It is said to have originated during a speech by Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani on 23 November 1970 in Paltan Maidan, Dhaka. The speech happened only a few days after the 1970 Bhola cyclone, the deadliest natural disaster to ever be recorded in history. The Government of Pakistan was heavily criticised for its slow reactions in relief operations following the storm by Bhashani and he recommended that East Pakistan should separate and become its own independent country. He ended the speech by replacing the Pakistani slogan of Pakistan Zindabad with "Purbo Pakistan Zindabad" (Long Live East Pakistan).