Today, Americans are much better informed about Bangladesh than when Henry Kissinger described it (not without reason) as a “basket case” in 1971, the year he achieved independence. This label clung to Bangladesh as if it were an evil carpet, and proud Bangladeshis have resented for decades the shadow it cast over their resilient and enterprising land.
Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan. On March 26, 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the popular secessionist leader of the Bengalis, declared independence from Punjabi-dominated Pakistan, of which he was an incongruous party. (A two-wing country — West and East — Pakistan was separated by 1,300 miles from India.) After the declaration of independence, a brutal civil war broke out. The number of Bengali civilians killed is a matter of controversy: the Central Intelligence Agency estimates 200,000, while Bangladeshis claim that three million were killed. In fact, Bangladesh did not get rid of Pakistan until December 16, 1971, when the Pakistani army surrendered. However, in choosing March 26 as Independence Day, Bangladeshis made a Bengali decision: to raise their mood above their objective reality.
Bangladesh today is a transformed country. Twice decolonized (first from Britain, then from Pakistan), it is a rare example of a constitutionally secular Muslim-majority nation. Most Bangladeshis adhere to a relatively tolerant form of Islam, born of centuries of coexistence with Hindus, and is one of the few Muslim countries to win the fight against radicalization. With the erosion of secularism in neighboring India, it is possible to argue that Bangladesh is the most secular country in South Asia.
The government of Sheikh Hasina, Rahman’s daughter, is committed to eliminating Muslim fundamentalism. However, their methods often go at the expense of democracy. Sheikh Hasina, in her third consecutive term as prime minister, is widely accused of rigging the last election, in 2018. Her actions were driven by parody and hubris.
If the West is shy about having to repress its criticisms of an authoritarian leader because its regime is holding back Islamism, it should have no problem appreciating the many areas in which Bangladesh has advanced. In human development indices, Bangladesh has not only surpassed Pakistan, but has effectively achieved parity with India. In one example, key in a poor and overpopulated country, the fertility rate in Bangladesh (2.04 births per woman) has fallen below India (2.22). Even on its own terms, Bangladesh has made remarkable progress: its infant mortality rate is 25.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to 148.2 on independence; life expectancy, 72.3 years today, was 46.6 in 1971.