The East Pakistan Students' League (, ) was founded in 1948 following the
independence of Pakistan
The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation th ...
to support the political activities and campaigns of the
Muslim League in electoral politics.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), also known by the honorific Bangabandhu, was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman and activist who was the founding president of Bangladesh. As the leader of Bangl ...
was the founder of this organisation.
History
In 4 January 1948, a general discussion meeting was held at the auditorium of
Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, University of Dhaka. In the meeting, everyone agreed on the formation of a student organization. From that meeting, the East Pakistan Muslim Student's League was established. In 1949, a proposal was made to remove the word "Muslim" from the organization's name, but due to the intense activities of the
Bengali Language Movement
The Bengali language movement was a political movement in East Bengal (modern-day Bangladesh) in 1952, advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as a co-lingua franca of the then-Dominion of Pakistan to allow its use in government ...
, it was not possible. After the Language Movement, in the 1953 council meeting, the proposal to remove the word "Muslim" from the name was approved and implemented.
Factions
It is said that there were two possible major factions:
* Bengali nationalist faction, who were supporters of
confederation-like extended autonomy of East Pakistan.
* Socialist faction, who were supporters of the
secession of East Pakistan and creation of a socialist Bengal state.
Presidents and General-secretaries
References
Politics of East Pakistan
Student wings of political parties in Pakistan
1948 establishments in East Bengal
History of the Awami League
Muslim League (1947–1958)
{{Bangladesh-hist-stub