Introduction
India and Pakistan were separated on communal lines in 1947 which caused the then EastBengal to join Pakistan which was more than 2200 km away from Pakistan keeping India in
between. There were no direct communications among the people of the two units of
Pakistan. East Pakistan was distinct from West Pakistan in terms not only of language,
culture and tradition but of basic economic variables and mode of production. The total area
of Pakistan was 365,529 square miles with a total population of 75.6 million. The ratio of the
land of East Pakistan was only 15% (55,126 square miles) containing more than 55% of the
total population of Pakistan.
The economy of East Pakistan was very vulnerable due to the ruthless plundering and
exploitation of the British. Plundering and exploitation also continued from the very
beginning of Pakistan. The industrial inheritance East Pakistan entitled through the partition
of 1947 was very weak. Whatever industrialization took place during the British period had
been concentrated in the port areas. In Bengal, Calcutta was the principal port. Therefore,
Calcutta and the bank of Hugli River was the centre of Bengal industrialization. Even, all the
jute mills were concentrated there. This indicates the industrial inheritance of East Pakistan.
Pakistan was also deprived by India during the partition in many ways. The circumstances of
East Pakistan’s economic growth, as well as the standard of living, were very unimpressive
since the beginning. The economy was stagnant in terms of every aspect of life and
livelihood. To the people of East Pakistan, the idea of Pakistan was of the hope that under
Muslim brotherhood and Islamic state there would be no exploitation in Pakistan but
exploitation continued and increased day by day. The sense of exploitation for which the
people of East Bengal joined Pakistan was not addressed by the Pakistani rulers. Rather,
exploitation increased day by day. There was a huge difference between the expectation and
reality of the people of EP.
Regional disparity became visible through numerical as well as a comparative calculation
which was done by some prominent economists of EP. The anticipation of the people of East
Bengal has thus faded away.
Disparity between East and West Pakistan
Since the state was the sole entrepreneur of development in Pakistan the exploitation of East
Pakistan was state-sponsored. There was a huge disparity in the development expenditure
between the two wings of Pakistan. The state-sponsored exploitation on the people of EP
continued through the monetary policy of the government. During 1949-50, the per capita
income of WP was only 8% higher than that of EP which increased to 19.46% in 1955. This
disparity continued during the whole period of Pakistani rule over every aspect of living
(political, economic, cultural, social). Therefore, the people of East Pakistan felt like being
under internal colonialism.
The economic disparity between the East and West Pakistan gradually widened. The people
of East Bengal got the first opportunity to answer it politically in the provincial election of
1954
Per Capita Income in 24 Years:
Year East Pakistan West Pakistan % Disparity
1947 25 Tk more 25 Tk / -
1949-50 288 Tk 351 Tk 63 Tk/ 21.9%
1969-70 331 Tk 533 Tk 202 Tk/ 61%
