Foundation of the Awami league
Prepared by
Md. Anowarul Islam
Prepared for
Professor Dr. AKM Golam Rabbani
Department of History and Philosophy
North South University
Submission date:
29/07/2017
1
Foundation of the Awami league
Prepared by
Md. Anowarul Islam
Prepared for
Professor Dr. AKM Golam Rabbani
Department of History and Philosophy
North South University
Submission date:
29/07/2017
2
Table of Content:
Sl no Content page
1 Acknowledgement 03
2 Executive summary 03
3 Introduction: 04
4 Formation 05
5 1950s -Language movement and united front’s 21 point 06
6 1960s- Six-point, Agartala and Mass upsurge 07
7 1970s – Liberation, Reconstruction and Tragedy 07
8 1980s- Rejuvenating Party and Restoring Democracy 11
9 1990s- Decade of Democracy and Sheikh Hasina 11
10 2000s-Fighting terror and Restoring Democracy 13
11 2009 to present- progress and Development 13
12 Awami league Leaders 15
13 Conclusion 15
14 References 16
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my faculty Professor Dr, AKM Golam
Rabbani. Who gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful assignment on the topic
Foundation of the Awami league. Which also helped me in doing a lot of research and I knew so
many new things. I am really thankful to them
Secondly I would also like to thank my parents and friends who helped me a lot in finishing this
assignment within the limited time.
Executive summary
The Awami League was founded on 23 June 1949. It was established with Maulana abdul hamid
khan bhasani as president, ataur rahman khan, Sakhawat Hossain and Ali Ahmed Khan as vice-
presidents, Shamsul Hoque as general secretary, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (then interned in jail),
Khondakar Mostaq Ahmed and AK Rafiqul Hussain as joint secretaries, and Yar Mohammad Khan
as treasurer.
Then Awami league plays an important role in Language movement and united front’s 21 point,
Six-point, Agartala and Mass upsurge, Liberation, Reconstruction, Fighting terror and Restoring
Democracy and developed the digital Bangladesh
Introduction:
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Bangladesh Awami League is the oldest and largest political party of Bangladesh. With the
founding and operating principles of democracy, nationalism, socialism and secularism, the party
has become synonymous with progress, prosperity, development and social justice. This publication
gives a brief account of the illustrious history of the party which has become synonymous with that
of the country.
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Formation
It was 1949. The wounds of the partition of the Indian Sub-Continent just two years back were still
fresh. After the creation of Pakistan, it became immediately apparent that the discriminatory
politics of the dominant West Pakistan could not live up to the aspirations of the majority Bangali
people living in East Pakistan. Disenfranchised, a progressive segment of the Muslim League
decided to form their own party.
1949- A party is born:
The Awami League was founded in Rose Garden of KM Das Lane, Dhaka on 23 June 1949 at a
convention of the leaders and workers known to be a faction of the Bengal Provincial Muslim
League headed by huseyn shaheed suhrawardy and abul hashim. The new party was named East
Pakistan Awami Muslim League. It was established with Maulana abdul hamid khan bhasani as
president, ataur rahman khan, Sakhawat Hossain and Ali Ahmed Khan as vice-presidents, Shamsul
Hoque as general secretary, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (then interned in jail), Khondakar Mostaq
Ahmed and AK Rafiqul Hussain as joint secretaries, and Yar Mohammad Khan as treasurer. From
the very inception the Awami League has been a secular and non-communal party. As a mark of its
secular posture, the term 'Muslim' was deleted from the name of the party at its third council
meeting held on 21-23 October 1955.
Historic Rose Garden, Dhaka
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1950s -Language movement and united front’s 21 point:
On 26th January, 1952 the Governor-General Khwaja Nazimuddin announced that Urdu will be the
only state language. While being treated at the Dhaka Medical’s prison ward, Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman communicated with the party leaders and workers and gave directions for waging the
language movement. On 31st January of the same year, with the erstwhile Awami League President
Maulana Bhashani in chair, the ‘All Party State Language Movement Committee’ was formed at the
library hall of Dhaka Bar to press for declaring Bangla as the state language of East Pakistan. On
21st February, the decision was taken to defy government imposed restrictions on movement. The
procession demanding Bengali as the state language was indiscriminately fired upon. Rafique,
Salam, Jabbar, Barkat and Ohiullah became the first martyrs of the Language Movement.
On 9th July, 1953 the first National Council of Awami League held after formation at Mymensingh
elected Maulana Bhashani as the President and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the General Secretary.
On 14th November, the decision was taken to form the ‘United Front’ (Juktofront) with Awami
League in the lead. The historic draft of 21-Point was adopted
On 8th March, 1954 the Provincial Assembly elections returned an overwhelming endorsement for
the 21-Point. At the council session held between 21st to 23rd October, 1955 the word ‘Muslim’
was removed from the name of ‘East Pakistan Awami League’ to make the party more inclusive
and secular.
