পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ষষ্ঠ খণ্ড).pdf/৬২৫

589 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ষষ্ঠ খণ্ড শিরোনাম সংবাদপত্র তারিখ Mujib On Trial Bangladesh Today 15 September, 1971 Vol. 1 : No. 2 MUJIB ON TRIAL After about five months of oppressive silence, West Pakistan's military dictator General Yahya Khan has set up a kangaroo court to try Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the charge of 'waging war against Pakistan." If Yahya is sincere, why doesn't he let Sheikh Mujib have a legal counsel of his own choice? Why can't this lawyer be sent from any part of the world? Isn't it an outrage upon justice? Even a criminal has the fundamental right to proper defense in the court of law, why would Sheikh Mujib be deprived of this basic human right? Isn't it a sheer mockery of justice? The basic question is, when did he wage that war? The world knows perfectly well that in the December 1970 election, he won an absolute majority (167) out of 303 seats) in the National Assembly on the basis of his Six Point programme. Was this programme declared illegal by the military junta before or even after the election? On the contrary General Yahya commented that he didn't see why the six points could not be accommodated in the future Constitution. More important still, he also said on January 14" 1971 that "Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the future Prime Minister of Pakistan". What happened after this date that Sheikh Mujib ‘turns into an enemy of the state overnight? Who had the volte-face? Yahya arbitrarily postponed the scheduled date of the National Assembly meeting fixed for 3" March 1971. Who gave him such right to postpone the Assembly? Does the legal authority of political power flow from one's ability to stage a coup d'etat? On from the freely expressed popular verdict? However, Yahya's abitrary postponement on 1" March 1971, brought the underlying tension to a crisis point. To make the situation grimmer still he sacked East Pakistan's Governor, Vice Admiral S. M. Ahsan and sent General Tikka Khan, the butcher of the Punjab and the bomber of Baluchistan to replace him. Movement of the army from West to East Pakistan began on a massive scale increasing the number from 30,000 to 80,000. The frightening weight of the well equipped army presence was felt everywhere. The air was thick with rumors about the army's ultimate motive. All indications showed that a brutal military attack was under way. People's distrust of the army motive burst spontaneously into a militant protest on 2" March. Ruthless killing by Yahya's army west on in Dacca and Chittagong, the number of deaths rising to a few hundred. Sheikh Mujib, caught between the army’s shooting on the previous day and the burning fury of the people everywhere, struck out a middle course of action. E launched a non-violent, non-cooperation movement of Bengalis until the constituent Assembly was allowed to sit. The whole government machinery, the academic community and the business world of East Bengal accepted orders from him. On 7"March 1971, he issued a set of instructions