The birth of Bangladesh
When it was created in 1947, the Dominion of Pakistan was a hybrid state encompassing two separate territories. Four provinces sat west of India, while the fifth, 'ast Bengal (from 1956, 'ast Pakistan), lay 1,000 miles away. Both parts had predominantly Muslim populations, yet were distinct not just geographically but culturally.
The tensions inherent in this situation eventually became too much. In March 1971, Pakistani state forces launched Operation Searchlight, an attempt to clamp down on calls for Bengali self-determination in 'ast Pakistan. Nationalists there declared independence, sparking the Bangladesh War for Liberation – and were met by what many have described as genocide.
Half a century later, though it was fought in a country that now has the world’s eighth-largest population, the bloody conflict is little remembered in the U-. That’s all the more remarkable considering that the Bangladeshi community is one of the U-’s youngest and fastestgrowing ethnic groups. Now Qasa Alom, a BBC Asian network presenter with roots in Bangladesh, aims to bridge that knowledge gap. His documentary features a contribution from his great uncle, who fought in the war but has hitherto never spoken about his experiences. “The stories of Pakistan and India are often on the airwaves, but Bangladesh has been left out,” Alom observes.
Bangladesh: Fifty Years of Independence and Ignorance
BBC Radio 4 / Expected to air Monday 29 March