Historical eventMarch 261971

East Pakistan

East Pakistan, then a province of Pakistan, declares its independence from Pakistan to form Bangladesh; the Bangladesh War of Independence begins.

Everything on March 26Original source

In context

When
Friday, March 26 197155 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1970s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1971.

What happened

History Main article: History of East Pakistan One Unit and Islamic Republic Suhrawardy (middle) with US President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles In 1955, Prime Minister Mohammad Ali Bogra implemented the One Unit scheme which merged the four western provinces into a single unit called West Pakistan by the Establishment of West Pakistan Act, 1955 while East Bengal was renamed as East Pakistan by the 1956 Constitution of Pakistan . [ 1 ]

East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1956 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, with a coastline on the Bay of Bengal. To distinguish this region from India's state West Bengal, East Pakistan was known as "Pakistani Bengal". East Pakistanis were popularly known as "Pakistani Bengalis". In 1971, East Pakistan became the newly independent state Bangladesh,

March 26 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1971East Pakistan
  2. 1997Heaven's Gate (religious group)
  3. 1997Rancho Santa Fe, California
  4. 1998Algerian Civil War
  5. 1999Jack Kevorkian
  6. 2005Taiwan
  7. 2009Tesla Model S
  8. 2010ROKS Cheonan (PCC-772)
  9. 2010Torpedo
  10. 20172017–2018 Russian protests
  11. 2024Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore)

Also in 1971

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  • September 9Attica Prison riotThe four-day Attica Prison riot begins, eventually resulting in 39 dead, most killed by state troopers retaking the prison.
  • September 13Project 571Following a failed coup attempt, Mao Zedong's second-in-command Lin Biao died in a plane crash while attempting to flee China.
  • September 13National Guard (United States)State police and National Guardsmen storm New York's Attica Prison to quell a prison revolt, which claimed 43 lives.
  • September 13Mao ZedongChairman Mao Zedong's second in command and successor Marshal Lin Biao flees China after the failure of an alleged coup. His plane crashe…
  • September 15GreenpeaceThe first Greenpeace ship departs from Vancouver to protest against the upcoming Cannikin nuclear weapon test in Alaska.
  • May 25Killing of Joetha CollierJoetha Collier, a recent high school graduate, was killed in Drew, Mississippi, in a case that attracted widespread attention from civil…
  • August 14BahrainBahrain declares independence from Britain.

Everything we record for 1971 →

Sources

Cite this page

“East Pakistan”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/east-pakistan-1971-march-26, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did East Pakistan happen?

March 26 1971 — 55 years ago, on a Friday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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