 In March , Jinnah , despite his declining health , made his only post @-@ independence visit to East Pakistan . In a speech before a crowd estimated at 300 @,@ 000 , Jinnah stated ( in English ) that Urdu alone should be the national language , believing a single language was needed for a nation to remain united . The Bengali @-@ speaking people of East Pakistan strongly opposed this policy , and in 1971 the official language issue was a factor in the region 's secession to form Bangladesh . 
