing when it was part of Pakistan. Economically it is growing faster than Pakistan.

Bangladesh was doing terribly when it was a part of Pakistan. As a matter of fact the the economic disparity that existed between East and West Pakistan during 47-71 period was one of the main reasons behind the 71 war.

Even in 60s almost 70% of Pakistan's total export earning used to come from East Pakistan. From 47-65(before the decline of jute demand) East Pakistan generated most of Pakistan's foreign currency thorough the exportation of jute and tea, but didn't get anything in return.

From 47-65, East pakistan had 60% of total Population of Pakistan , earned above 60% of the total revenue but received below 30% of total expenditure whereas West Pakistan had merely 40% of total Pakistani people, earned only 40% percent of total revenue but received above 70% of total expenditures.

 

[hafeezrocks]

Bangladesh was doing terribly when it was a part of Pakistan. As a matter of fact the the economic disparity that existed between East and West Pakistan during 47-71 period was one of the main reasons behind the 71 war.

Even in 60s almost 70% of Pakistan's total export earning used to come from East Pakistan. From 47-65(before the decline of jute demand) East Pakistan generated most of Pakistan's foreign currency thorough the exportation of jute and tea, but didn't get anything in return.

From 47-65, East pakistan had 60% of total Population of Pakistan , earned above 60% of the total revenue but received below 30% of total expenditure whereas West Pakistan had merely 40% of total Pakistani people, earned only 40% percent of total revenue but received above 70% of total expenditures.

How much role did the language controversy play in creating feelings of resentment and division? What was the problem of East Pakistanis with Urdu being the National Languages? All ethnicities in West Pakistan unanimously accepted Urdu as the Language of Pakistan, only Bengalis of East Pakistan had a problem.

 

[Napa]

Bangladesh was doing terribly when it was a part of Pakistan. As a matter of fact the the economic disparity that existed between East and West Pakistan during 47-71 period was one of the main reasons behind the 71 war.

Even in 60s almost 70% of Pakistan's total export earning used to come from East Pakistan. From 47-65(before the decline of jute demand) East Pakistan generated most of Pakistan's foreign currency thorough the exportation of jute and tea, but didn't get anything in return.

From 47-65, East pakistan had 60% of total Population of Pakistan , earned above 60% of the total revenue but received below 30% of total expenditure whereas West Pakistan had merely 40% of total Pakistani people, earned only 40% percent of total revenue but received above 70% of total expenditures.

What you describe sounds pretty much much how a colony is treated by a colonial power.

How much role did the language controversy play in creating feelings of resentment and division? What was the problem of East Pakistanis with Urdu being the National Languages? All ethnicities in West Pakistan unanimously accepted Urdu as the Language of Pakistan, only Bengalis of East Pakistan had a problem.

Probably because the Bangladeshis were more proud of their Bengali language and culture. Also, as RainMan says, the economic exploitation was also a reason. Do you have any answer to that?

 

[RainMan_]

How much role did the language controversy play in creating feelings of resentment and division? What was the problem of East Pakistanis with Urdu being the National Languages? All ethnicities in West Pakistan unanimously accepted Urdu as the Language of Pakistan, only Bengalis of East Pakistan had a problem.

Yes, 52 played great role in our liberation war. Many says that the seed of liberated Bangladesh was planted in 52.

As for ur second question...........well, i think Napa was quite spot on with his assessment. Bengalis take great pride in their culture and we all know that language is the backbone of ones culture.

Secondly, Urdu was the language of a very small percentage of people of Pakistan. Just because other Pakistanis from different ethnicity accepted urdu as the official language does not necessarily mean it was a right decision. East Pakistan had 60% of total population of Pakistan. U cant just declare something as official language especially when that particular language is spoken by a handful number of people without taking the consent majority of the ppl of a nation who speaks a different language.

If any language that deserved to be the official language then it was bengali . Because Bengali was the language that was used by largest percentage of people in Pakistan.

 

[chacha kashmiri]

1971, will go down a bad year in history books
The birth of a new nation, symbolised
by the burning down of yet another factory
Ajeeb stuff, sheikh hasina still living on in her fathers shadows

 

[gazza619]

A big loss. But its about time we stop mourning the occassion. Whats gone is gone. There is no love between the countries and thats how it will always be. Lets give each other respect and space, move on.

