পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (চতুর্দশ খণ্ড).pdf/৫৬০

528 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড Bhutto's People's Party, who are particularly strong in the key province of Punjab, has already shown signs of rest-lessness and has now came under the general ban on political activity. While Mr. Bhutto has always stood out against an unconditional acceptance of the Sheikh's demands, he wants power to be handed over to him as the majority elected leader in the West wing and he is not likely to welcome the extension of military rule. The President's speech clearly ends this stage of his experiment to return Pakistan to democracy. He has promised that he still intends to hand over power, but he could not make any announcement about the next step. It is difficult to see anything for the time being except a further spell of military rule. How successful that military rule will be must be an open question. રે | CURRENT AFFAIRS TALKS PAKISTAN: THE FUTURE 2nd April, 1971 by Martin Adeney (OC) Reports are continuing to come in of violence in East Pakistan. Here is a comment form Martin Adeney of the London newspaper the 'Guardian” who was in Dacca the capital of East Pakistan less than a week ago. The Pakistan army which I and other correspondents saw a week ago launching a massive military attack on the cities of East Bengal and the supporters of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Awami League which held a majority in the country's National Assembly, appears to be meeting stiffer resistance than it had expected. The Government controlled and heavily censored Pakistan radio has broadcast a warning calling on citizens not to erect barricades an admission by that cautious source that it faces serious opposition. Meanwhile Western correspondents who managed to reach Jessore 25 miles from the Indian border report that the army had withdrawn to its cantonment area, and the town was in the hands of the civilian population-though there is no suggestion of an army defeat. It looks then as if the first objective of the army intervention which I and other correspondents witnessed only six hours after constitutional talks between President Yahya khan. Sheikh Mujib and Mr. Bhutto's peoples party had broken down, has failed A carefully laid and cold-bloodedly executed plan so frighten the population into civil obedience by the shelling of the university, the burning of areas of poor housing the indiscriminate machine-gunning of the streets and the picking off of leaders of the political and intellectual life of the province appears to have reduced Dacca to grave like peace. But in the countryside and in towns outside army encampments, it appears that people have remained united if only by bate against the largely West Pakistani army. How long with few old fashioned arms they can hold out against the modern automatic weapons of the army is another matter. But with the monsoon due in a few weeks, the army's problems of communications are going to impair its ability to exercise control outside fixed positions. Undoubtedly army revenge against the humiliations it was subjected to during Sheikh Mujib's four week disobedience campaign has been a factor in the violence of its