On 18th March, 1957 Maulana Bhashani resigned from Awami League. On 31st May, after
relinquishing his Cabinet position, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took charge of the party’s rejuvenation
as the General Secretary.
Language movement at Agartala (21st February 1952)
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1960s- Six-point, Agartala and Mass upsurge:
On 7th February, 1962 the military junta started arresting Awami League leaders including Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman. On 5th February, 1966 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman raised the historic 6-Point
demands at Lahore, which was the first concerted movement to press home the aspirations of the
Bangalis. This included, among others, the demands for a federal system of government with
parliamentary elections, autonomy for the provinces, separate currencies, separate taxation systems,
separate foreign exchange accounts, and separate armed forces
From left: six point, Agartala conspiracy and mass upsugre
On 18th January, 1968 Sheikh Mujibur was indicted as Accused No. 1 in the ‘State Vs Sheikh
Mujib and Others’ case. This came to be known infamously as the ‘Agartala Conspiracy’ case. On
10th January of the same year, Student Movement Council announced its 11-Point programme and
movement based on Sheikh Mujib’s 6-Point. On 24th January, in response to the brutal clampdown
on the students, nationwide mass upsurge began. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was set free as the
regime dropped the Agartala Conspiracy Case. On 23rd February, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was
bestowed with the ‘Bangabandhu’ title by students in the presence of hundreds of thousands of
people at Race Course Field, Dhaka. On 25th March, Ayub Khan’s regime fell. General Yahya took
charge, and imposed martial law. On 5th December, Bangabandhu famously announced.
1970s – Liberation, Reconstruction and Tragedy:
ON 7th December, 1970 the decisive general elections in Pakistan were held. Among the 300 seat
Parliament, out of 169 seats in East Pakistan, Awami League won in a landslide 167 seats. This was
followed by another massive win for Awami League in the elections for the Provincial Assembly of
East Bengal, where the party won in 288 out of 300 seats. Rather than hand over power to the
demo-cratically elected Awami League, in March 1971, Yahya announced indefinite postponement
of the session of National Assembly.
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Awami League`s election campaign 1970
On 7 March 1971, Bangabandhu gave his landmark speech, effectively declaring Bangladesh’s
independence. His words ‘This time the struggle is for our liberation, this time the struggle is for
our independence. On 23rd March 1971, the purported negotiations effectively broke down.
Bangabandhu raised the National Flag at his Dhanmondi residence with this own hands
On the dark night of 25th March 1971, the Pakistani military launched the infamous ‘Operation
Searchlight’, the genocide and mass killing of the unarmed, civilian Bangalis. At the late night of
25th March, and the early hours of 26th March, and before he was arrested, Bangabandhu formally
declared the independence of Bangladesh. Through the wireless of the erstwhile East Pakistan
Rifles (EPR), The Liberation War had begun
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Government formed at Mujibnagar
Bangabandhu was arrested and taken to Pakistan. On 10th April 1971, the elected representatives of
Bangladesh got together and form ‘Bangladesh Mass Council’. The council endorsed the 26th
March declaration of independence by Bangabandhu and drafted an instrument of independence.
They elected Bangabandhu as the President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and formed a
Cabinet with Deputy President Syed Nazrul Islam as the acting President and Tajuddin Ahmed as
the Prime Minister. On 17th April, the newly formed Cabinet took oath at ‘Mujibnagar’, a liberated
part of the country and was announced to be the temporary capital of independent Bangladesh
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On 16th December 1971, the Pakistani forces surrendered at the historic Race Course Field, Dhaka.
After being freed from his Pakistani prison, Bangabandhu returned home on 10th January 1972. On
12th January, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took oath as the first Prime Minister of the
independent and sovereign Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Awami league council session (20 January 1974)
In 1974, when the anti-liberation forces accelerated their disruptive activities, Bangabandhu felt the
necessity of uniting all the pro-Liberation forces of the country under one banner. To this end, he
formed the Bangladesh Krishak-Sramik Awami League on 24 January, 1975.
the cruelest assassination of history took place on August 15, 1975.Father of the Nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family killed by anti-liberation group helped by
some army. The killers did not just stop there. In November 1975, they killing the four national
leaders, Syed Nazrul Islam, Mohammad Mansoor Ali, Tajuddin Ahmed and AHM Kamruzzaman
inside Dhaka Central Jail.
