Pakistan: A State in Two Wings

Pakistan began life in 1947 with severe disadvantages. It was divided into two wings, West and East Pakistan, separated by about 1,600 kilometers of Indian territory. It had to build a capital, civil service and army almost from scratch while absorbing millions of refugees. Its founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, became Governor-General but died in September 1948, and its first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, was assassinated in 1951. Tension soon grew between the wings.

East Pakistan held a majority of the population, but power, the capital and the army were concentrated in the West. When the government promoted Urdu as the sole national language, Bengali speakers protested; on 21 February 1952 police fired on students in Dhaka, killing several. Pakistan took nine years to agree a constitution, adopted in 1956, and in 1958 General Ayub Khan seized power. These early struggles shaped Pakistan's later politics.