Bangla

des

h

IGPE Assignment

Amritpal Singh Bedi

PGCM4/1404

History of Bangladesh

Modern Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation

in 1971 after achieving independence from Pakistan in

the Bangladesh Liberation War. The country constitutes

with the major portion of the ancient and historic region

of Bengal in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent,

where civilization dates back over four millennia, to

the Copper Age. The history of the region is closely inter-

twined with the history of Bengal and the history of India

The borders of modern Bangladesh were established with

the partition of Bengal and India in August 1947, when

the region became East Pakistan as a part of the newly

formed State of Pakistan following the Radcliffe Line.

However, it was separated from West Pakistan by

1,600 km (994 mi) of Indian territory.

Pre-historic Bengal

Many of archeological excavations in Bangladesh re-

vealed evidences of the Northern Black Polished

Ware culture of the Indian Subcontinent (c. 700–200 BC)

which was an Iron Age culture developed beginning

around 700 BC and peaked from c. 500–300 BC, coin-

ciding with the emergence of 16 great states

or mahajanapadas in Northern India, and the subsequent

rise of the Mauryan Empire. The eastern part of ancient

India, covering much of current days Bangladesh was part

of one of such mahajanapadas, the ancient kingdom

of Anga, which flourished in the 6th century BCE

Mahasthangarh , the oldest archaeological site in Bangla-desh dating back to 600 BCE

Advent of Islam Islam made its first appearance in the Bengal region dur-

ing the 7th century AD by Arab Muslim traders

and Sufi missionaries, and the subsequent Muslim conquest

of Bengal in the 12th century lead to the rooting of Islam

across the region. Under the Muslim rulers, Bengal entered

a new era as cities were developed; palaces, forts,

mosques, mausoleums and gardens sprang up; roads and

bridges were constructed; and new trade routes brought

prosperity and a new cultural life.

Portuguese traders & mis-

sionaries were the first Euro-

peans to reach Bengal in

the latter part of the 15th

century. They established

themselves in Chittagong

and Hoogly. In 1632, the Mughal Subahdar of Bengal Kasim Khan

Mashadi expelled the Portuguese in the Battle of Hoogly.

Dutch, French, and British East India Companies and representatives

from Denmark soon followed contact with Bengal.

During Aurangzeb's reign, the local Nawab sold three villages, includ-

ing one then known as Calcutta, to the British. Calcutta was Britain's

first foothold in Bengal and remained a focal point of their economic

activity. The British gradually extended their commercial contacts and

administrative control beyond Calcutta to the rest of Bengal.

Europeans in Bengal

British Rule The British East India Company gained

official control of Bengal following the

Battle of Plassey in 1757. This was the

first conquest, in a series of engage-

ments that ultimately lead to the expul-

sion of other European competitors.

Bengal Renaissance The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social

reform movement during the 19th and

early 20th centuries in Bengal during the

period of British rule.

The Bengal renaissance can be said to

have started with Raja Ram Mohan

Roy (1775–1833) and ended with

Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941).

Independence and creation of Pakistan As the independence movement throughout British-controlled In-

dia began in the late 19th century gained momentum during the

20th century, Bengali politicians played an active role

in Mohandas Gandhi's Congress Party and Mohammad Ali Jin-

nah's Muslim League, exposing the opposing forces of ethnic

and religious nationalism.

Partition of Bengal (1905) divided Bengal Presidency into an

overwhelmingly Hindu west (including present-day Bihar and

Odisha) and a predominantly Muslim east (including Assam).

Dhaka was made the capital of the new province of Eastern

Bengal and Assam.

Constitution: After Bangladesh achieved recognition from major

countries, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman briefly assumed the provi-

sional presidency. He wrote the new constitution of Parliament.

Timeline of Bangladesh profile

British colonial rule over India ends. A

largely Muslim state comprising East and

West Pakistan is established, either side of

India. The two provinces are separated

from each other by more than 1,500 km

of Indian territory.

1947

The Awami League, under Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman, wins an overwhelming

election victory in East Pakistan. The govern-

ment in West Pakistan refuses to recognise

the results, leading to rioting. Cyclone hits

East Pakistan - up to 500,000 people are

killed.

1970

The Awami League is established to

campaign for East Pakistan's autonomy

from West Pakistan.

1949

Independence Sheikh Mujib arrested and taken to West

Pakistan. In exile, Awami League leaders

proclaim the independence of the prov-

ince of East Pakistan on 26th March. The

new country is called Bangladesh.

1971

Sheikh Mujib returns, becomes

prime minister. He begins a programme of

nationalizing key industries in an attempt

to improve living standards, but with little

success

1972

Severe floods devastate much of

the grain crop, leading to an estimated

28,000 deaths. A national state of emer-

gency is declared as political unrest grows.

