the vanguard of the struggle for Pakistan. Such proposals as I am presenting before the Conference are based on the conviction that they are absolutely essential in order to preserve and indeed to strengthen Pakistan.
The demand for representation in the Federal Legislature to be on the basis of population stems from the first principle of democracy, viz., “one man one vote”. In the national forum, as envisaged in the 6-point scheme, only national issues would arise, for consideration. The representatives would, therefore, be called upon to deal with matters from a national point of view and hence the voting would not be on a regional basis. Further, national political parties would be represented in the Federal Legislature, which would ensure that voting would be on a party, and not on regional basis. Indeed, the experience of the last twenty-one years bears out the fact that voting in the National Assembly has invariably been on party basis. It is the principle of parity in representation of each wing, which is based on the false promise that representatives in the Federal Legislature are likely to vote on a regional basis. It is thus the parity principle that places an unjustified emphasis on regionalism as a factor in national politics. The entire historical experience of the last twenty-one years fully bears out the facts that East Pakistan has always subordinated its regional interest to the over-riding national interest, notwithstanding the fact that it had the majority of the population. It should not be necessary to recall that in the first Constituent Assembly, East Pakistan had 44 representatives as against 28 from West Pakistan; yet this majority was never used to promote any regional interest. Indeed, six West Pakistanis were elected to the Constituent Assembly from East Pakistan. Despite being a majority, East Pakistan accepted the principle of parity not only in representation in the Legislature but also in other organs of the State. It is painful to record that parity so far as representation in the Legislature was concerned, was promptly implemented, but the benefit of parity in representation in the other organs of the State, including the civil, foreign and defense services, was never extended to East Pakistan. East Pakistan had even acquiesced in the Federal Capital as well as all the Defense headquarters being located in West Pakistan. This meant that the bulk of the expenditure on defense and civil administration, amounting to about Rs. 270 crores, or, over 70 % of the central budget is made in West Pakistan. Should our West Pakistani brethren persist in refusing us representation on a population basis in the Federal Legislature; East Pakistanis will feel constrained to insist on the shifting of the Federal Capital and the Defense headquarters to East Pakistan.
It would be a positive step toward cementing the relations between the two wings of Pakistan if our West Pakistani brethren were to affirm their confidence in their East Pakistani brethren by not opposing the demand for representation in the Federal Legislature on the basis of population. Such a step would pay rich dividend by way of building up mutual confidence and trust between the people of East and West Pakistan.
The adoption of the- Federal Scheme presented in the 6-point programme is an essential prerequisite for the achievement of a political solution for the problems of the country. I would reiterate that the spirit underlying the 6-point programme is that Pakistan should present itself to the community of the nations as one single united nation of one hundred and twenty million people. This object is served by the Federal
