Friday, March 20, 2009

The Villains of the Bangla (Bengali) Language Movement -- 5


  • Nurul Amin (1893 - 1974):
Nurul Amin, a Bangali from East Bengal -- later East Pakistan -- was an important figure in Bengal politics as a member of the Muslim League.

In 1946 election, Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy came to power as the Chief Minister of the undivided Bengal and Nurul Amin, from the same party, was elected as the Speaker of the Bengal Assembly, based in Calcutta.

After the independence of Pakistan on August 14, 1947, Nurul Amin was not in the new government of East Bengal (East Pakistan), but was a member of the Pakistan Constituent Assembly (1947-1954).

Nurul Amin was elected the Chief Minister of East Bengal when Chief Minister Khwaja Nazimuddin was appointed the second Governor-General after the death of Mohammed Ali Jinnah. During his Chief Ministership until 1952, his as well as the central government's anti-Bangla policy gradually polarized the Bangla language movement and ultimately led to shootings by his policemen and language martyrdoms.
Align Right
Khwaja Nazimuddin, Prime Minister of Pakistan, on a visit to Dhaka o January 26, 1952, at a public meeting at the Paltan Maidan reiterated late Mohammad Ali Jinnah's policy and statement that Urdu would be the state language of Pakistan. As the Chief Minister, Nurul Amin was present with him at the gathering.


Life-Sketch of Nurul Amin


Nurul Amin was a lawyer, politician, a Chief Minister of East Bengal (East Pakistan) and lastly a Prime Minister of Pakistan. He was born at Shabazpur Village in Brahmanbaria District in 1893. His father's home was at Bahadurpur Village of Mymensingh District. He studied at Mymensingh Zilla School and Mymensingh Ananda Mohan College, from where he passed B.A. in 1919. In 1924, he joined the Mymensingh Judge Court Bar after receiving his Bachelor of Law degree from Calcutta University.

As a member of the Muslim League, he entered politics in 1929. In 1946, he was elected a member of the undivided Bengal Legislative Assembly and was elected its Speaker. From 1947 to 1954, he was a member of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. He was elected the Chief Minister of East Bengal in September, 1948, when Khwaja Nazimuddin was appointed the Governor-General of Pakistan after Mohammad Ali Jinnah's death. He opposed the Bangla language movement. Under his Chief Ministership, the police fired at the language demonstrators on February 21 and 22, 1952 and killed several persons, including students. He was defeated by the United Front candidate in the provincial assembly elections in 1954. As an oppositin leader, he played a strong role against General Ayub Khan's regime.

Nurul Amin was a staunch supporter of a strong and united Pakistan. He, therefore, opposed the Six-Point Programme of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the chief of the Awami League. Later he was against the War of Independence of Bangladesh and fully cooperated with the West Pakistani military machine. From December 7, 1971 to December 20, 1971, he was the Prime Minister of Pakistan, where he continued living till his death by officially accepting the citizenship of that country. From December, 1972 to August, 1973, he was the Vice President of Pakistan. He died in Rawalpindi on October 2, 1974.

The Bangladeshis consider him a traitor and a collaborator with the enemy (West Pakistan).




Bookmark and Share

No comments:

Post a Comment