Articles
Hindus in Bangladesh ( East Pakistan)
Dt:15/9/26
Hindus in Bangladesh ( East Pakistan)
Dr T H Chowdary*
The decimation of the minority Hindu population in East Bengal – East Pakistan- Bangladesh and the humiliation, discrimination, insecurity and deprivation they are subjected since November 1946 (Noakhali) constitute are disgraceful chapter in human history. Hindus are reduced from about 30% to 8.75%. The exodus and expulsion have been continuing in waves at internals, while in West Pakistan the Hindu-Sikh population was reduced from 17% to 1% during a short period around before and after August 1947.
2. Bangladesh is an Islamic state as per the latest Constitution. Hindus are dhimmis, fortunately not yet having to pay zezia but being dispossessed by laws like Vested Property Act.
3. While the Hindu population in Bangladesh is being decimated, made insecure and humiliated, in West Bengal the Muslim population is increasing by facilitated infiltration by the 34-year long communist plus 15 -year long Trinamool Congress governments.
4. Now that we have a nationalist government in West Bengal we should immediately arrange a peaceful exchange on Hindu and Muslim populations between Bangla Desh and West Bengal and Eastern Districts of Bihar.
5. Such an exchange of Muslim and Christian populations was carried out under the auspices of the League of Nations between Turkey and Greece and Bulgaria on the dissolution of the Ottoman Turkish empire at the end of the First World War (1914-19). Dr B R Ambedkar forcefully advocated both Pakistan and exchange of Hindu and Muslim Minorities between India and Pakistan ( in his book, “Pakistan or the Partition of India” in 1940).
6. Muslim leaders like Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Dr Latif of Hyderabad also argued for exchange of Hindu-Muslim minorities in Pakistan and India before the partition of India. After partition Sri K Hanumanthaiah Congress MP ( later Chief Minister of Mysore -Karnataka) pleaded for the exchange in the Lok Sabha in 1950(!) for which he was abused by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister. Nehru wanted the Muslims who voted and rioted for partition to stay in India so that these guilty people seeking protection would constitute Congress’s vote bank. Nehru even instructed India’s High Commissioner in Pakistan , Sri Sriprakash to persuade the Muslims who migrated to Pakistan to come back to India and he did succeed to send some thousands back to India.
7. A galaxy of Muslim leaders from Quad -e-Azam Jinnah advocated the exchange of populations between India and the Pakistan to be long ago . Here are the Muslim advocates.
MUSLIM POPULATION: 1941 CENSUS
1. Muslim population in British India - 7.94 crore
2. Muslim population in States/Agencies - 1.50 crore
3. Total Muslim population 9.44 crore
4. Muslim population grouped in Pakistan - 4.79 crore
5. Total population of India' - 39.00 crore
(Source: Constitutional Problemin India by R. Coupland)
Exchange of Population:
Qaed-e-Azam Jinnah and seven other Muslim League leaders
had asked for exchange of population simultaneously with the division of India into Pakistan and Hindustan.
Qaed-e-Azam Jinnah:
Addressing a press conference, Qaed-e-Azam M.A. Jinnah, President of the All India Muslim League said, "In view of the horrible slaughter in the various parts of India I am of the opinion that the authorities, both central and provincial, should take up immediately the question of exchange of population (The Dawn, 26 November 1946).
Ghazanfar Ali Khan:
The population map of India will have to be altered to a more or less extent as the only satisfactory solution of the serious and urgent problem created in parts of India during recent months (The Dawn, 19 December 1946).
Khan Iftikhar Hussain Khan of Mamdo :
President of the Muslim League in Punjab says that the exchange of population offers the most practical solution of our multifarious problems (The Dawn 2 December 1946)
Bihar Leaque demands exchange of population (The Dawn, 4 Dec. 1946).
Ghulam Hussain. Sind Premier demands exchange of population and promises land allotment for Muslims of U.P. (The Dawn 4 December 1946).
Sir Feroze Khan Noon threatened to re-enact the murderous orgies of Chengez Khan and Halaqu Khan of non-Muslims if they took up an obstructive attitude against population exchange (The Dawn, 8 April 1946).
Mohammad Ismail a leader from Madras had declared that the Muslims of India were in the midst of a Jihad.
Shaukat Hayat Khan son of the premier of Punjab, Sir Sikander Hayat Khan, had threatened a rehearsal of what the Muslims would do with the Hindus eventually.
Population of Hindus and Muslims :
Total population of India as per 2001 census -103 crore
Hindus - 83 crore
Muslims- 14 crore
Projected population on the assumed compound growth rate of
year Hindus Muslims
1.5% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6%
2011 96 101 19 21 23 25
2051 174 223 61 98 159 255
.
However, Muslim population could surpass that of Hindus much earlier than 2051.
Population Composition (Religion-wise)
The table below shows the growth rates of Hindus and Muslims
since 1961:
Religious Composition% Decadal Growth Rate%
Religion %
1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 61-71 71-81 81-91 91-01
Hindus:
83 83 82 82 81 24 24 23 19
Muslims:
11 11 12 13 13 31 31 30 31
The data brings out:
1. Hindu population as a proportion of the total has continuously declined.
2. Muslim population as a proportion has continuously increased.
3. The decadal growth rate of Muslim population has been consistently increasing over the last 50 years.
(801 words)
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