Provisional Government of Bangladesh

Provisional Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh
গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ অস্থায়ী সরকার
Gônôprôjatôntri Bangladesh Ôsthayi Sôrkar
1971–1972
Status Provisional government
Capital Mujibnagar
Capital-in-exile Calcutta
Common languages Bengali
Government Transitional Republic
President  
• 1971–1972
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Prime Minister  
Historical era Bangladesh Liberation War
• Formation
17 April 1971
• Independence
12 January 1972
Preceded by		Succeeded by
East Pakistan
People's Republic of Bangladesh
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The Provisional Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was established following the declaration of independence of East Pakistan on 10 April 1971. It was the supreme leadership of the Bangladeshi liberation movement. It included the first cabinet of Bangladesh; the nascent Bangladeshi diplomatic corps; the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh; the Mukti Bahini military, paramilitary and guerrilla forces; and the Independent Bangladesh Radio.

The provisional government was formed in the town of Mujibnagar (formerly Baidyanathtala). Its capital in exile was Calcutta, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal and the former capital of British India, which hosted thousands of Bangladeshi refugees escaping the 1971 genocide. The provisional government included many defectors from the Pakistani government, foreign service and military; as well as leading intellectuals and cultural figures from East Pakistan. Its chief executive was Tajuddin Ahmad, the first Bangladeshi Prime Minister.

A worldwide campaign was undertaken by the Provisional Government to garner support for Bangladesh's independence, genocide victims and refugees. It appointed special envoys and operated representative missions in New Delhi, Washington D.C. and London among many other cities.

Formation

The provisional government was established in the town on Baidyanathtala in Meherpur, Kushtia District. Its leaders were administered their oaths at a mango orchard near the site of the Battle of Plassey, in which the British defeated the last independent Nawab of Bengal in 1757.[1]

Sculpture of Provisional Government of Bangladesh

Constitution

The legal basis of the Bangladeshi provisional government was provided by the proclamation of independence issued on 10 April 1971, which served as the interim constitution of Bangladesh until 1972. It declared that Pakistan failed to convene its elected representatives for framing a new constitution on 3 March 1971; and instead launched an "unjust and treacherous war", a reference to the 1971 Bangladesh genocide.[2] As a result, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, described as the undisputed leader of the 75 million people of East Pakistan, fulfilled aspirations for self-determination by declaring Bangladesh's independence on 26 March 1971.

The proclamation declared Bangladesh as a People's Republic with equality, human dignity and social justice as its fundamental principles.[2]

Cabinet

Office holderName(s) Notes
PresidentSheikh Mujibur Rahman Nominal president. Detained in West Pakistan throughout the war.
Vice PresidentSyed Nazrul Islam Acting President
Prime MinisterTajuddin Ahmad Principal wartime political leader.
Head of the Planning Commission Nurul Islam Chief economic policymaker
Defence MinisterColonel M. A. G. Osmani Commander-in-Chief of the Mukti Bahini
Finance MinisterMansur Ali
Home MinisterAbul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman
Foreign MinisterKhondaker Mostaq Ahmad
Abdus Samad Azad		 Ahmad was removed after attempting secret talks with Islamabad

Parliament

The interim constitution converted elected Bengali members of Pakistan's national and provincial assemblies into members of the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh.

Armed forces

The military wing of the provisional government was the Mukti Bahini. The Bangladeshi liberation guerrillas were based in camps on the East Pakistan-India border.[3] In December, it joined Indian forces as part of a combined Bangladesh-Indian allied offensive against Pakistan, which resulted in victory.

Bureaucracy

Many Bengali members of the Civil Service of Pakistan defected to the government of Bangladesh. Dr. Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, Nurul Kader Khan, S. A. Samad, Khondker Asaduzzaman, Dr. Sa'dat Hussain and Dr. Akbar Ali Khan were early leaders of the newly formed Bangladesh Civil Service. The provisional government established an elaborate structure of administrative departments. Yusuf Ali and J. G. Bhowmik served as the chief Relief Commissioners for Bangladeshi refugees. The noted artist Quamrul Hassan served as Director of Art and Design. Calcutta and Agartala were the main centres of the government-in-exile.

Key diplomats

NameTitleMission
Humayun Rashid ChoudhuryAmbassador-at-LargeNew Delhi
Abul Maal Abdul MuhithAmbassador-at-LargeWashington D.C.
Rehman SobhanSpecial EnvoyWashington D.C.
Justice Abu Sayeed ChowdhuryChief Overseas Representative[4]London
Abul FatehAmbassador-at-LargeCalcutta

Cultural wing

The Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra served as the cultural propaganda wing of the Bangladeshi provisional government.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Genesis of Bangladesh's Constitution". The Daily Star. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 http://www.docstrangelove.com/uploads/1971/sbbk/documents/Proclamation%201971_M_Dalil_Vol_03_MMR.pdf
  3. ↑ Bass, Gary J. (2013). The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a Forgotten Genocide. Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 96, 98. ISBN 978-0-307-70020-9. India worked closely with the self-declared Bangladeshi government in exile ... planned camps where the Indian army would train Bengali nationalist guerrillas ... General [J. F. R.] Jacob remembers, 'The [Indian] government asked us to train the Mukti Bahini, so we set up camps, with the BSF [Border Security Force] at the border areas.'
  4. ↑ http://www.mofa.gov.bd/foreign-minister/mr-abul-hassan-mahmood-ali-mp
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