ভাষা শহীদ ও কাশ্মীর ইস্যু, পাট চাষীদের দাবী ও সরকারের অনিয়ম নিজ দল নিয়ে প্রেস কনফারেন্সে ভাষণ
৩০ মে ১৯৫২, করাচী
ভাষণটির অডিও না থাকায় শ্রোতাদের জন্য অডিও রেকর্ড করে দিয়েছেন সংগ্রামের নোটবুক এর একজন নাম প্রকাশে অনিচ্ছুক কণ্ঠযোদ্ধা।
শুরুতে অডিও ও নীচে টেক্সট দেয়া হল।
ভাষা শহীদ ও কাশ্মীর ইস্যু, পাট চাষীদের দাবী ও সরকারের অনিয়ম নিজ দল নিয়ে প্রেস কনফারেন্সে ভাষণ
৩০ মে ১৯৫২, করাচী
I am very happy to be here. I have availed of the earliest opportunity after my release from Jail to come over to West Pakistan to acquaint our brethren here with the conditions obtaining in our part of Pakistan and to remove the clouds of misunderstanding that have been deliberately cast in the minds of the people here particularly on the State Language Movement which convulsed the country for a long time.
Ever since the creation of Pakistan the people of Pakistan have been making persistent demand of making Bengali as one of the state languages it being the mother-tongue of 45 millions people of Pakistan. We made it quite clear that we are not adverse to Urdu, on the contrary we have been advocating sincerely that for mutual understanding and goodwill, the people of East Pakistan must learn Urdu and those of West Pakistan, Bengali. But the ruling clique in Pakistan has been insisting on destroying the language of the people of East Pakistan, and in their attempt to do so have introduced Arabic scripts into Bengali.
They contend that Bengali is a sanskritised Hindu language and it is the language of Hindu culture. They betray their utter ignorance about the origin and the history of the language. To enter into a discussion as to how far Bengali language has been the creation of the Muslim rulers, poets, people, and how far they enriched the language and literature would be to recount the entire history of the last five centuries and I would refrain from entering into such a long discussion. Suffice it to say, that there is absolutely no sense in saying that Bengali is the language of the Hindus.
This bogey has been raised by persons who do not even know the very alphabets of the language and who are following the footsteps of their erstwhile masters- the Britishers who replaced persian, the language of the Muslims by English and turned the Muslim Community into a host of drawers of water and hewers of wood.
In the year 1948, Khawaja Nazimuddin, the then Prime Minister of East Pakistan during the first State Language movement entered into a written agreement with the committee of Action to give Bengali the status of state language along with Urdu. But the same gentleman, while making a speech at Dacca Maidan on the 27th of January, threw his pledge to the winds and declared that Urdu shall be the only State Language of Pakistan. Thus creates terrible resentment in the mind of the people particularly the intelligential who had suffered during the 1948-movement. You are certainly aware of what followed thereafter and how several valuable lives were lost before the bullets of the Nazimuddin government.
The reason for Khawaja Nazimuddin hitting on the language problem is not far to seek.
It is a common knowledge that the Muslim League has forfeited the confidence of the people and exists only on the various Safety Acts and other undemocratic and dishonest methods. By introducing the language controversy, he wanted to create a cleavage between the East and West Pakistan and his main purpose was to find a plea in this lawful movement to suppress the opposition by oppression and intimidation. You will be surprised to hear that although the government was the sole aggressor on the peaceful students and people and there was not a single instance of violence from the students arrested over 500 workers and leaders mostly Awami Leaguers and student-leaders and workers throughout the province, including Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani the President and the Secretary of the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League.
You are certainly aware that due to the popularity of the Awami Muslim League and since the defeat of the Muslim League candidate by the secretary of the Awami League in the Tangail by-election in 1949, as many as 26 by-elections in the province have been held up for last four years. The Muslim League candidates were defeated hollow in the Municipal and District Board elections everywhere.
This occasion was created to let loose the engine of oppression in East Pakistan to frighten the people on the eve of the general election. But that is not to be. Khawaja Nazimuddin has misjudged the people of East Pakistan with whom he never had any personal contact throughout his life as he was supported by popular votes. The recent oppression has only strengthened the stamina and determination of the people to fight the menace, namely the Sarkare Muslim League. You also know that within 6 months of the formation of Awami Muslim League, the President Secretary, Joint Secretary and many workers of the organizations were thrown into prison.
