starting with the idea of federation incorporated all the provisions that will be found in a unitary form of Government, or even in a dictatorial form of government. They have not considered, it wise to incorporate any provision on the lines of autonomous federated units. When we are a federation, the provinces must be federated and provinces must be autonomous. You have not given any autonomy to the provinces and you have not given any safeguards.............
I was telling you about the case of Autonomists-demands of autonomists - and why they demand it. As I told you earlier the geographical position of the country is so peculiar and on that account the economic division of the country is so perfect that East Bengal must have its own economy apart from the economy of West Pakistan or it cannot live. The last 8 years of our existence have shown that unless and until we have separate and distinct economy in East Bengal within the next eight years we will be completely impoverished and it will bring our annihilation. So it is a determination to live and live as an integral part of Pakistan and also contribute to the pros parity of Pakistan. There is a feeling in the minds of the Centralists, who are mostly in the ruling coterie that if the Provinces become stronger the Centre will also become weak. My theory is altogether different. I hold altogether different opinion and I feel that unless and until you make the two wings of Pakistan stronger than before you cannot have a strong Pakistan. You cannot have a prosperous Pakistan. Pakistan will have no future. So in the interests of the prosperity and solidarity and the strength of Pakistan it is necessary that the further Wing of Pakistan, namely East Bengal, must be as strong as the Central Government here. This has not been done for the last 8 years and there is no provision also in the Constitution which will make this part of Pakistan a bit stronger than before. My learned friend Mr. Hamidul Huq Choudhury yesterday told that a greater amount of autonomy has been given to East Bengal and that East Bengal should be satisfied with that. I strongly repudiate this view and hold that this is absolutely incorrect and that what prime facie has been shown as strength of the Provinces is not really the strength of the provinces. You have actually cut down from the autonomy by adding a few more subjects which are not power creating or money producing. You have actually swelled the provincial list and thereby you want to show that regional autonomy has been given to the country. I do not really understand the attitude of Mr. Choudhury so far as regional autonomy for East Bengal is concerned. The last eight years of Central Government have shown that although for these 8 years we were told that a sort of federal Government was existing for all practical purposes there was a unitary Government. There is unitary control over economy, over industry, over finance, over commerce and all these things are in the hands of the Centre, practically everything. Provinces, particularly East Bengal did not get any benefit out of that. Now, Sir, regarding defense I will tell you one thing that out of 40 crores that has been spent in the last few years in the country on account of defense, only 14 crores have been spent in East Bengal, which means about 2 crores of rupees or less than that per year. Why it has been done in this manner, why this stepmotherly treatment, why this wild arrangement. Is it just, is it brotherly, do they want to say that they are our brothers and we are their brothers. Is it really a brotherly feeling that they do not look to the interests of East Bengal? They do not equip East Bengal militarily for all and every eventualities thinking that there should not be any defence so far as East Bengal is concerned. They think that the defence of West Pakistan alone would mean the
