killing of the people and the destruction of the economy have clearly exposed the intentions of the army junta of West Pakistan. They do not consider Bengalis their own people. They want to subjugate the 75 million Bengalis forever and exploit Bangladesh as a colony of the type the human history has not seen.
The present plan reveals the design quite obviously, though this has been an intended move to hoodwink the World Powers and the other world bodies. There is no expression of sympathy for the people who have suffered including the six million refugees in India. There is no desire of generating confidence and goodwill among the Bengalis. To the West Pakistani Army rulers, these are not necessary. They believe that they can hold on to power through military suppression and ruthlessness. They are yet to accept the fact that the oft-repeated bond of unity and integrity has been torn asunder by them for all lime to come.
Expected Collaborators:
Who are the persons in Bangladesh that President Yahya Khan expects to cooperate with him in forming the Governments under the present plan? Not the Awami League that won all but two seals in the National Assembly. The Awami League has been banned for ever. The Awami Leaguers who were involved in the “secessionist movement” and “anti-state or criminal acts” will not be permitted to sit in the Assemblies. The others who would come forward could participate in the Assemblies only in their individual capacities. The vacant scats will be filled up through by-elections. These are the processes envisaged by President Yahya Khan to initiate civilian rule in the country. This is how Yahya Khan expects to enlist the support of the Awami Leaguers of Bangladesh to his plan of transferring power. But he knows that he cannot expect many Awami Leaguers to show up to cooperate with him. He also knows that an outright nullification of the last election results win create complications with respect to West Pakistan as well. Hence his frantic effort at a patched up formula to maintain credibility, though he fully realized that it is an exercise in futility.
We are not bothered about the lack of options before Yahya Khan, as he is trying to make out. IIc has engaged himself in this futile exercise, only to appease the world at large. He expects to form an Assembly of quislings and collaborators through a fake election for the vacant seats. This will not be legal, constitutional or even moral. No one can deny the right to the duly elected members to set and participate in the Assemblies. It did not lie within the competence of Yahya Khan to presume the attitude of the Awami League within the National Assembly. His presumption of a secessionist attitude of Awami League is not borne out by facts. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did not declare independence of Bangladesh till the unwarranted and merciless crack-down by West Pakistan army on the night of the 25th March, 1971. The whole world press will bear witness to this. Hence it is Yahya khan, and not Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is responsible for splitting Pakistan into two. Once this split has been brought to the present, pass, any further rapprochement is totally out of the question.
