পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (চতুর্থ খণ্ড).pdf/৪২১

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বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিল : চতুর্থ খণ্ড
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imprisonment for many years. The United Front fronted by A. K. Fazlul Haque. Maulana Bhashani and Suhrawardy won 1954 clcction and formed government in East Pakistan. The United Front demanded provincial autonomy. For this reason the United Front government was dismissed by the Central government after a short time in an arbitrary fashion. When the Bengali students demanded in 1948 that Bengali, the language of 56% of the population of the country, should also be a state language' along with Urdu, Mr. Jinnah branded them as communists, fifth columnists and enemies of state and declared that only Urdu would be the slate language of Pakistan. Bengali was accepted as a state language in 1956 after many student leaders and supporters of language movement were killed by the Punjabi troops.

IV. Economic disparity between East and West Pakistan.

 There has been an widening gap between the income of the average West Pakistanis and East Pakistanis. In 1959-60. the per capita income in West Pakistan was 32% higher than in the East. Over the next ten years, the annual rate of growth of income of West Pakistan was 6.2% while it was only 4.2% in East Pakistan. As a result, by 1969-70 the per capita income of West Pakistan was 61 % higher than in the East. Thus in 10 years the income gap doubled in percentage terms. It increased even more in absolute terms. The reasons for this disparity are: (i) Pakistan's resources, plus foreign aid. are directed unduly to development of West Pakistan to the utter neglect of East Pakistan.

 (ii) East Pakistan's foreign trade earnings are diverted to finance imports for West Pakistan, (iii) Economic policy favours West Pakistan at the expense of East Pakistan. Specifically, tariffs, imports controls and industrial licensing compel Last Pakistan to purchase commodities from West Pakistan at much higher prices than the world market prices.

 With about 56% of the population. East Pakistan's share of total development expenditure has increased from a low point of 20% during the period 1950/511954/55 to a peak of 36% (in papers only) during the Third Five Year Plan period 1965/66-1969/70 The share of East Pakistan in private investment has been particularly low during the entire period and has amounted only to a little over 25% in recent years.

 Over the last two decades. East Pakistan's share of total export earnings has been as high as 70% and has declined to the range of 50-55% in recent year, while its share of import expenditure has normally been around 30%. There by showing significant surpluses on foreign exchange account. By contrast. West Pakistan's foreign trade has shown a substantial and chronic deficit that has absorbed virtually all foreign exchange made available through foreign aid. West Pakistan has got a protected market for its goods and commoditics in East Pakistan. In recent years, about 50% of all West Pakistan's exports have been sold to East Pakistan

 An analysis of foreign trade coupled with reasonable assumption that Last Pakistan's fair share of foreign aid would have been a proportion, equal to its proportion of Pakistan's population, indicates that a sizeable net transfer of resources has taken place from East Pakistan to West Pakistan. Based on official data and given allowance for the