The Formation of United Front in 1954: Its Political Significance

The United Front was an alliance of ideological groups in East Bengal which challenged and
won Pakistan's first provincial general election of East Bengal Legislative Assembly in 1954.
There were mainly four political parties to form this alliance. As, it was the first provincial
general election of Pakistan, the Awami Muslim League wanted to defeat the current political
party, Muslim league which was in power in that period of time, in a lamentable way. So,
Mawlana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani a.k.a. Mawlana Bashani from Awami Muslim League
formed the United Front. These four political parties are, the Awami Muslim League, the
Krishak Praja Party, the Ganatantri Dal and the Nizam-e-Islam.
The formation of United Front was very much necessary in that time for the people of East
Pakistan, to know the main reasons behind its formation we have to go a little backward in
timline. Pakistan was formed in 1947 but in seven long years there was no provincial election
which is very much unpleasant for the people of East Pakistan as they were deprived from
most of their privilege as the citizen. In 1946, Nurul Amin, last Bangla leader of Pakistan
assisted Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the East Bengal and Muhammad Ali Jinnah assured him
that Pakistan will be a democratic country, so Nurul Amin promoted the unity of muslims in
East Bengal. But after the death of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Khawaza Nazimuddin was elected
Nurul Amin the chief minister of East Pakistan. The provincial government of East Pakistan
posed no good political power in their own constituency. As Chief Minister Nurul Amin
could not maintained good political relation with the Prime Minister Liakat Ali Khan and also
with the Governor General Khawaja Nazimuddin though he had very good relation with
Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Even Nurul Amin’s provincial government was not strong enough to
administrate the East Pakistan. Actually, Chief Minister Nurul Amin did not have enough
power to control his state, full control of the state was in the hand of the central government.
Dissatisfaction of his own people gradually increased and Nurul Amin’s government faced
dilemma in that period of time.
The central government was trying their best to make Urdu the only state language of
Pakistan. Even in 1950, the central government suggested to write Bangla in Arabic Script
which finally lead to form ‘Shorbodolio Kendrio Rashtrobasha Kormi Porishad’ to direct the
movement for Bangla as a state language in 31st January, 1952 and some resolutions were
demanded. Some of these demands are, Bangla must be one of the state languages of Pakistan
and to denounce the attempt the introduction of Arabic script for Bangla language. This
committee also called for an all-out protest on 21st February, 1952. All of these historical
incidents were happening in the period of Nurul Amin’s state government. On 18th February,
1952 the government enforced section 144 in the Dhaka University and the adjoining area to
stop the protests but on 21st February the most significant protest regarding Bangla language
placed in our history. Students started to gather in front of Dhaka Medical College, Awami
Muslim League’s General Secretary Shamsul Haq and Dhaka University’s Vice Chancellor
asked the students not to violet section 144. But the students spontaneously decided to break
the police line and defy section 144. Meanwhile the police started to fire tear gas to break the
chain then the Vice Chancellor asked them to stop firing and ordered the students to leave the
area. Be that as it may, the police captured a few students for opposing section 144 as they
endeavoured to leave. Incensed by the captures, the students met around East Bengal
Legislative Assembly and blocked the legislators’ way, requesting that they present their
request at the assembly. At the point when a gathering of students tried to storm into the
building, police started firing and executed various students, including Abdus Salam, Rafiq
Uddin Ahmed, Abul Barkat and Abdul Jabbar. The government press notes acknowledged 3
deaths and 2 injured although the actual number was much higher. On 22nd February,
widespread agitation took place in the city throughout the day. The EPR, police and army
lobbed teargas shells, firing upon them, killing and injuring many at different places of the
city and four people were killed according to the report of ‘Daily Azadi’ And on 26th
February, seeing no alternative, Nurul Amin proposed in the legislative council to give
Bangla state language and passed unanimously.
After such incidents the intellectuals and politicians of our country started to believe that they
need their own political parties to gather and form an alliance to beat the Muslim League in
the 1954 provincial election. Thus, the United Front was created.