1974

Sheikh Mujib becomes president of

Bangladesh. The political situation worsens. He

is assassinated in a military coup in August.

Martial law is imposed.

1975

The military ban trade unions. 1976

General Ziaur Rahman assumes

the presidency. Islam is adopted in the con-

stitution

1977

Martial law is lifted follow-

ing elections, which Zia's Bangladesh

National Party (BNP) wins.

1979

Parliamentary and presiden-

tial elections. Ershad elected to a

five-year term. He lifts martial law

and reinstates the constitution

1986

The Ershad era General Ershad assumes power in

army coup. He suspends the consti-

tution and political parties.

1982

Zia is assassinated during

abortive military coup. He is suc-

ceeded by Abdus Sattar.

1981

State of emergency declared

after opposition demonstrations and

strikes

1987

Ershad steps down following

mass protests.

1990

Ershad convicted and jailed

for corruption and illegal posses-

sion of weapons. Begum Khaleda

Zia, widow of President Zia Rah-

man, becomes prime minister

1991

Awami League returns Two sets of elections eventually see

the Awami League win power, with

Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the daugh-

ter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,

becoming prime minister.

1996

Ershad is released from prison 1997

Two-thirds of the country dev-

astated by the worst floods ever.

15 former army officers sentenced

to death for involvement in assassi-

nation of President Mujib in 1975

1998 Sheikh Hasina criticises military

regimes in a UN speech, prompting

Pakistani leader General Musharraf

to cancel talks with her.

2000

High Court confirms death

sentences on 12 ex-army officers

for killing Mujib. Only four are in

custody.

2001

Hasina steps down, hands

power to caretaker authority, be-

coming the first prime minister in

the country's history to complete a

five-year term

2001

Sheikh Hasina is charged with

murder. Begum Khaleda Zia is under

virtual house arrest. Several other poli-

ticians are held in an anti-corruption

drive

2007

Awami League captures more

than 250 of 300 seats in parliament.

Sheikh Hasina is sworn in as prime

minister in January

2008

The population of Bangladesh as of

15 March 2011 is 142.3 million

(census 2011 result) and is the 8th

most populous nation in the world. In

1951, the population was 44 million.

It is also the most densely populated

large country in the world.

The population is relatively young, with 34% aged 15 or younger

and 5% 65 or older. Despite the rapid economic growth, about

26% of the country still lives below

the international poverty line which means living

on less than $1.25 per day. About 89% of Bang-

ladeshis are Muslims, followed by Hindus (8%),

Buddhists (1%) and Christians (0.5%).

4 largest cities of Bangladesh

DHAKA

Population: 7,033,076

Language & Religion

More than 98% of Bangladeshis speak Bengali as their native language,

which is also the official language. English is also used as a second lan-

guage among the middle and upper classes and is also widely used in

higher education and the legal system. Bangladesh's Constitution and all

laws are now in both English and Bengali.

Islam is the largest religion of Bangladesh, making up 86.6% of popula-

tion. Hinduism makes up 12.1% of the population, Buddhism1% and

others of 0.3% of the population. Bangladesh has the fourth largest

Muslim population after Indonesia, Pakistan and India.

Buddha Dhatu Zadi, a Budadhist

temple in Bandarban

Baitul Mukarram National

Mosque of Bangldesh in Dhaka

Rice and fish are traditional favourites. Biryani is a favourite dish of Bang-

ladesh and this includes egg biryani, mutton biryani and beef biryani.

Bengaladeshi cuisine is known for its subtle (yet sometimes fiery) flavours,

and its huge spread of confectioneries and desserts. Bangladeshis make

distinctive sweetmeats from milk products, some common ones

are Rôshogolla, Rasmalai, Rôshomalai, chômchôm and kalojam.

Textiles and Craftsmanship

The Sari is the most widely worn dress by

Bangladeshi women. A guild of weavers in

Dhaka is renowned for producing saris from

exquisite Jamdani muslin. The salwar kameez (shaloar kamiz) is also quite popular,

especially among the younger females, and in

urban areas some women wear western attire

Festivals

The Muslim holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha,

the Bengali New Year, Independence day, Victory

Day, the Hindu festivals of Durga Puja and Krishna

Janmashtami, the Buddhist festival of Buddha Purni-

ma, which marks the birth of Gautama Buddha,

and Christmas, called Borodin (" the Great day"),

are national holidays in Bangladesh and see the

most widespread celebrations in the country

Literature

Bengali has a rich literary heritage. The earliest literary text in Bengali is

the 8th century Charyapada. Medieval Bengali literature was often either

religious (for example, Chandidas), or adapted from other languages (for

example, Alaol). Bengali literature reached its full expression in the 19th

century, with its greatest icons being poets, the national poet Kazi Nazrul

Islam, Rabindranath Tagore, Sarat Chandra, Jasim Uddin, Jibanananda

Das, Shamsur Rahman, Al Mahmud, Sukanta Bhattacharya, Ishwar

Chandra Vidyasagar, Michael Madhusudan Dutt and present

day Humayun Ahmed, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal.

