Fifty-two years ago, on this day, Bangalee leftist leaders expressed their unwavering support for the movement initiated by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

On 9 March 1971, National Awami Party (NAP) President Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani delivered a significant speech at Paltan Maidan during a public rally.

He declared his backing for the escalating non-cooperation movement led by the Awami League in East Pakistan, asserting that the eastern province would soon emerge as an independent nation.

Maulana Bhashani urged President Yahya Khan to acknowledge the separate identity of the two wings of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, a faction of leftist forces from East Pakistan in exile formed the Bangladesh Jatiyo Mukti Songram Somonnoy Committee (the Bangladesh National Freedom Movement Organising Committee) in West Bengal, India.

Throughout East Pakistan, masses continued to join processions and rallies, making the quest for independence increasingly inevitable.

In response, the top leadership of the Awami League revised their earlier strategies and issued new directives.

All official and commercial activities ceased, except for essential public services.

While government offices and other institutions adhered to the strike called by Bangabandhu, banks remained open solely for essential transactions in East Pakistan.

However, there was a conspicuous lack of initiative among major political and military figures in West Pakistan to engage in negotiations with the Awami League following Bangabandhu’s historic speech and his outlined conditions on 7 March.

One notable exception was Air Marshal (Retd) Asghar Khan, who consistently advocated for President Yahya Khan to transfer power to Sheikh Mujib to mitigate the growing divisions in the country.

Concurrently, meetings convened at the Pakistan Army headquarters in Rawalpindi to devise strategies for addressing the burgeoning Bangalee nationalist movement in East Pakistan.

Furthermore, the military bolstered its presence in East Pakistan, deploying soldiers along the extensive route between Karachi and Dhaka via Sri Lanka.

The people of East Pakistan remained resolute in their determination to achieve independence, and their unwavering support for Bangabandhu was palpable.

It was evident that Pakistan was headed towards a definitive outcome, and the world awaited the unfolding of events with bated breath.