 

[Napa]

1971, will go down a bad year in history books
The birth of a new nation, symbolised
<b>by the burning down of yet another factory</b>
Ajeeb stuff, sheikh hasina still living on in her fathers shadows

Are you writing about textile factories? Bangladesh is the world's second largest textiles exporter after China, which is quite an achievement.

 

[JaDed]

I hope India doesn't do the Urdu mistake of Pakistan by making Hindi compulsory,one can't trust BJP jus to win UP seats they can stoop low.

People can talk about why location of Bangladesh and all, but they did try their utter best to suppress the largest population of their country , wonder if it's a classic example of Punjabi domination that @_enkidu keeps talking about but on Indian side , the actual example was more on the Pakistani side.

 

[Swashbuckler]

I hope India doesn't do the Urdu mistake of Pakistan by making Hindi compulsory,one can't trust BJP jus to win UP seats they can stoop low.

People can talk about why location of Bangladesh and all, but they did try their utter best to suppress the largest population of their country , wonder if it's a classic example of Punjabi domination that @_enkidu keeps talking about but on Indian side , the actual example was more on the Pakistani side.

Agree man, that is my biggest worry. There are many Hindi supremacists who have dreams of making India a Hindi country, their justification is Hindi is spoken by maximum people. If that day were to come I can't imagine how the situation would unfold. At least Tamils will rise in rebellion, we should learn from history and the example of East Pakistan is in front of our eyes. We are a diverse, beautiful country with such different cultures, Delhi and Nagpur should remember that. Our diverse cultures predate the modern Indian state, our languages predate Hindi. Worst thing is we are labeled anti nationals/Dravidian separatists by certain sections for not surrendering our linguistic pride, if that is true even Abdul Kalam, MS Swaminathan, Rajagopala Chidambaram etc are anti nationals because they preferred Tamil over Hindi.

 

[Swashbuckler]

Salute the Bangladeshi people for love of their language and culture, their resistance and uprising will be a shining light for all of humanity for generations to come. It takes enormous strength of character to hold on to one's language under a despotic genocidal regime. Language is the first thing the despots target as part of cultural assimilation, after France was defeated in WW-II all French schools were made to drop French language subject and teach German. That was the ultimate humiliation.

What happened in 1971 can happen anywhere, any time. Delhi should learn from that brutal episode and drop its futile dreams of imposing a homogeneous culture on all of India.

 

[Varun]

Agree man, that is my biggest worry. There are many Hindi supremacists who have dreams of making India a Hindi country, their justification is Hindi is spoken by maximum people. If that day were to come I can't imagine how the situation would unfold. At least Tamils will rise in rebellion, we should learn from history and the example of East Pakistan is in front of our eyes. We are a diverse, beautiful country with such different cultures, Delhi and Nagpur should remember that. Our diverse cultures predate the modern Indian state, our languages predate Hindi. Worst thing is we are labeled anti nationals/Dravidian separatists by certain sections for not surrendering our linguistic pride, if that is true even Abdul Kalam, MS Swaminathan, Rajagopala Chidambaram etc are anti nationals because they preferred Tamil over Hindi.

Let it happen. The rest of us will split: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa and Maharashtra. We get to keep Andaman, Pondicherry and Lakshwadweep as well. The name can be a crisp "Dakshin" with the capital city a toss up between Mumbai or Bangalore.

For good measure, we should also build a wall at the frontier and block immigration from the rest of what used to be India. They can continue their catfight in Kashmir, give all the farm loan waivers they want, and choke in the smog. In fact, I have a name suggestion for them: BIMARU.

 

[aukhan]

Butto, Army both are to be blamed for this.

 

[Madplayer]

I am more interested in how Bangladesh became a muslim majority. If it wasnt the case, they would have been Indians today.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Agree man, that is my biggest worry. There are many Hindi supremacists who have dreams of making India a Hindi country, their justification is Hindi is spoken by maximum people. If that day were to come I can't imagine how the situation would unfold. At least Tamils will rise in rebellion, we should learn from history and the example of East Pakistan is in front of our eyes. We are a diverse, beautiful country with such different cultures, Delhi and Nagpur should remember that. Our diverse cultures predate the modern Indian state, our languages predate Hindi. Worst thing is we are labeled anti nationals/Dravidian separatists by certain sections for not surrendering our linguistic pride, if that is true even Abdul Kalam, MS Swaminathan, Rajagopala Chidambaram etc are anti nationals because they preferred Tamil over Hindi.