I myself was in detention for about two and a half years. The awami Leagures were prevented from their lawful activities of holding meetings, though promulgation of the British regime namely the Nawabs, knights, Khan-Bahadurs and ex-Muslim congressites. The people of East Pakistan are united to throw the unholy combination from power by all constitutional means.
The insufficiency, corruption and nepotism of the Muslim League government have been responsible for the death of about 20,000 men due to famine in the Khulna district alone. Lots of people in the Barisal and other districts are facing death. Thousands of beggars infest the towns of East Pakistan due to scarcity of food. This state of affairs is a challenge to Islam and Pakistan. But the Muslim League and its government are callous to these.
All the resources and engines of the Government are utilized for keeping their Gaddi intact and permanent. This greed and corruption brought the price of salt to Rs. 16/- a seer, unknown in the history of the world.
Jute which is the main cash crop in the East Pakistan, and provides 75% of the trade of Pakistan has been virtually killed at the alter of the greed of businessmen like Ispahanis and the agents of Muslim Leage, the growers have been pauperized as they could not get even the cost of production and the foreign buyers have been scared away due to uneconomic prices exacted by the greedy traders. Betel nuts and tobacco, two next important cash crops have also been totally upset due to unsound and suicidal policy of the Muslim League Government. I would invite the people of West Pakistan and particularly the journalists to go over to the rural areas in East Bengal and see for themselves the awful plight of the people. If this government is allowed to continue in power any more, the whole community will be turned into Arabian desert and 90% people will become destitute. The educational structure of East Pakistan has been completely shattered. The Ministry is spending lacs of rupees on false propaganda mainly to lull the people into sleep. Hundreds of plans are published in government papers and magazines and the govern subsidized papers.
This weak and timid Muslim League Ministry are responsible for the killing in Kashmir. 5 years are passing but no solution is in sight. Our brothers in Kashmir are gasping under Dogra-Abdulla regime and the Muslim League government looking helplessly to the Anglo-American dominated Security Council for the solution of Kashmir problem. This hopelessness might have increased the bargaining power of America with India but it can never help us in getting back Kashmir. In spite of such glaring failure and timidity on their own part the Muslim League Government invokes unity on the scene of Kashmir. But I can tell you with confidence that you can not get back Kashmir under this week, worthless leadership if not once removed. We remember the great Calcutta Killing when all these people who now though clique preside over our destiny fled away on the sight of danger and it was the valiant leadership of Mr Suhrawardy and the people that own us this battle. We make our people bold and fearless and not frighten them as the Muslim Leagurers. It is a shame and disgrace that Pakistan being the greatest Muslim State in the world, should dance in the tune of the oppression.
Anglo American Imperialist even on the face of their oppression and
Pressure of Muslims on the Middle East and Tunisia. The tragedy is that the people who were nurtured in the British Imperialism are in the helm of administration today in our country. We are free in name and not in substance. Where is the constitution of the charter of the right of the people of a free country?
So far Awami League is concerned it advocates a policy of active neutrality. We are not to side with or merge any block. We may accept help from any country construction, progress and prosperity of our people provided it is voluntary unconditional and free from political or economic interferences. We have open mind to receive the best from the other countries of the world to emulate in our soil as a free, independent sovereign country.
Awami League will contest all the Muslim seats in the East Bengal Assembly. The election must be fair and free. All our workers and leaders detained under security must be released forthwith. Freedom of expression must be allowed. Ban on newspapers must be removed. If the methods of the Punjab and NWFP are repeated in East Bengal we shall resist them tooth and nail, because the absence of free election will launch the country in chaos and disaster.
The Muslim League Ministers want to confuse the people by saving that there is no difference of programme between Awami League and Muslim League. This is false. The Muslim League
has no programme. It only talks vague on the problems of the country, whereas East Pakistan Awami League has its published manifesto. It aims at economic betterment of the people on the basis of a set programme. It stands far abolition of Zamindari without compensation, nationalization of Jute and other key industries, to develop industries on Government initiative narrowing down the gap between the highly paid and low paid officers and assuring minimum living wages to all. It stands for free compulsory education and thorough change in the educational system in the light of independence. It stands for eradicating evils of corruption, bribery, favouratism, nepotism by practical means. In short the party pledg to uplift the condition of masses and aimed a classless society based on Islamic equity and justice.
Reference:
Hasina, S. (2018) Secret Document of Intelligence Branch on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Vol – II, p 217-222, Sheikh Hasina, Hakkani Publishers
বঙ্গবন্ধুর ভাষণসমগ্র, সংগ্রামের নোটবুক