:Pakistan National Congress

The Pakistan National Congress traces its roots to the Indian National Congress, which was the largest national political party in India. The Indian National Congress, led by Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru championed secularism, composite nationalism, religious tolerance and opposed the Pakistan movement led by the Muslim League. However, ensuing communal conflict led to the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan from Muslim-majority provinces. The religious violence and mass migration as a result of partition significantly reduced the Hindu, Sikh and non-Muslim population of Pakistan. The leaders and activists of the Indian National Congress who continued to live in Pakistan joined with the representatives of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Christian communities to form a new political party, the Pakistan National Congress. Although most of them had opposed the partition of India, the members of the new party accepted the state of Pakistan and did not maintain any organisational links with the Indian National Congress.{{cite journal |title=Role of Pakistan National Congress in the constitutional development in Pakistan, 1947-1958 |first1=Kausar |first2=Samina |last1=Parveen |last2=Awan |volume=70 |issue=2 |pages=75–101 |date=Apr–Jun 2022 |place=Karachi |journal=Pakistan Historical Society}}

It stood for secularism, equality of all religions and citizens and protection of religious and ethnic minorities. The party sought peaceful and friendly relations between Pakistan and India. The party was one of many that opposed the suppression of democracy and civil rights by successive military regimes. The Pakistan National Congress also stood against the growth of Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistani society, politics and government. The party also supported the Bengali language movement in East Bengal.

National Congress was the only party at the opposition side of the house during the movement. In both Legislative Assembly and in Constituent Assembly they exposed of the logical position of the language demand. In doing so some of the members were called Indian agents and were harassed by the government. Some leaders were also arrested and one of them was killed inside the jail.{{Harv|Umar|1979|p=617}}

While partition riots and mass migration had significantly reduced the Hindu and Sikh population in West Pakistan, Hindus still constituted twenty percent of the population of East Bengal (also East Pakistan). Consequently, the PNC's base and organisation were concentrated in that province of Pakistan. In the 1954 elections held for the East Bengal Legislative Assembly, the Pakistan National Congress won 28 seats. Basanta Kumar Das, Bhupendra Kumar Datta, Konteswar Barman and Peter Paul Gomez were the assembly members in 1955 from the party that time.{{cite book |editor-last=Rahman |editor-first=Hasan Hafizur |year=1992 |script-title=bn:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র |trans-title=Bangladesh Independence War Documents |url=https://bn.wikisource.org/wiki/পাতা:বাংলাদেশের_স্বাধীনতা_যুদ্ধ_দলিলপত্র_(প্রথম_খণ্ড).pdf/৪৪২ |volume=1 |publisher=Ministry of Information |page=442}}

After the Bangladeshi War of Independence, the party briefly survived as the Bangladesh National Congress. The party stood one candidate, Sree Peter Paul Gomez in the 1973 election for Dacca-25,http://www.ecs.gov.bd/English/PrintElection.php?&electionid=1&party=13&PartyName=Bagladesh%20Jatiya%20Congress&id=partywise {{Dead link|date=February 2022}} but did not win the seat. The party was dissolved in 1975 after the formation of the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League as the sole political party of Bangladesh.{{cite news |script-title=bn:অন্যান্য দলের অবলুপ্তি |trans-title=Extinction of other parties |language=bn |page=1 |date=25 February 1975 |newspaper=The Daily Ittefaq}} It is unknown how long the party survived in West Pakistan.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

1. Bhupendra Kumar Datta
2. Kiran Shankar Roy
3. Prem Hari Barma
4. Raj Kumar Chakraverty
5. Sris Chandra Chattopadhyaya
6. Akshay Kumar Das
7. Dhirendra Nath Datta
8. Jnanendra Chandra Majumdar
9. Birat Chandra Mandal
10. Sri Dhananjoy M.A. B.L. Roy
11. Maudi Bhakesh Chanda
12. Harendra Kumar Sur
13. Kawivi Kerwar Datta

1. Ganga Saran
2. Rai Bahadur Lala

• Indian Union Muslim League
• Bangladesh Minority Janata Party

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite book |last=Umar |first=Badruddin |author-link=Badruddin Umar |year=1979 |script-title=bn:পূর্ব বাংলার ভাষা আন্দোলন ও তৎকালীন রজনীতি |title=Purbo-Banglar Bhasha Andolon O Totkalin Rajniti |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.265835 |location=Dhaka |publisher=Agamee Prakashani |language=bn}}

Category:Politics of East Pakistan

Category:Hinduism in Pakistan

Category:Secularism in Pakistan

Category:Socialist parties in Pakistan

Category:Nationalist parties in Pakistan

Category:Defunct political parties in Pakistan

Category:Defunct political parties in Bangladesh

Category:1947 establishments in Pakistan

Category:1971 disestablishments in Pakistan

Category:1971 establishments in Bangladesh

Category:1975 establishments in Bangladesh

Category:Political parties established in 1947

Category:Political parties disestablished in 1975