Agreed. hindi is not rich enough to deserve the status of national language. if and when we have a national language, it must be Sanskrit, and every educated indian must be taught sanskrit. hindi and its cousin, urdu must be banned.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Salute the Bangladeshi people for love of their language and culture, their resistance and uprising will be a shining light for all of humanity for generations to come. It takes enormous strength of character to hold on to one's language under a despotic genocidal regime. Language is the first thing the despots target as part of cultural assimilation, after France was defeated in WW-II all French schools were made to drop French language subject and teach German. That was the ultimate humiliation.

What happened in 1971 can happen anywhere, any time. Delhi should learn from that brutal episode and drop its futile dreams of imposing a homogeneous culture on all of India.

Never understood this sentimental view of culture. If local culture was that important, why is it so important for the whole of India to learn English, a language born half a world away? The British imposed English the same was as the Germans wanted to impose German, and now Indians learn it voluntarily and a Bollywood film isn't considered cool unless half of the dialect is spoken in English.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Never understood this sentimental view of culture. If local culture was that important, why is it so important for the whole of India to learn English, a language born half a world away? The British imposed English the same was as the Germans wanted to impose German, and now Indians learn it voluntarily and a Bollywood film isn't considered cool unless half of the dialect is spoken in English.

When and how did the british impose english on the indians?

 

[Swashbuckler]

Never understood this sentimental view of culture. If local culture was that important, why is it so important for the whole of India to learn English, a language born half a world away? The British imposed English the same was as the Germans wanted to impose German, and now Indians learn it voluntarily and a Bollywood film isn't considered cool unless half of the dialect is spoken in English.

Matter of convenience, English is the lingua franca of the world. It is the language which facilitates easiest transfer of knowledge, even Russians and Chinese have made peace with this fact. Moreover a Tamil may not like Hindi, a Bihari may not like Tamil because of ego/sentiments but both can adopt a foreign language like English as a compromise choice. For someone like me Hindi is a difficult language and for a North Indian, any of the South Indian languages will be like tongue twisters. So at least one group will be at a disadvantage (education, business, employment) if you impose the other side's language. By adopting English you give everyone a common footing, no one is at an advantage because English isn't the mother tongue for any of us.

In fact I would say the same with Spanish or French, any of them as our official language will be a better deal than having a vernacular language as unifying force. But since British were our last rulers and consolidated the entire Indian landmass while also introducing modern education to us, it makes more sense to follow their path. Also helps that English is a universal language and easy to learn (as opposed to say Mandarin), it is a simple choice really.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Just to be clear, there should be no place for arrogance here, we British have spread our culture and language across the world, but we have no problem adopting foreign culture if it is superior to the local.

British food was the most bland in the world, but where once we sniffed at the French for being a bunch of smelly garlic eaters, now we can't get enough of it. The trouser suit was supposedly invented in Persia, now we all wear with pride. I don't know what the Brits wore previously, perhaps a loincloth or a kilt.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Matter of convenience, English is the lingua franca of the world. It is the language which facilitates easiest transfer of knowledge, even Russians and Chinese have made peace with this fact. Moreover a Tamil may not like Hindi, a Bihari may not like Tamil because of ego/sentiments but both can adopt a foreign language like English as a compromise choice. For someone like me Hindi is a difficult language and for a North Indian, any of the South Indian languages will be like tongue twisters. So at least one group will be at a disadvantage (education, business, employment) if you impose the other side's language. By adopting English you give everyone a common footing, no one is at an advantage because English isn't the mother tongue for any of us.

In fact I would say the same with Spanish or French, any of them as our official language will be a better deal than having a vernacular language as unifying force. But since British were our last rulers and consolidated the entire Indian landmass while also introducing modern education to us, it makes more sense to follow their path. Also helps that English is a universal language and easy to learn (as opposed to say Mandarin), it is a simple choice really.

Britain also had their own local dialects, Gaelic, Welsh, Celtic and so on, now I would imagine everyone in those places probably speaks English as a first language, and the old languages have fallen into disuse. It could be argued that it is local pride as much as anything else which makes people defensive over their languages, so it is easier for a Tamil to come to terms with learning English than it is to stomach learning Hindi.

 

[Mamoon]

Getting rid of Pakistan and its baggage was the best thing that could have happened to Bangladesh.

