Why were East Pakistan and West Pakistan difficult to govern as one country?

Governing East and West Pakistan as a single nation proved difficult due to profound geographical, cultural, and political divisions. Separated by approximately 1,000 miles of Indian territory, the two wings shared little beyond their Muslim-majority status.12

Key factors contributing to this instability included:

• Linguistic and Cultural Marginalization: The central government attempted to impose Urdu as the sole national language, despite Bengali being the predominant language of the east. Additionally, Bengali cultural expressions—such as the wearing of the sari and the works of Rabindranath Tagore—were discouraged or suppressed by officials who viewed them as Hindu-associated.21
• Economic Disparity: Development funds, military aid, and economic resources were heavily concentrated in West Pakistan. Although jute from the east was a primary export, earnings were largely spent in the west, leading to perceptions that the east was being systematically drained of its wealth.23
• Political Exclusion: Despite East Pakistan's population size, the central government and military bureaucracy were dominated by West Pakistani interests. When the Awami League won a democratic majority in the 1970 elections, the refusal of the military leadership to allow Mujibur Rahman to form a government triggered the final collapse of national unity.31