Naeem, 3

Anusha Naeem18020418Pakistan Studies: Sec 2Jogendra Nath Mandals resignation letter deals with the development of the pogroms which took place in the 1950s. He was the leader of the scheduled classes, who was somewhat tricked into joining the Muslim League before partition, being promised certain terms. However, post-partition, the Muslim league took a big turn, which is evident in the several incidents narrated by Mandal in his letter, where Hindus were persecuted and treated mercilessly especially in East Bengal.Mandal addressed this letter to Liaquat Ali khan, the Pakistani prime minister back then. Besides stating the obvious about him resigning, he clearly narrates the atrocities that took place in Bengal. He talks about the many incidents narrated by others as well as his own encounters, such as in Digharkul village regarding the fish net incident where the Muslim incorrectly blamed a Namahsudra for assaulting him. In these areas the persecuted were mishandled, there houses distributed to the Muslims, their women raped and their institutions occupied. Mandal had made some important requests to the government at several occasions hoping to bring the situation to the higher authorities notice, however these negotiations failed, and he felt that he was being ignored. Time and again he tries to reiterate that even when he gave his full support and compliance to the Muslim league by following their orders, at the end he got nothing in return, which shows the leagues insularity.He also states that the Bengalis had no say in either the political aspects or the economic aspects of their province, regardless of being Hindu or Muslim. They were being ruled by those in Karachi, he says East Bengal has been transformed into a colony of the western belt of Pakistan. Similarly, Ayesha Jalal in The state of marital rule writes that despite the many new possibilities available in the matrix, factional infighting led to political problems in east Bengal. She continues by saying, that here the administration was filled with Punjabi and non-Bengali officials (84).Despite negotiations concerning the Delhi agreement, the situation seemed hopeless and the agreement was considered no more than a piece of paper. The east Bengal government was in no way willing to help the Hindus, they had robbed them of their professions and they had no place to live. They were being squeezed out, but had no place to go, where they could settle.Mandal seems to believe that the Quaid-e-Azams Pakistan has been lost; meaning, the land which promised equality and protection of the rights of the minorities has vanished. The sole spokesman shares a parallel reference, stating that Jinnah wanted to regonised as a leader for the Muslims at an all-India level, and to gain this he wanted to achieve acceptance from the provincial level as well (Jalal 4). This shows that Jinnah as a leader thought it important to be acknowledged by all, however his ideas disintegrated after his death and his followers went astray which led to the many violence related incidents mentioned in Mandals letter.All these conditions can be compared to the situation of the subcontinent before India was partitioned, where the Muslims were greatly mistreated and had to face very similar hardships at the hands of the Hindus.To sum up his feelings and emotions using one quote, I only asked myself "What was coming to Pakistan in the name of Islam.Words: 557

Works cited: Jalal,Ayesha. Constructing the State, State of Martial Rule: The origins of Pakistans Political Economy of Defence. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990) Jalal, Ayesha.The sole spokesman: Jinnah, the Muslim League and the demand for Pakistan. Vol. 31. Cambridge University Press, 1985.