East Pakistan - Political History

Political History

The Bengal was divided into two provinces on 3 July 1946 in preparation for the Partition of India, the Hindu majority of West Bengal and the Muslim majority of East Bengal. The two provinces each had their own Chief Ministers and Governors. In August 1947, the West Bengal became part of India and East Bengal became part of Pakistan. Throughout this time, the tensions between East Bengal and the West Pakistan led to the One-Unit policy by Bengali Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra. In 1955, most of the western wing was combined to form a new West Pakistan province (which contained four provinces and four territories) while East Bengal became the new province of East Pakistan (a single provisional state). In 1955, Bogra appointed communist leader Abu Hussain Sarkar as Chief Minister and Amiruddin Ahmad as Governor.

Following the promulgation of 1956 Constitution, Prime minister Bogra appointed Bengali bureaucrat and retired Major-General Iskander Mirza was as Interior minister and the Army Commander of army General Ayub Khan as the Defence minister whilst Muhammad Ali remained Economic minister. The main objective of the new government was to end disruptive provincial politics and to provide the country with a new constitution. After a revision, the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared that the Pakistan Constituent Assembly must be called. Governor-General Ghulam Mohammad was unable to circumvent the order, and the new Constituent Assembly, elected by the provincial assemblies, met for the first time in July 1955. Bogra, who had little support in the new assembly, fell in August and was replaced by Choudhry. Ghulam Mohammad, plagued by poor health, was succeeded as governor general in September 1955 by Mirza.