(a) East Pakistanis have suffered the most at the hands of the British and the Hindus hut they did not submit to any of them since the battle of Plessey. They were crushed economically but spiritually never. Their devotion to Islam is intense. It is this devotion which made them walk all the way in the early part of the last century to the present northern areas of Pakistan to fight against the Sikhs and later against British to save the honor of fellow Muslims and their religion.
(b)Their opposition to the British and the Hindus were so intense that by refusing to learn the language of the “Kafir" they later found themselves in a very disadvantageous position they never allowed themselves to be identified with a Hindu even in such small matters as that of dress though they spoke the same language but as far as possible they had a distinct vocabulary.
(c) East Pakistanis never once faltered ever since the demand for Pakistan was voiced. So much so that when Mr. Fazlul Huq, who was the political idol of the Muslims of Bengal, left the Muslim language he was despised and ignored by them. Mr. Suhrawardy was the popular chief Minister of Bengal at the time of independence and to him must go the credit of saving Muslim lives in August 1946 riots in Calcutta. Yet when he championed a sovereign Bengal outside Pakistan the people of East Pakistan behaved as if he did not exist. (Both these political leaders were rehabilitated with the people of East Pakistan only when the politicians made a complete mess and sense of values had definitely changed for mere expediency and opponents of Pakistan in other parts of the country were also accepted in the Political life of the country).
4. With this background East Pakistanis will never contemplated joining hands with Hindus against Pakistan. They have demonstrated this when there was need to do so. Maulana Bhashani was the most popular leader in 1954 and his mass meetings were attended by thousands. This was a time when feelings against West Pakistan were at its height. Yet, when at the Kagmari conference the Maulana said that if justice was not done to East Pakistan, East Pakistan may have to say goodbye to Pakistan, the Maulana lost his mass-popularity. Could there have been greater and more convincing demons- traction of the passion that East Pakistanis have for Pakistan?
5. One of the bitterest grievances in East Pakistan is that some of the influential people in West Pakistan suspect the loyalty of East Pakistanis to Pakistan and propagate that suspicion with impunity. They cannot understand it. The only explanation they can think of is that these persons want to prevent the economic development of East Pakistan and deprive them of opportunities to share in the running of the country. They sometimes wonder whether the cncmics of Pakistan arc not working on two fronts to destroy Pakis- tan by trying to create an unbridgeable gulf between the two wings. In the Eastern wing they exploit the grievances of East Pakistanis and propagate cultural unity with West Bengal. In the Western Wing they create the impression that East Pakistan will one day go out of Pakistan so they should not bother to build up too close economic and other ties with East Pakistan.
6. The point has been made that the reactions to the seditious posters have been “surprisingly mild". As a matter of fact that there was no reaction. It would be surprising
