পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/৭৮

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50 ংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড parties in the West wanted provincial autonomy. Provincial autonomy was defined in the legal framework order which was endorsed by Sheikh Mujib Rahman and his League when they decided to contest the election. I do not know whether that is denied by the Hon. Member for Kensington, North or anybody else who takes his point of view. Not in any contentious spirit, but seeking enlightenment because it is so difficult to get reliable information, I ask the Hon. Gentleman whether he accepts the statement of General Yahya Khan that he was assured by Sheikh Mujib Rahman that the constitution that the latter has in mind would not only be concerned with putting right legitimate grievances, but would also retain the integrity, the independence and the solidarity of Pakistan as a whole. I have not seen that rebutted and I think that it is a very important point. Mr. Douglas-Mann: I accept, as the Hon. Gentleman requests me to, that it was part of the original intention of Sheik Mujib that East Pakistan should remain as part of a State of Pakistan as a whole, but that it should have economic autonomy was clearly part of the election programme of the Awami Leaguer; and it was the insistence on economic autonomy after the Awami League had gained its electoral victory, the extent of which came as a surprise no doubt to Sheik Mujib as it did to the President, which caused the war to be initiated. I hope that the Hon. Gentleman will also accept that the war was initiated by the President and that it is not American professors who used the phrase "mad and power drunk" and that the action to start the killing was initiated by the Pakistan military authorities. Mr. Biggs-Davison: It is difficult to unravel all these intricate events. What seems to have happened is that a decision was made by Sheikh Mujib Rahman not to take advantage of the election and become Prime Minister of a single State but to concentrate on the secession of East Pakistan. This is my impression. The House has been deeply concerned at the terrible atrocities reported from East Pakistan. I am glad that the Hon. Member for Kensington, North said that not the all atrocities were on one side and not all were committed by the Pakistan armed forces. I thought that S. R. Ghaunri's report from Dacca in The Guardian of 10th May was impressive, when he said this: "Inevitably, the central figure in this bloody drama is the poor Bihari ....clinging fast to the moorings of Pakistan, hugging the ideology which gave birth to this country and even appointing himself as its custodian, its interpreter, and its operator. The Bihari has the distressing record of becoming a refugee twice in 23 years....... Pakistan is his passion and his refuge." The Bihari community may have been a little forgotten by some people in this tragic affair. It is now becoming clear that many of the worst stories have been exaggerations. I am not surprised at this. When I was serving in West Pakistan and was engaged in the defense of the Hindu and Sikh minorities against hordes of Muslims who were bent on their murder and I had occasion to order fire to opened, the number of casualties could have been counted on one hand, but by the evening the report running through the entire district was