Cuisine

CHITTAGONG

Population: 2,592,439

KHULNA

Population: 663,342

NARAYANGANJ

Population: 543,090

CHITTAGONG

India Bangladesh

India Bangladesh

Economy - overview India is developing into an open-market

economy . Economic liberalization measures,

including industrial deregulation, privatiza-

tion of state-owned enterprises, and reduced

controls on foreign trade and investment, be-

gan in the early 1990s and served to acceler-

ate the country's growth, which averaged un-

der 7% per year from 1997 to 2011. In late

2012, the Indian Government announced ad-

ditional reforms and deficit reduction

measures, including allowing higher levels of

foreign participation in direct investment in

the economy. Growth in 2013 fell to a dec-

ade low, as India's economic leaders strug-

gled to improve the country's wide fiscal and

current account deficits.

Bangladesh's economy has grown roughly

6% per year since 1996 despite political

instability, poor infrastructure, corruption,

insufficient power supplies, and the 2008-

09 global financial crisis and recession.

Garment exports, the backbone of Bangla-

desh’s industrial sector and 80% of total

exports, surpassed $21 billion last year,

18% of GDP. Steady garment export

growth combined with remittances from

overseas Bangladeshis, which totaled al-

most $15 billion and 13% of GDP IN

2013, are the largest contributors to Bang-

ladesh’s current account surplus and record

foreign exchange holdings.

Exports $301.90 billion $24.92 billion

GDP $1.84 trillion $115.61 billion

Per capita $2,625.09 per capita $1,384.53 per capita

PPP $4.72 trillion $302.80 billion

Gross National Income $477.00 billion $48.62 billion

Population below

poverty line

29.8% 40%

Unemployment rate 8.5% 5%

Inflation rate 9.7% 6.6%

Human Development

Index

0.602 0.52

India Bangladesh

Exports per capita $244.12 $161.09

Industries textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel,

transportation equipment, cement, mining,

petroleum, machinery, software, pharmaceuti-

cals

jute, cotton, garments, paper, leather, iron

and steel, cement, petroleum products,

drugs and pharmaceuticals, ceramics, tea,

salt, sugar, fabricated metal products,

electricity and natural gas

GINI index 36.8 33.4

GNP Per capita $450.21 $360.85

Imports $503.50 billion $32.29 billion

Imports per capita $407.14 $208.73

Poverty and inequality 5.6 4.9

Current account bal-

ance

$ 91,470,000,000.00 $1.75 billion

Tax rates 14.31 10.96

Consumer price index 121.54% 130.16%

Consumer spending 57.31 77.49

Population under $1 a

day

44.2% 29.1%

Real interest rate 6.03% 8.49%

Government spending 98.9 billion 4.48 billion

Population 1.252 billion 156.6 million

Literacy Rate 74.4% (82.1%-male, 65.5%-female) 57.5% (62%-male, 53.4%-female)

Currency Indian Rupee Taka

Since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh has achieved a tre-mendous growth rate in its industrial production. The economy comprises of a number of Small and Medium Enterprises that make up for 25% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product

Some Key Parameters:

Between 2004 and 2014, Bangladesh averaged a GDP growth rate of 6% .

The Bangladesh textile industry is the second-largest in the world

Other key sectors include pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding, ceramics, leather goods

and electronics.

The principal cash crops including rice, jute, tea, wheat, cotton and sugarcane.

Bangladesh ranks fifth in the global production of fish and seafood

Some Notable Conglomerates

Major Industries:

cement, steel, consumer goods, tobacco,

edible oil, etc.

Revenue:

$36.6 Billion

Major Industries:

Textiles, aviation, cement, steel, real

estate, insurance and banking.

Revenue:

$425 Million

Bangladesh Industry Sectors: Major Industries

1. Agriculture:

Approximately 30% of Bangla-

desh’s GDP comes from agriculture,

making it the largest producing

economic sector. About 60% of the

Bangladeshis work in this sector. It

primarily produces jute, rive, wheat, tea, tobacco, pulses and

Tomato.

2. Infrastructure:

Bangladesh’s economy is character-

ized by poor infrastructure, weak

energy and gas shortages. Due to

these disruptions, the economy was

unable to achieve its target of 6%

growth in GDP in FY2009. Low en-

thusiasm among the people towards

investment is also impeding the country’s economic growth.

