Past would provide courage to the nation's journey towards future: HPM Sheikh Hasina

"I want to raise an issue is that what were the conditions of the Bangalees before the independence. I am saying time and again that this state of disparity should not be forgotten ... we need to take into account sometimes the past as it would provide much courage and strength to our journey towards future," she said.

The Premier came up with the observations while addressing the annual conference of Bangladesh Administrative Service Association (BASA) at Parliament Members' Club at Sher-e-Banglanagar in the capital on Thursday night.

Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam was present at the function as the special guest, while Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam and President of BASA and Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury spoke on the occasion.

Secretary General of the BASA Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain delivered the welcome address.

Sheikh Hasina said the great leader, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, presented independence to the Bangalees in 1971. "This victory came through 23-year-long struggle and nine-month-long bloody war," she said.

"But today many people may not imagine that what was the conditions of the Bangalees before the independence and where the Bangalees were," she said.

The Premier said the Bangalees were exploited, neglected and deprived at that time and there were scarcities of food, clothes, (medical) treatment and education.

She said the children would die on their mothers' laps after sufferings and the people had to remain hungry day after day. "There was no shelter to live in at that time ... the country had to experience such an appalling situation at that time," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangabandhu at that time projected the ordeal of these deprived and neglected people, and for this, he had to go to jail repeatedly.

She said cases were filed against Bangabandhu for his every speech and he was tortured and repressed. But he didn't compromise with his policy and didn't refrain from talking about the rights of the people.

The Premier said there was one country and but it had two organs meaning two provinces. The distance between the two provinces was 1200 miles, she said.

Purba Banga, she said, was ahead in terms of population and it would earn more foreign currencies than West Pakistan.

Sheikh Hasina said: "When we see the present state of Bangalees, they garnered a place in every tier ... but the Pakistani people used to always say that the Bangalees could not make socioeconomic development by running the state very efficiently and only they (Pakistanis) do have this quality."

The Premier said the Bangalees used to earn more foreign currencies than West Pakistanis. But the Pakistanis first built its capital in Karachi, then Rawalpindi and then Islamabad by that money, she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the Pakistanis didn't take a single step for the development of the people of Purba Banga. A decision was taken to construct a nuclear power plant in Purba Banga, she said, adding that but no work was done except identifying land for the plant.

She said the Pakistanis later started construction work of a nuclear power plant in Karachi by the money of the Bangalees. "Any way, by the grace of Allah, we the Bangalees this time launched the work of the nuclear power plant at Rooppur in Iswardi," she said.

Quoting a report published in The Dawn on January 9 in 1956, the Prime Minister highlighted a horrific picture of disparity between the West Pakistan and Puba Banga in different fields.

She said there were 22 posts of secretaries in the central secretariat of the Pakistan government and the West Pakistanis used to capture all the posts.

Of the joint secretaries posts, the Pakistanis grabbed 42 posts and the Bangalees had only 8, in deputy secretary posts -- the Pakistanis occupied 59, while the Bangalees 23, in section officer posts -- the Pakistanis took 325 posts and the Bangalees had only 50, in first class gazetted officer posts -- the Pakistanis occupied 3,769 posts and the Bangalees 811, in senior gazetted officer posts -- the Pakistanis belonged to 692 posts and the Bangalees 42.

In the Industries Development Corporation -- the Pakistanis occupied 162 posts, while the Bangalees only 3, in Radio -- the Pakistanis grabbed 98 posts and the Bangalees had only 14, in the Supply and Development Division -- the Pakistanis occupied 164 posts, while the Bangalees 15, in Railway -- the Pakistanis captured 158 posts and the Bangalees 50, in the Post and Telegraph -- the Pakistanis occupied 271 posts, while the Bangalees 50, in the Agriculture Economy Corporation -- the Pakistanis captured 38 posts and the Bangalees 10, in Biman -- the Pakistanis occupied 1075 posts and the Bangalees 75 and in the survey officer posts, the Pakistanis occupied 64 posts and the Bangalees had only 2.

While talking about the inequality between West Pakistan and Purba Banga in the military, the Premier mentioned that there was a horrendous disparity in this field as in the eyes of the Pakistanis, the Bangalees were lanky and tiny and not courageous.

"The Pakistanis would think that the Bangalees didn't have the capability to enter the armed forces, and the Bangalees were neglected in this way," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said there were three posts for the general in the army and the Pakistanis occupied all the three posts. The Pakistanis also grabbed all the major general (20) and brigadier (34) posts, she said.

In the colonel posts, she said, the Pakistanis occupied 49 posts and the Bangalees had only 1, in the lieutenant colonel posts, the Pakistanis grabbed 198 posts and the Bangalees took only 2 and the posts of majors, the Pakistanis captured 590 posts and the Bangalees 10.

The Premier said there were 600 posts in the navy, and the Pakistanis captured 593 posts, while the Bangalees had only 7. In the air force, the Pakistanis occupied 640 posts and the Bangalees only 40.

Sheikh Hasina said there was a massive disparity between West Pakistan and Purba Banga in the institutions established for overall development of the people.

She said the number of medical colleges in West Pakistan were six and Purba Banga had one, the engineering colleges in West Pakistan were three and Purba Banga had one, the universities in West Pakistan were 4 and in Purba Banga had 2, the colleges in West Pakistan were 76 and Purba Banga 56, the primary schools in West Pakistan were 6246 and Purba Banga 2217, hospital beds in West Pakistan were 17,614 and Purba Banga 5515, physicians in West Pakistan were 5500 and Purba Banga 3393 and maternity hospitals in West Pakistan were 118 and Purba Banga 22.

The Prime Minister said the situation has changed to some extent when the Awami League formed government and Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy became Prime Minister in 1956. But it could sustain only two years and everything changed as General Ayub Khan declared martial law in 1958, she added.