realized that it was in their best interest to have a solution along with the lines that had been proposed. Their position at least in the Western wing was thus safeguarded. Yahya would remain president, Bhutto would get power in Punjab and Sind and since the Constitution for the Western wing would be made by a committee consisting of members from the west, Bhutto's party would in effect dominate that committee. I remember some foreign correspondents also saying that the two committees' approach may just be what Yahya and Bhutto wanted in order to secure their position in the west. The 22nd was a day of optimism the hint of a possibility of a settlement appeared to be in sight.
In the evening of 22 March, the Awami League team went through the draft proclamation in my office, where Sheikh Mujib and other party leaders came and a careful reading was given to the entire draft since it seemed that such a draft may ultimately become a proclamation. Throughout the night of 22March work went on to prepare a finished draft.
March 23 was an extraordinary day. This had previously been celebrated as 'Pakistan Day'. This was the day, however when thousands of Bangladesh flag were on sale. I remember as I drove out of my office at 6 a. m in the morning, with copies of the revised draft, I bought a Bangladesh flag at the Nawabpur railway crossing. I arrived at Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's house at about 7 I the morning with the revised draft. Soon many processions came there and hoisting of a Bangladesh flag in his house took place. Indeed, most of the houses and cars bore Bangladesh flags.
The Awami League team drove into president's house at 11-30 that morning with a Bangladesh flag on their car. The hostile reaction of military officers at president's House when they saw the flag was all too visible.
When the Awami League team entered, they were told that M.M. Ahmed and some other financial experts had been brought over by the Government to examine the implications of the financial and economic provisions. Indeed, M. M. Ahmed started by saying that he thought that the Six Point scheme could be given effect to with some minor practical adaptations. Peerzada proposed that M. M. Ahmed may sit with the Awami Langue financial experts and mentioned the name of Nurul Islam. Indeed the Awami League financial experts. Nurul Islam, Anis Rahman, Rehma Sobhan and others had been meeting daily at Nurul Islam's house and in fact, the financial and economic provisions in the Awami League revised draft had been voted by them. The Awami League team did not, however, wish to accept this proposal for a separate meeting between financial experts as it was seen as a time-killing man oeuvre. The Awami league team had begun to sense that Yahyas advisers were trying to prolong discussions on each cause and this was clearly see as a dilatory tactic. In the evening sitting of 23 March M M Ahmed produced a number of written slips by way of amendments and insertions to draft. Even in respect of foreign trade and aid, M. M. Ahmed showed some flexibility. He said foreign trade could be left with the Eastern wing without any difficulty. About aid, he said the difficulty could be over come if foreign policy aspects were left with the Centre. About the reconstruction of the State Bank he said this also could be done and that in the interim period the Dacca branch of the State Bank could function as the Reserve Bank of Bangladesh. There could also be a bifurcation of the
