পরিশিষ্ট ক

Excerpt from the paper reviewed for The Ripon Society by J. Lee

Auspitz, President, Ripon Society; Stephen A. Marglin, Professor

of Economics, Harvard University; and Gustav F. Papenek,

Lecturer on Economics and former Director, Development

Advisory Service, Harvard University

In many ways East and West Pakistan have never been one country. Even at its strongest, the bond between East and West Pakistan was somewhat tenuous. They are physically more than 1,000 miles apart, the people speak different languages, have different cultures and different economics. They have in common religion, a short history, and the same Central Government.

Since the formation of the state of Pakistan 24 years back, the East Bengalis have derived little benefit from the association other than a limited sense of security that the Hindu landlords would not be able to return and repossess the land.

It has become increasingly apparent that the economic and political interests of the East Pakistanis have been systematically subordinated to those of West Pakistan. Even the Central Government’s highest planning authority was forced to take official notice of the widening economic disparities between the two regions. A recent report by a panel of experts to the Planning Commission of the Government of Pakistan showed that, while average (per capita) income in the West was 32% higher than in the East in 1959-60, the disparity had almost doubled to 61% ten years later in 1969-70.

The Central Government’s instruments of tariffs, import controls, industrial licensing, foreign aid budgeting, and investment allocation have been used to direct investment and imports to develop high-cost industries in West Pakistan whose profitability is guaranteed by an East Pakistan market held captive behind tariff walls and import quotas. Though 60% of all Pakistanis live in the East, its share of Central Government development expenditure has fluctuated between a low of 20% during 1950/51-1954/55 and a high of 36% in the period 1965/66-1969/70. East Pakistan’s share of private investment has averaged less than 25%. Historically 50% to 70% of Pakistan’s export earnings have been earned by East Pakistan’s products, mainly jute, hides and skins. Yet its share of foreign imports (which are financed by export earnings and foreign aid) has remained between 25% and 30%. Basically, the East’s balance of payments surplus has been used to help finance the West’s deficit on foreign account leading to a net transfer of resources, estimated by an official report to be approximately 2.6 billion over the period 1948/49 to 1968/69.

The subordination of the East’s economic interests has been accomplished by the overwhelming concentration of governmental authority in the hands of West Pakistanis.

After the military regime of Ayub Khan took power in 1958, the East has had little political representation in the Centre. Only cooperative Bengalis were appointed to political office, and in the powerful Civil Service. Bengalis held only a small fraction of the positions. Under-representation of Bengalis in the army was even more severe, believed to be 10% or less.