be looted and burned by rioting mobs. The civil administration was prevented from working by Awami League cadres enforcing the strike.
Mujibur Rahman announced that he had called for the launching of a Satyagraha (civil disobedience movement) for the realization of the rights of the people of “Bangladesh" (East Pakistan).
MARCH 4
The general strike was observed in East Pakistan in response to the Awami League's call for non-cooperation with the Government of Pakistan. Reports from the interior of the province confirmed that widespread violence was taking place.
MARCH 5
The Strike continued in East Pakistan. The civil administration remained paralysed. Telecommunication between eastern and western Pakistan remained suspended owing to the Awami League's strike movement. In Dacca city, army units deployed two days earlier to control violence were withdrawn to barracks. Curfew was imposed in the populous towns of Rajshahi and Rangpur after outbreaks of extensive violence and lawlessness. Non-Bengali owned commercial establishments were looted by Bengali mobs. The whole of East Pakistan was cut off from the outside world by Awami League's call to communications employees to stop sending and receiving messages to and from abroad.
MARCH 6
In a broadcast to the nation, President Yahya Khan announced that the first session of the constitution-making National assembly would be held on March 25. He expressed regret over the unreasonable reaction of the Awami League leadership to the postponement of the March 3 session of the National Assembly. He also regretted the fact that the Awami League leader Mujibur Rahman had rejected his invitation for attending the round-table conference of parliamentary leaders called for March 10 in Dacca. The President enumerated the steps that he had taken to bring about the peaceful transfer of power to the people's elected representatives. He, however, stressed that under the Legal Framework Order, in accordance with which the elections had been held, he was pledged to preserving the absolute national integrity of Pakistan.
The strike ordered by Awami League continued in East Pakistan. The administration remained paralyzed, normal banking was interrupted by Awami League's interference. More reports of growing lawlessness, arson, violence are received from the interior. Commercial establishments and private houses are looted. Industrial activity came to a standstill. In Dacca, 325 prisoners from the Dacca Central Jail escaped from the prison by over-powering the guards. Seven prisoners were killed in firing on the escaping prisoners by jail guards. Later, the escaped prisoners marched through the streets of Dacca and the local police were afraid to take action against them.
The Awami Leaguers set up a parallel administration.
