ABSTRACT
The people of East Bengal have achieved independence twice. The area became independent of Great Britain as a province of Pakistan on August 15, 1947, but to the majority of East Pakistanis this would not prove to be the independence they desired. East Pakistanis believed they had become colonials once again, this time to the Muslim state they had supported so strongly in the 1945—1946 elections. Their grievances led eventually to the dissolution of united Pakistan. Bangladesh became independent of Pakistan on December 16, 1971. It was often said, only partly tongue in cheek, that Pakistan was held together by a common belief in Islam, a mutual fear of Hindu India, and the flights of Pakistan International Airlines across the 1,000-mile stretch of India separating the two wings. A number of issues dividing the two wings of Pakistan came to the forefront soon after independence.