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From left: Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Mohammad Mansoor Ali and AHM Kamruzzaman
1980s- Rejuvenating Party and Restoring Democracy:
In 1981, the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina, who
remained in exile since 1975, was elected the President of Bangladesh Awami League. A new era
for the party began to emerge from the shadow of the 1975 tragedy. She returned home on 17th
May after being in exile for more than 5 years
1990s- Decade of Democracy and Sheikh Hasina:
In 3rd January, 1990 Sheikh Hasina, who was quickly gaining popularity around the country for her
straightforward statements and honest, pro-people policies, declared her “7-Point Movement for
Right to Food and Vote”. In February 1991, in the first elections held after the fall of the then
military regime, the Sheikh Haisna-led Awami League won 88 out 300 seats in the National
Parliament. However, the party actually won 30.08% of the total votes cast, while the Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (which formed the Government) did only slightly better with 30.81%.
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On 12th June 1996, Awami League won majority in National Parliamentary Elections. A new era of
development, peace and prosperity was ushered in, not seen in the country since the death of the
Father of the Nation in 1975. The country saw major mile-stones during this period. On 2nd
December of the same year, Sheikh Hasina signed the historic Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace
Accord, bringing an end to decades of conflict and unrest in the hill areas. Overall development was
noticeable as the country progressed in all economic and social indicators.
Sheikh Hasina takes oath as the prime minister of Bangladesh (june 23, 1996)
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In 1999, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was nominated for the UNESCO Peace Prize for bringing
peace in the Hill Tracts and won the Ceres Medal from UN FAO for her work in fighting hunger.
2000s-Fighting terror and Restoring Democracy:
In 2001, Hundreds of thousands of Awami League workers and members of minority communities
were killed, raped and harassed. In the most notorious of such attacks, on 21st August, 2004, a
grenade attack was launched at an Awami League rally in Bangabandhu Avenue, Dhaka aiming to
render the party leaderless including eliminating Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Hasina suffered serious
injury to her hearing. 24 people including Awami League workers were killed.
In August 2005, the terrorist group Jamaatul Mujaheedin Bangladesh detonated 500 bombs
simultaneously across the country. Awami League and its leaders became constant targets for these
groups, emboldened by the inaction and often help of the BNP-Jamaat government.
After being released, on 12th December, a rejuvenated Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina
unveiled the election manifesto called ‘Dinbodoler Shonod’ (Manifesto of Change) which high-
lighted such aims as turning Bangladesh into a technology advanced middle income country by the
year 2021. Resonating among the people, especially the youth and first time voters, on 29th
December 2008, the Awami League-led Grand Alliance won a landslide victory in the national
elections by securing 264 out of 300 seats.
2009 to present- progress and Development:
Since 2009, Bangladesh has experienced its most rapid development period to date. Maintaining
around 6.4% average economic growth over seven years, while the world was experiencing a global
economic meltdown, the country made tremendous strides
in most major economic indicators such as export earnings, remittance income, per capita income,
and foreign exchange reserves. In 2015, the country for the first time since its independence,
became a lower middle income country from a low income country. Poverty has been brought down
from over 37% to 22.4%.
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The country has seen rapid progress in such crucial sectors as education, healthcare, food security,
creating jobs, empowering women, providing access to energy, fighting terrorism and so on.
Especially due to the successes of the last seven years, Bangladesh became a bright example in the
developing world for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Under the Digital
Bangladesh vision of Awami League, Bangladesh is quickly transforming itself into the next IT
hub. Sheikh Hasina, her government, and the country under her leadership has won numerous
prestigious international awards for successes in ICT, MDGs, education, reducing hunger,
empowering women etc.
On the international front, Sheikh Hasina led Awami League is playing an active role in addressing
such crucial global issues as terrorism and violent extremism, migration and refugee issues, climate
change, women empowerment, increased regional connectivity and cooperation and developing a
culture of peace. Bangladesh is also currently the second largest troops contributing country in the
world for UN Peacekeeping missions.
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Awami league Leaders:
1. Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, 2. Shamsul Hoque , 3. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman, 4. Maulana Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish, 5. Tajuddin Ahmed, 6. Zillur Rahman, 7. AHM
Kamruzzaman, 8. Syed Zohra Tajuddin, 9. Abdul Malek Ukil, 10. Sheikh Hasina, 11. Abdur
Razzaq, 12. Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, 13. Abdul Jalil, 14. Syed Ashraful Islam
Conclusion:
Bangladesh Awami League is an inextricable part of the country’s historical events, both
triumphant and tragic. However, with its deep roots in history and tradition, it has always proved to
be the most for-ward looking party as well. With Awami League in power, the people can be
optimistic of an even better future for themselves and the country.
Joy Bangla Joy Bangabandhu
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References;
http://en.banglapedia.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://muktimusician.wordpress.com/63yearsofawamileague/
https://www.albd.org/index.php/en/party/history
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