Demands grow for power transfer to Mujib

Syed Badrul AhsanSyed Badrul Ahsan
Published : 4 March 2016, 12:39 PM
Updated : 4 March 2016, 12:39 PM

By March 4, 1971, the writ of the government of Pakistan effectively ceased to run in East Pakistan. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his Awami League were clearly in charge of affairs in the province. The administration was Mujib's to run, de facto. The implications were clear: if the military regime and those allied to or supportive of it in West Pakistan did not quickly find a way of accommodating Bengali demands as articulated by the Awami League chief, matters could well go beyond a point of no return. Mujib was under intense pressure on two fronts. On the one hand, he needed to stay clear of the radical demand made by the students then at the forefront of the agitation for an outright declaration of independence for Bangladesh. On the other, he had to convince the regime that unless steps were taken for a swift and popularly acceptable solution to the crisis, conditions could well take a turn for the worse. The Bengali leader had already served warning that he would announce his next course of action at a public meeting at the Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan) on March 7.

Fears began to rise in West Pakistan that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman could be headed for a unilateral declaration of independence on March 7. Sensing the looming disaster for Pakistan if Mujib opted for a UDI, Air Marshal (retired) Asghar Khan, a former air force chief-turned-politician (he had joined politics along with Justice S.M. Murshed in late 1968 in the fading days of the Ayub regime), demanded that power be immediately handed over to the majority party, the Awami League. Other West Pakistani politicians made it clear that they were not in agreement with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who they said had no right to speak for the whole of the west wing since the Pakistan People's Party had not won a majority in Baluchistan and the North West Frontier Province. The consensus among large numbers of West Pakistani politicians was that the only way to prevent the break-up of the country was to hand over power at the centre to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

In Dhaka, a buoyant Bangabandhu congratulated the people of Bangladesh for observing the hartal called by him in a disciplined manner. He exhorted Bengalis to remain prepared for any eventuality in order to achieve their democratic goals. He also announced a relaxation of hartals in order for offices to remain open to clear the salaries of their employees. Meanwhile, speculations were rife about the theme and content of Bangabandhu's upcoming speech on March 7. The regime found itself in a spot and simply had no idea of how to respond to the crisis in East Pakistan. In Dhaka, Mujib's residence at Road 32 Dhanmondi became the focal point of all politics in the province. Spontaneous processions made their way to the residence all day and well into the late evening, a gathering sign of an entire Bengali nation coming together in defence of its democratic rights.