Their economy is developing rapidly, they are terrorist-free and the world is at peace with them.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Getting rid of Pakistan and its baggage was the best thing that could have happened to Bangladesh.

Their economy is developing rapidly, they are terrorist-free and the world is at peace with them.

If their economy is developing so rapidly, why does India need to build a fence to keep Bangladeshi immigrants out? This is something which has always confused me. Surely there should be more Bengalis flowing the other way to take advantage of BD's booming economy?

 

[JaDed]

Britain also had their own local dialects, Gaelic, Welsh, Celtic and so on, now I would imagine everyone in those places probably speaks English as a first language, and the old languages have fallen into disuse. It could be argued that it is local pride as much as anything else which makes people defensive over their languages, so it is easier for a Tamil to come to terms with learning English than it is to stomach learning Hindi.

Trolling aside , I think a lot of cultures depend on literature or mainstream entertainment as well, Bengali language has both of those , similar to many sub cultures in India imo an example of a lost language is of Saurashtrian people who speak the Saurashtrian language even though high in number don't have any presence in mainstream and thus are absorbed by others most notably in this case being Tamil culture.

 

[Mamoon]

If their economy is developing so rapidly, why does India need to build a fence to keep Bangladeshi immigrants out? This is something which has always confused me. Surely there should be more Bengalis flowing the other way to take advantage of BD's booming economy?

India gains nothing but taking over a country of 150m people with an inferior economy. This is not about India - it is about the fact that Bangladesh today are much better off than they would have been had they remained East Pakistan.

 

[GBK_Fan]

Let it happen. The rest of us will split: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa and Maharashtra. We get to keep Andaman, Pondicherry and Lakshwadweep as well. The name can be a crisp "Dakshin" with the capital city a toss up between Mumbai or Bangalore.

For good measure, we should also build a wall at the frontier and block immigration from the rest of what used to be India. They can continue their catfight in Kashmir, give all the farm loan waivers they want, and choke in the smog. In fact, I have a name suggestion for them: BIMARU.

As a Kannadiga living in Maharashtra, we have nothing to do with you guys. Please don’t assume we will be joining any stupid pan South Indian identity

 

[Varun]

As a Kannadiga living in Maharashtra, we have nothing to do with you guys. Please don’t assume we will be joining any stupid pan South Indian identity

Fine, you've moved to Maharashtra already? Walk a few steps further and you'll reach your land of paradise = BIMARU.

Regards,
Dakshin

 

[GBK_Fan]

Fine, you've moved to Maharashtra already? Walk a few steps further and you'll reach your land of paradise = BIMARU.

Regards,
Dakshin

If we are to split we will rather go alone. We don’t need the bimarus to the north nor the laggards to the south. Happy Kerala!!

 

[Varun]

If we are to split we will rather go alone. We don’t need the bimarus to the north nor the laggards to the south. Happy Kerala!!

Haha, it's all good when it's tongue in cheek.

 

[Bosanquet]

If their economy is developing so rapidly, why does India need to build a fence to keep Bangladeshi immigrants out? This is something which has always confused me. Surely there should be more Bengalis flowing the other way to take advantage of BD's booming economy?

India's per capita GDP is 70% higher than Bangladesh's with higher wages. Now I will let you figure out in which direction the population will flow & who will build the wall.

 

[Bosanquet]

Britain also had their own local dialects, Gaelic, Welsh, Celtic and so on, now I would imagine everyone in those places probably speaks English as a first language, and the old languages have fallen into disuse. It could be argued that it is local pride as much as anything else which makes people defensive over their languages, so it is easier for a Tamil to come to terms with learning English than it is to stomach learning Hindi.

Do you actually live in UK? There are half-a-million speakers of Cymraeg in Wales. These people are bilingual. Road signs in 2 languages - surely you must have driven there. Snowdonia is quite stunning.
Gaelic is also a living language in the highlands. These have not fallen into disuse. Indeed there are TV channels for some of them.

 

[hamid.s]

I am more interested in how Bangladesh became a muslim majority. If it wasnt the case, they would have been Indians today.

same as pakistan as well. the entire subcontinent (India, BD, Pak) were all Hindu/Buddhist before Islam.

In Bengal's case, Islam was first introduced by the Arab traders in this region when they first settled/traded in the port of Chittagong. Slowly most of south and central Bengal became Muslim through these Arab traders/merchants who eventually settled in the region.

