পরিশিষ্ঠ
সরকারী প্রচারণা
| শিরোনাম | সূত্র | তারিখ |
| ১৩১। একাত্ত্বরের মার্চ মাসের ঘটনাবলী সম্পর্কে পাকিস্তান সরকারের ভাষ্য | প্রচার পুস্তিকাঃ পাকিস্তান দূতাবাস, ওয়াশিংটন | ৬ ডিসেম্বর, ১৯৭১ |
FEDERAL INTERVENTION IN PAKISTAN:
CHRONOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
On March 25, 1971, in the face of rising disorders-looting, arson and killings by extremist groups—Pakistan's federal army moved swiftly to restore law and order. In the following pages, a chronology provides a review of the events in March which led to this federal counter-action.
In perspective, these events had their origins on December 7, 1970, when 53 million Pakistanis went to the polls to elect a Constituent Assembly. The balloting was secret, based on universal suffrage and founded on the principle of “one man, one vote." The elections were set in motion by President Yahya Khan to make good on his pledge “to restore democratic institutions in the country." This pledge was set out on March 30, 1970, in the Legal Framework Order (LFO), which laid down the ground rules for the election and the machinery for carrying out the balloting.
1,570 candidates contested for the 313 seats to the Constituent Assembly. 25 different political parties in the country's five provinces, plus 319 independents withouts party affiliation, campaigned for seats under the terms of the LFO. All candidates subscribed to the LFO's fundamental principle that the new Constitution would not impair the nation's “independence, territorial integrity and national solidarity" in any manner. With this basic understanding in mind, the people went to the polls.
The election was a brilliant success. Election day took on a festive air. The balloting was free and peaceful. 11 different political parties and 15 independents emerged with seats in the Constituent Assembly. The Pakistan Awami League, headed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won handsomely with 167 seats: next to it the Pakistan People's Party, led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, scored impressively with 81 Seats.
The Constituent Assembly was scheduled by the President to meet on March 3. In the interim period, various political party leaders, in particular Sheikh Mujib and Mr. Bhutto, conferred with a view to arriving at a reasonable understanding on the question of constitution-making and its many modalities before the Assembly met (for example, the question whether the various clauses of the new Constitution would be passed by a
