Status of Bengali in the first and second constitution in Pakistan

Abstract

Before the emergence of independent Bangladesh, during the long twenty-four years of Pakistan period, people achieved two constitutions - one in 1956 and the other in 1962. The total span of life of the two constitutions was nine years and half in all. Although the constitutions declared Bangla and Urdu as the state and national languages respectively of the Republic, it was English which enjoyed the official status. This paper is an attempt to find out the real nature of the status of Bangla in those constitutions. Through this paper, the readers will be able to realize that Bangla was never the state or national language of Pakistan indeed though it was usually claimed  

Dhaka University Journal of Linguistics Vol.1(1) 2008