In the north, the most notable figure was Turkish saint called Shah Jalal who came and settled in Sylhet in the 13th century. He and his 300+ disciples spread the religion in the North Bengal. Now the biggest airport in Dhaka is named after him (Hazrat ShahJalal Intl Airport).

So Islam has been in Bengal for almost 800+ years.

Even today, Chittagong and Sylhet tend to be the most conservative region in BD. Dhaka (formerly called Murshidabad) only came to prominence during Mughal era and is quite secular compared to those regions.

 

[Bewal Express]

Getting rid of Pakistan and its baggage was the best thing that could have happened to Bangladesh.

Their economy is developing rapidly, they are terrorist-free and the world is at peace with them.

So Billos grandad did a good job according to you.

 

[gazza619]

same as pakistan as well. the entire subcontinent (India, BD, Pak) were all Hindu/Buddhist before Islam.

In Bengal's case, Islam was first introduced by the Arab traders in this region when they first settled/traded in the port of Chittagong. Slowly most of south and central Bengal became Muslim through these Arab traders/merchants who eventually settled in the region.

In the north, the most notable figure was Turkish saint called Shah Jalal who came and settled in Sylhet in the 13th century. He and his 300+ disciples spread the religion in the North Bengal. Now the biggest airport in Dhaka is named after him (Hazrat ShahJalal Intl Airport).

So Islam has been in Bengal for almost 800+ years.

Even today, Chittagong and Sylhet tend to be the most conservative region in BD. Dhaka (formerly called Murshidabad) only came to prominence during Mughal era and is quite secular compared to those regions.

History is so interesting. I sometimes wish I can go back in time and visualise and experience how all this happened.

 

[gazza619]

Getting rid of Pakistan and its baggage was the best thing that could have happened to Bangladesh.

Their economy is developing rapidly, they are terrorist-free and the world is at peace with them.

Pakistan has made mistakes but things arent easy if you have a border with Aghanistan and Iran.

Bangladesh are also lucky with their location.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Do you actually live in UK? There are half-a-million speakers of Cymraeg in Wales. These people are bilingual. Road signs in 2 languages - surely you must have driven there. Snowdonia is quite stunning.
Gaelic is also a living language in the highlands. These have not fallen into disuse. Indeed there are TV channels for some of them.

They are in decline, I did a thread on them a couple of years back, the younger generation are not learning the languages any more. I posted a BBC article on the plight of Welsh language in the valleys. A few road signs which were put up eons ago is not indicative of current trends.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

India gains nothing but taking over a country of 150m people with an inferior economy. This is not about India - it is about the fact that Bangladesh today are much better off than they would have been had they remained East Pakistan.

Pakistan has made mistakes but things arent easy if you have a border with Aghanistan and Iran.

Bangladesh are also lucky with their location.

One must also take into account that India itself had it's problems with the Afghan border solved by the creation of Pakistan so that became Pakistan's problem instead of India's. Economy aside, I agree that Bangladesh benefited by disassociating with West Pakistan, they will have their own problems in the future with rising water levels, just as Pakistan have had their localised challenges. Geography plays a very important role, and when the two countries faith in Islamic brotherhood was peripheral, that should always take precedence.

 

[Mamoon]

So Billos grandad did a good job according to you.

Not from our perspective. It is also worth noting that the seeds of discrimination in East Pakistan were sown by Quaid himself.

 

[Mamoon]

Pakistan has made mistakes but things arent easy if you have a border with Aghanistan and Iran.

Bangladesh are also lucky with their location.

Correct, but our own mistakes and ill-intentions overshadow the geopolitical constraints that have been imposed on us.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Correct, but our own mistakes and ill-intentions overshadow the geopolitical constraints that have been imposed on us.

The mistakes were committed in the past, almost half a century ago, so while it is right and proper to acknowledge them, which was the purpose of this thread, it is wrong to say they overshadow geopolitical constraints, as both countries have moved on and will be more concerned with current issues.

 

[TM Riddle]

Fine, you've moved to Maharashtra already? Walk a few steps further and you'll reach your land of paradise = BIMARU.

Regards,
Dakshin

What a stupid sounding name Dakshin is.
We will make a grand confederacy of BIMARU+Punjab and Sindh and invade y'all Dosa munchers and make slaves out of you.