In the meantime, people were very much aware of their rights in East Pakistan, the Muslim
League was fully defeated by the United Front. It was in this turnover that Nurul Amin lost
his assembly seat to a veteran student leader of East Pakistan, Khaleque Nawaz Khan, who
had likewise been dynamic in the Language Movement. The Muslim League was viably
wiped out from the provincial political scene. The United Front gained a landslide victory
with 223 Muslim seats from 237 Muslim seats in provincial election, 1954. But it is a very
much unpleasant situation for Bengalis that United Front stayed only for 56 days in the power
of state government. Central Pakistan did not want to continue the United Front’s provincial
government so they created their conspiracy to unseat the United Front. Golam Mohammad,
the governor general of Pakistan during that time dismissed the United Front government on
a flimsy pretext of the riot between the Bengalis and Non-Bengalis at the Adamjee Jute Mill
as well as the Karnafuli Paper Mill, but it was a matter of sorrow this was provoked by
Pakistan government to regain their political power in East Pakistan. Political leaders like
Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fajlul Huq, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and many other
political leaders and supporters were arrested at that time. Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fajlul Huq
uttered separatist words in this time. As East Pakistan Awami Muslim League was the key
initiator for the United Front and they have lost their regime as well as their manifesto during
the 1954 provincial election, in order to reflect non-communal political ideology changed its
name to ‘East Pakistan Awami League’ from ‘East Pakistan Awami Muslim League’. So, the
Bengalis and the minority ethnic groups had their opportunity to be merged into the stream of
nationalism. On the other hand, the members of the party who were in the national assembly
and the provincial government remained vocal inside the government to perform important
rule as a pro-people party. A. K. Fajlul Huq, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Mawlana Abdul
Hamid Khan Bhashani become politically more active that time. In 1955, with mutuality in
numbers another election of constituent assembly occurred and a coalition government
formed. Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy become the opposition party leader in the national
assembly. Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fajlul Huq became Home Minister of the coalition
government. In the meantime, Pakistan allied with United States of America in the cold war.
Pakistan joined CENTO and CEATO to strong their defence against India. There were
protests in East Pakistan against the Pakistan’s alignment in the Cold War. Even Huseyn
Shaheed Suhrawardy hold the same opinion with Pakistan government. But Mawlana Abdul
Hamid Khan Bhashani did not like the approach of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and he left
East Pakistan Awami League and later on he joined with the left-wing politics. Communists
of our country played a crucial role during this time, leaders who did not campaign under
their own party banner but preferred to contest as nominees of the United Front eventually
they won 15 seats, they were politically active from the background. During this time, the
Pakistani authorities made reforms, East Pakistan Prime Minister Abu Hosain Sarker laid the
foundation stone of Shaheed Minar, including granting official status to the Bengali language
in 1956 alongside Urdu. So, two major points of United Front from their ‘Twenty-One Point
Program’ were already established.
Pakistan was able to form their constitution after many hardships in 1956. Iskandar Mirza
became the first President of Pakistan. But as Pakistan was a newly born country the chaos
remains as usual. Prime Minister Iskandar Mirza voided the current constitution and enforced
Martial Law. Enforcing the Martial Law cost him much more, his Army Commander
General Ayub Khan dismissed him when the situation between them escalated and Iskandar
Mirza lived in the United Kingdom for the remainder of his life. Because of Iskandar Mirza
the democracy of Pakistan became more vulnerable. After assuming the power, he dissolved
the central and the provincial assemblies, banned all the political activities of the parties, all
fundamental rights were suspended, many political faces of East Pakistan who were in the
United Front like Bangabondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Mawlana Abdul Hamid Khan
Bhashani were kept in jail. Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fajlul Huq already was in his political
retirement. The momentum of the whole country was in danger. Though the relation with the
neighbour China became stronger but the relation with Soviet Union become worse during
his period of Martial Law. He postponed the general election of 1959. He initiated a new
system called basic democracy to linger the autocratic rule. It was an indirect election
process; he was elected as the president of Pakistan and the administrative power was
centralized on the West Pakistan and the discrimination between the two parts became
blatant. After three years of autocratic regime of Ayub Khan’s period agitation started in East
Pakistan against him. It was further intensified when Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was also
arrested in 1962. Bangabondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman also arrested again. People of East
Pakistan launched movement demanding their unconditional realease including all other
political detainees. The students of East Pakistan became the voice against the form of
government proposed by Ayub Khan. They also declared 15-point demands. Mawlana Abdul
Hamid Khan Bhashani got released from jail and formed the National Democratic Front to
reinstate the constitutional government. They gained the trust of mass people with their
political agenda against the military rules while they were campaigning for the Presidential
election in 1965. On the other hand, Pakistan started complaining about some songs, poems
of our National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam as Anti-islamic and people started feeling more urge
for the politics of Secular Bengali nationalism.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman started the long movement against the Pakistan
government’s discriminatory policies against the people of East Pakistan by his deep 6 points
demands which had influences from the 21 point demands of United Front. The 6 points
included economic, martial and other rights of the people of East Pakistan. For his 6-points
programme the Pakistan government blamed Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as a
Secessionist and enemy of Pakistan. But Mawlana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani was not on
the same position with Bangabandhu there. On the other hand, Bangabandhu was trying to
form revolutionary wings in the armed forces but it was disclosed to the Pakistan authority
before being in action, which was referred as ‘Agartala Case’. It was termed as a conspiracy
case and a charge was framed against total 35 persons including Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman and many other political leaders, Army Officers, Civil Servants and other
civilians. As the trial begun a fierce movement was launched by the people of East Pakistan
to withdraw the case. The mass people of our country joined the agitation on the 11 point
demands of the students. The political movement on the basis 6- and 11-point demands took
root among the masses, Mawlana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani also joined with the
movement and asked to withdraw the conspiracy case. Meanwhile he also tried to reengage
the democracy and socialism.

In 1969, the most important movement against the Pakistani rulers were launched. All
democratic parties and the mass people joined the movement which is referred as ‘The Mass
Uprising of Sixty-Nine’. The movement took a whole new turn when Dr. Shamsujjoha, a
professor of University of Rajshahi and Asaduzzaman Asad, a student of University of Dhaka
became the victims of brutal killings by the Pakistan military. The mass people of our country
along with the politicians became ferocious in the movement and Ayub Khan was forced to
release Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with no remaining charges along with the
consequences he was left no other way then resigning his post and give General Yahia Khan
his position.

Yahia Khan was the next dictator in Pakistan. He promised to hold a general Election. In
1970, the central parliament election took place, The Awami League (Bangabandhu), The
National Awami Party (Mawlana Bhashani), The Democratic Party, Pakistan People’s Party
(Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) and others. Though NAP did not participate in the election as there was
devastating Cyclone hitted East Pakistan’s coastal area. The election was a great contest
between PPP and Awami League. The Awami League won a landslide victory as mass
people were by the party’s side, people were wanting to implement the 6- and 11-point
demands to live with their rights. But the Assembly was initially not inaugurated as Yahia
Khan as well as PPP did not want a party from East Pakistan to rule the country. This caused
very much unrest situation in East Pakistan and this led to our Liberation war eventually. It
played a vital role to transform people’s spirit to freedom of our country. By electing United
Front in 1954 and also by electing Awami League in 1970 the mass people of our country
should that we were in need of our independence. The formation of United Front showed us
the path and later on the allies proved us the independence of our country.