The non-cooperation movement continued. The whole of East Bengal was behind Mujibur and his Awami League. Even the Chief Justice and all the Judges of the Dacca High Court responded to the call for non-cooperation. It was a stupendous and truly incomparable movement. On March 15, Mujibur Rahman declared that he was taking over the administration of Bangladesh on the basis of his party’s absolute majority in National Assembly and the Provincial Assembly. He issued a set of 35 declaration Yahya Khan flew to Dacca and on March 16 talks between the two started. At a later stage Bhutto and other West Pakistani leaders joined the talks.
At no stage was there any breakdown of talks or any indication by Yahya Khan or his team that they had taken a final stand that could not be abandoned. On the contrary, an agreement had been reached on four points. These were: lifting of martial law and transfer of power to a civilian government by Presidential Proclamation; transfer of power in the provinces to the majority parties; Yahya Khan to remain as President and in control of the central government; and separate sittings of the National Assembly members from East and West. Pakistan preparatory to a joint session of the House to finalize the constitution. Once this agreement in principle had been reached between Mujibur and Yahya, there was only the question of defining the powers Bangladesh vis-a-vis the Centre during the interim phase.
But suddenly, on the night of March 25-26, Yahya dashed out of Dacca under cover of darkness. Simultaneously the Pakistani army went into action to re-assert its authority throughout the eastern wing. Back in west Pakistan, Yahya broadcast a message to the nation banning the Awami League and charging Mujibur with treason. And on March 26, Mujibur Rahman proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh as a Sovereign People’s Republic. Formation of a provincial government of Bangladesh was announced two days later and on April 17 the Democratic Republic was formally proclaimed.
It is now clear that Yahya Khan and his team never had the slightest intention of solving Pakistan’s political crisis peacefully. They were only interested in biding time to permit the reinforcement of troops with modern arms. The remarkable success of the civil disobedience movement left the Pakistan government in no doubt that the days of colonial exploitation of the East wing were gone forever. Hence the Pakistani government ordered the commencement of genocidal military action on March 25.
As the gallant people of Bangladesh rose to fight for their freedom, acre on acre of their golden-green motherland turned red with martyrs’ blood.
War in Bangladesh
A massive attack by the Pakistani armed forces was unleashed against the entire people of Bangladesh on the night of March 25 and it is still continuing. The government of Pakistan has chosen to flout not only the mandate of the people but all known canons of civilization. No total picture of the atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistani armed forces is available as yet. But the reports published in newspapers in India and abroad and the accounts given by the lakhs of refugees who have come to India reveal that the Pakistani