3. Garment Industry:

The garment industry of the country

remains the strongest root of its econo-

my, with 76% contribution in its for-

eign exchange. Approximately, 2.2

million Bangladeshis are employed in

this industry, of which 80% are women. In

FY2007, a total of US$9.2 billion worth of garments were export-

ed. The figure reached US$12.3 billion in FY09, as was ex-

4. Health Industry:

It has been envisaged that the sale of

over-the-counter (OTC) medications and

prescription drugs will increase to

US$3.44bi l l ion in 2019, f rom

US$1.13bn in 2009. According to a

forecast by the Business Monitor Interna-

tional (BMI), exports will overtake imports, reaching

US$226.75million.

Being located in between Indian mainland and its reveling seven

sister states Bangladesh's strategic importance for Indian has

been very crucial to communicate by less spending. Besides

being almost inside India having a small mouth to bay of bangal

it has also become an attraction for USA and China sometime to

deter India to maintain regional strategy.

Location of Bangladesh With an area of about 144,000 sq km, the country is bordered by

India on the east, west and north and by the Bay of Bengal on the

south. There is also a small strip of frontier with Burma on the south-

eastern edge. The land is a deltaic plain with a network of numerous

rivers and canals. Through Myanmar( Burma )Bangladesh is linked to

the entire South East Asian region

Neighbors of Bangladesh India and Myanmar are the immediate neighbors of Bangladesh with

common borders. The land border with Myanmar is about 243 kilome-

ters while that India extended over 4,025 kilometers. Among the

near neighbors of Bangladesh though without common borders, The

nearest are Nepal (distance 13.7 miles/22km), Bhutan (distance 13.7

miles /22km) and China (distance 60 miles or 100km).

Geo political Weakness and its impacts of Foreign policy: Truly Bangladesh is clearly locked by India both in land and water except a little

border with Myanmar. Geopolitics may be a disadvantage when a country

shares common border mostly with one country.

Bangladesh’s nearness of border with India may appear as a weakness

in her defense against any future military conflict with India. Common

sharing of Rivers also appears as a weakness for Bangladesh because the

flow of water which depends of the source of the rivers.

Geo political importance of Bangladesh for other countries: Not only India has interest over the geopolitical location of

Bangladesh. But also courtiers like Nepal, Bhutan, China, and USA and even courtiers like Japan and Australia are showing their interest considering the geo political importance of Bang-ladesh.

Nepal and Bhutan being land locked and not having sea access very much interested to use Bangladeshis sea ports to foster their trade.

As china has competing relationship with India always seeks op-portunities to contain India geostratagically where Bangladesh becomes one of the perfect positions to her intention.

Though USA has its biggest naval base in Andaman Nicober is-lands its intend to use chittagong Sea ports to strengthen its strategic position in the south Asia considering the importance of the region in World politics.

Bangladesh and India are part of the Indian subcontinent. They are common members of SAARC, BIMSTEC, IORA and the Common-wealth. Relations are rooted in deep historical and cultural links. In particular, Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Ben-

gal and Tripura share the Bengali language.

The two nations were strong allies during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. However, they developed different Cold

Warpositions in the late 1970s and 80s.

Bangladesh and India are close strategic partners in counter-terrorism. They are the largest

trading partners in South Asia. Two-way trade is estimated to be over USD 7 billion. Bangla-

desh is also the fifth largest remittance sender to India. India has a high commission in Dhaka,

with consulates in Chittagong and Rajshahi. Bangladesh has a high commission in New Delhi,

with consulates in Mumbai andKolkata.

Border killings of Bangladeshi civilians Deaths of Bangladeshi citizens in the Indo-Bangladesh border became one

of the embarrassments between the two nation’s bilateral relations in

recent years. The so-called ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy by the India’s Border Secu-

rity Forces (BSF) that according to Human Rights Watch killed nearly

1,000 Bangladeshis between 2001 and 2011 has remained at the core

of the talks between Bangladeshi and Indian officials visiting each other

While anger grew in Bangladesh because of the continued BSF shoot-

ings and subsequent deaths, Indian

officials argue that heightened security has followed the in-

creasing flow of illegal migrations into India as well as continued misuse

of the border by illicit traders.

The Bangladeshi deaths caused by BSF shootings at the border became

subject to a so-called cyber war between the hackers of the two coun-

tries the cyber attacks on Indian websites

Recent Developments:

In September 2011, the two countries signed a major accord on border demarcation to

end the 4-decade old disputes over boundaries

On 9 October 2011, Indian and Bangladeshi armies participated in Sampriti-II (Unity-II), a

14-day-long Joint military exercise at Sylhet to increase synergy between their forces

In 2012, Bangladesh allowed India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation to ferry heavy ma-

chinery, turbines and cargo through Ashuganj for Palatana Power project in south-

ernTripura

From October 2013, India started exporting 500 MW of electricity a day to Bangladesh

over a period of 35 years