Mujib was released. Eventually he was invited by President Ayub Khan to joint the Round Table Conference in Rawalpindi. At the conference Mujib pointed out that the national question was the key question in Pakistan but it had been sought to be bypassed by those in power ever since the inception of the new State. He said that East Pakistan had a separate entity given by unalterable facts of geography, economics, language and culture. These facts had to be recognized in the organisation of state and government. He pressed for the recognition of the six-points.
Ayub khan's governments collapsed within a few days. There was a second military take-over. Ayub Khan was replaced by Yahya Khan on March 25, 1969. The aims of the new regime were annunciated in three declarations issued by Yahya Khan in 1969 and 1970 and through the Legal Framework Order (LFO) passed on March 30. 1970. Yahya avoided any direct commitment on the question of autonomy for East Pakistan. All he would say was that he wanted to grant the maximum autonomy to the provinces, subject to the limits set by the needs of an efficient working of the Central Government.
VI. People's verdict and position of Awami League.
Under the Legal Framework Order, elections would be held and the National Assembly of Pakistan would have to draw up a Constitution within 120 days from the date of its first meeting. Election to the National Assembly and the Provincial Legislatures were held in December 1910 under the strict supervision of the military regime. The Awami League led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won 167 out of 169 seats allotted to East Pakistan in the National Assembly and thus secured an absolute majority in a House of 313. In the elections to the Provincial Legislature also, Awami League recorded thumping victory.
In January 1971. Yahya Khan came to Dacca for talks with Mujib and other Awami League leaders. At the end of his visit, on January 14, Yahya referred to Mujib as the future Prime Minister of Pakistan and said that power was going to be transferred to him soon. But he refused at the time of fix a date for the session of the National Assembly. After considerable delay, the Assembly was convened to meet at Dacca on March 3. 1971. Zulfikar Ali Bbutto, whose Peoples Party had won 83 seats in the National Assembly, threatened to boycott the Assembly unless the Awami League modified its six-point programme. Bhutto wanted a strong centre with wide powers especially in the field of taxation and foreign trade. Mujib declared that the people of East Bengal had given a clear verdict in favor of the six-point programme envisaging full provincial autonomy and this verdict had to be respected. The country's Constitution had to be based on the six-points.
Preparations for the Assembly session want on in spite of Bhutto's threat, and the Awami League's Constitution Committee sat to review the draft Constitution prepared by the party on the basis of six-point programme. Bhutto continued to press for the postponement of the session and threatened that there would be mass agitation all over West Pakistan if the Assembly met and that any member from West wing joining session would be severely dealt with. Suddenly on March 1, Yahya Khan postponed the session indefinitely. He said that the attitude of the leaders of the two wings was regrettable and