 

[CricketCartoons]

What a stupid sounding name Dakshin is.
We will make a grand confederacy of BIMARU+Punjab and Sindh and invade y'all Dosa munchers and make slaves out of you.

madras area is already slave to the BIMARU. not a single prime minister from there, except dewe gowda, while most of them were from the north. they contribute more to the country but they are penalized because they have population control, while UP/Bihar get rewarded with aid and parliament seats. i am surprised why the madras people have't revolted yet. Probably because they are too docile and gentle.

 

[TM Riddle]

madras area is already slave to the BIMARU. not a single prime minister from there, except dewe gowda, while most of them were from the north. they contribute more to the country but they are penalized because they have population control, while UP/Bihar get rewarded with aid and parliament seats. i am surprised why the madras people have't revolted yet. Probably because they are too docile and gentle.

Meek. Meek is the word you are looking for. Even on this forum the 'ji huzoor' contingent is mostly made of Madras people.

 

[Mamoon]

The mistakes were committed in the past, almost half a century ago, so while it is right and proper to acknowledge them, which was the purpose of this thread, it is wrong to say they overshadow geopolitical constraints, as both countries have moved on and will be more concerned with current issues.

Our army and government are still making massive blunders. The former does not have the best interests of the country at heart, while the latter is a civilian face of the military.

Besides, most of our problems are self-created. We cannot whitewash them because of inconvenient geography.

 

[BlackShadow]

Meek. Meek is the word you are looking for. Even on this forum the 'ji huzoor' contingent is mostly made of Madras people.

One of the reasons I like standing next to our gentle annas ...

 

[TM Riddle]

One of the reasons I like standing next to our gentle annas ...

View attachment 86624

)
It's in their water I think. Even the northeners who emigrate there suddenly turn into docile creatures. [MENTION=137142]JaDed[/MENTION]

 

[Bewal Express]

Not from our perspective. It is also worth noting that the seeds of discrimination in East Pakistan were sown by Quaid himself.

I agree that we treated our Bengali brothers badly and Bhutto took advantage to gain power, but there would be no BD either without the Quaid.

 

[Bewal Express]

Our army and government are still making massive blunders. The former does not have the best interests of the country at heart, while the latter is a civilian face of the military.

Besides, most of our problems are self-created. We cannot whitewash them because of inconvenient geography.

Debt when Mush left $37bn(61years), debt after 10 years of "Democracy" stood at $90bn+. Remind us again who has the best interests at heart

 

[Rafa]

I agree that we treated our Bengali brothers badly and Bhutto took advantage to gain power, but there would be no BD either without the Quaid.

When the Language issue started , Jinnah's comment that Urdu and Only Urdu embodied the Spirit of a Muslim Nation and hence should be the State Language divided the Pakistan Nation for the first time.

 

[Swashbuckler]

LOL at the belligerent tone by the Rajput and his friends here. People who were specialists in losing wars want to invade and make slaves out of others ). Good luck fighting with pitchforks and medieval swords because nukes,missiles,space tech are the forte of the South Indians, especially Tamils. Rajputs are the biggest losers in the subcontinent, best suited for losing battles with childlike tactics, jauhar, gifting women to Sultan/Mughal harems and being slaves of others.

Without Tamil Nadu, rest of India would have been gobbled up by Pakistan and China because irrespective of numbers, one can't fight modern wars with swords and spears. All Northies should thank gentle annas every night before going to bed for having the safety net of nuclear power status, instead of talking nonsense. But maybe lack of confidence in their own culture and centuries of foreign rule is the reason behind the moronic aggression on a Pakistani forum, can only pity the inferiority complex of the Rajput poster here.

 

[Bewal Express]

When the Language issue started , Jinnah's comment that Urdu and Only Urdu embodied the Spirit of a Muslim Nation and hence should be the State Language divided the Pakistan Nation for the first time.

I can see why the Quaid did it, as its difficult to build a nation without a common language. But the our Bengali brothers also need to realise that there would be no BD without Quaid.

 

[TM Riddle]

LOL at the belligerent tone by the Rajput and his friends here. People who were specialists in losing wars want to invade and make slaves out of others ). Good luck fighting with pitchforks and medieval swords because nukes,missiles,space tech are the forte of the South Indians, especially Tamils. Rajputs are the biggest losers in the subcontinent, best suited for losing battles with childlike tactics, jauhar, gifting women to Sultan/Mughal harems and being slaves of others.

