পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (প্রথম খণ্ড).pdf/৪৫৪

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বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ প্রথম খণ্ড
৪২৯

31st August, 1995

Mr. Abul Mansur Ahmed: There is a suspicion also in the minds of the people of East Pakistan. You remember. Sir, that the people of East Pakistan accepted the principle of parity in all respects. This was a great sacrifice on the part of the people of East Pakistan because they are actually in a majority and they shall continue to remain in a majority for another two or three decades. There was an apprehension in the minds of some people in the West that the people of East Pakistan would dominate over West Pakistan merely on account of their numerical superiority. That is the apprehension which was allowed to grow in the minds of the people of West Pakistan including the political leaders by the shortsighted policies of the Muslim League leaders of East Pakistan. They behaved in such a way that suspicion was bound to grow in the minds of the people here as well as in the minds of their leaders, that these people from East Pakistan wanted to dominate over them by their numerical superiority. In order to clear the minds of the people and political leaders of West Pakistan we from East Pakistan at once came forward with this liberal offer: if you want us to accept parity, we accept it. We never wanted to dominate over you by our numerical “superiority.” Sir when we accepted parity, we believed that it is the genuine demand of the leaders and the people of West Pakistan that we should accept parity in all respects. We wanted to remove the suspicion of domination from the minds of the people of West Pakistan. That is what prompted us to accept that parity. Now in a House of 80 we are 40. Previously we were 44 in a House of 74. We sacrificed this superiority only to show that we did not want domination. But, Sir, what has been done by our Punjabi brothers at the first opportunity got by them? What they have done is to give a go-bye to all the sense of propriety, all sense of fair play and well established convention, now they have taken both of the two highest posts in the State into their pocket............. Sir, I was just referring to the fact how the suspicion has arisen in the minds of the people. It has arisen in their minds due to this haphazard way in which this bill is being rushed through. They say. Sir, which the people are behind it, the entire people are behind it and therefore they do not like to refer it back for circulation. Why don't they hold public meetings anywhere within a short period of time I charged my learned erstwhile leader Dr. Khan Shahib in Murree to go to the Frontier Province and address public meetings I know he is not afraid of the people; he has been a veteran leader and is held in high esteem by the people of the Frontier province........... I am very glad to see that Dr. Khan Shahib has begun to feel the importance of my argument and has begun to address his people, but other leaders occupying Ministerial gaddi, as also the Honorable Sardar Amir Azam Khan who is piloting this Bill don't go to their own provinces and address public meetings..................


 I have already referred Sir, why the people of East Bengal have become suspicious of late about the bonafides of the ruling Junta of Karachi. Sir, we have seen very recently how the interest and wishes of the people of Bengal have been ignored on the question of division of powers and parity; how the salutary convention that had grown in Pakistan for the last eight years with regard to the appointment of Governor-General and the Prime Minister from two wings has been broken at the very first opportunity Sir, apart from the all that has been struck on the head of the people of East Pakistan on many issues, again, Sir, Karachi is being taken away from them and is being handed over to