Without Tamil Nadu, rest of India would have been gobbled up by Pakistan and China because irrespective of numbers, one can't fight modern wars with swords and spears. All Northies should thank gentle annas every night before going to bed for having the safety net of nuclear power status, instead of talking nonsense. But maybe lack of confidence in their own culture and centuries of foreign rule is the reason behind the moronic aggression on a Pakistani forum, can only pity the inferiority complex of the Rajput poster here.

You really can't get sarcasm do you?
And that's a lot of hatred for a community in your post. Such a shame really.

 

[Swashbuckler]

You really can't get sarcasm do you?
And that's a lot of hatred for a community in your post. Such a shame really.

First make incendiary and insulting comments about another community and then hide behind the sorry excuse of sarcasm, seen enough of that here.

Not hatred, but will fight fire with fire. Want respect? then learn to respect others. I am generally not in the habit of talking ill about any community but I didn't start the fire !!!

 

[TM Riddle]

First make incendiary and insulting comments about another community and then hide behind the sorry excuse of sarcasm, seen enough of that here.

Not hatred, but will fight fire with fire. Want respect? then learn to respect others. I am generally not in the habit of talking ill about any community but I didn't start the fire !!!

I apologise if I came across like that.
Everyone involved was having some fun.
Why would I want to insult a community that has produced so many Brilliant people for our country.

 

[TM Riddle]

LOL at the belligerent tone by the Rajput and his friends here. People who were specialists in losing wars want to invade and make slaves out of others ). Good luck fighting with pitchforks and medieval swords because nukes,missiles,space tech are the forte of the South Indians, especially Tamils. Rajputs are the biggest losers in the subcontinent, best suited for losing battles with childlike tactics, jauhar, gifting women to Sultan/Mughal harems and being slaves of others.

Without Tamil Nadu, rest of India would have been gobbled up by Pakistan and China because irrespective of numbers, one can't fight modern wars with swords and spears. All Northies should thank gentle annas every night before going to bed for having the safety net of nuclear power status, instead of talking out of their *****. But maybe lack of confidence in their own culture and centuries of foreign rule is the reason behind the moronic aggression on a Pakistani forum, can only pity the inferiority complex of the Rajput poster here.

Also [MENTION=143530]Swashbuckler[/MENTION] that is simply not true unless you equate a proper marriage with gifting women to Harem.

 

[Swashbuckler]

I apologise if I came across like that.
Everyone involved was having some fun.
Why would I want to insult a community that has produced so many Brilliant people for our country.

Also [MENTION=143530]Swashbuckler[/MENTION] that is simply not true unless you equate a proper marriage with gifting women to Harem.

I too am sorry for my words. My response was in anger and people make exaggerated and deliberately hurtful statements when they are in such a state of mind, so don't take it seriously.

I respect the valour of Rajputs and their contribution towards national security. Nor do I have anything against other North Indians for that matter.

 

[GBK_Fan]

Also [MENTION=143530]Swashbuckler[/MENTION] that is simply not true unless you equate a proper marriage with gifting women to Harem.

Lol!! If you act so sensitive next time to avoid war, the warriors will marry you off.

 

[TM Riddle]

Lol!! If you act so sensitive next time to avoid war, the warriors will marry you off.

Sensitive , how?
I was merely correcting him. Or do you also believe in the crackpot theory that Rajputs gifted their daughters to Mughal Harem. Those were proper marriages.
And not everyone entered into these matrimonial alliances btw. Mewar for instance.

 

[Bosanquet]

They are in decline, I did a thread on them a couple of years back, the younger generation are not learning the languages any more. I posted a BBC article on the plight of Welsh language in the valleys. A few road signs which were put up eons ago is not indicative of current trends.

Do not like to blather on about something that is quite off-topic, but the fact remains that Cymraeg is growing. The most recent survey indicates 850K speak it & the Welsh government has an aim & plan in place to grow this to a million speakers.This too was reported by BBC 3 months ago. So, no , not dying or in decline.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Our army and government are still making massive blunders. The former does not have the best interests of the country at heart, while the latter is a civilian face of the military.

Besides, most of our problems are self-created. We cannot whitewash them because of inconvenient geography.

That's a Pakistan issue, nothing to do with Bangladesh any more so can be addressed in a thread about the army in Pakistan if you like.

 

[JaDed]

)
It's in their water I think. Even the northeners who emigrate there suddenly turn into docile creatures. [MENTION=137142]JaDed[/MENTION]

Ha you wish, I can take you all on!!