বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (প্রথম খণ্ড)/১১৪
| শিরোনাম | সূত্র | তারিখ |
| সামরিক আইন জারি ও জেনারেল মীর্জা কর্তৃক ক্ষমতা দখল | সরকারী | ৭ই আক্টোবর, ১৯৫৮ |
IMPOSITION OF MARTIAL LAW
President's (Iskander Mirza) Proclamation
October 7, 1958
For the last two years, I have been watching, with the deepest anxiety, the ruthless struggle for power, corruption, the shameful exploitation of our simple, honest, patriotic and industrious masses, the lack of decorum and the prostitution of Islam for political ends. There have been a few honorable, exceptions. But, being in a minority, they have not been able to assert their influence in the affairs of the country.
These despicable activities have led to a dictatorship of the lowest order Adventurers and exploiters have flourished to the detriment of the masses and are getting richer by their nefarious practices.
Despite my repeated endeavors, no serious attempt has been made to tackle the food crisis. Food has been a problem of life and death for us in a country, which should be really surplus. Agriculture and land administration have been made a handmaiden of politics, so that, in our present system of Government, no political party will be able to take any positive action to increase production.
In East Pakistan, on the other hand, there is a we 11-organized smuggling of food. medicines and other necessities of life. The masses there suffer due to the shortages so caused in, and the consequent high prices of these commodities. Import of food has been a constant and serious drain on our foreign exchange earnings in the last few years, with the result that the Government is constrained to curtail the much needed internal development projects.
Some of our politicians have lately been talking of bloody revolution. Another type of adventurers among them think it fit to go to foreign countries and attempt direct alignment with them which can only be described as high treason.
Disgraceful Scene
The disgraceful scene enacted recently in the East Pakistan Assembly is known to all. I am told that such episodes were common occurrences in pre-partition Bengal. Whether they were or not, it is certainly not a civilized mode of procedure. You do not raise the prestige of your country by beating the Speaker, killing the Deputy Speaker and desecrating the National Flag.
The mentality of the political parties has sunk so low that I am unable any longer to believe that elections will improve the present chaotic internal situation and enable us to form a strong and stable Government capable of dealing with the innumerable and complex problems facing us to-day. We cannot get men from the moon. The same group of people who have brought Pakistan on the verge of ruination will rig the elections for their own ends. They will come back more revengeful, because, I am sure, that the elections will be contested, mainly, on personal, regional and sectarian basis. When they return, they will use the same methods which have made a tragic farce of democracy and are the main causes of the present widespread frustration in the country.
Shifting Loyalties
However, much the Administration may try, I am convinced, judging by shifting loyalties and the ceaseless and unscrupulous scramble for office, that the election will neither be free nor fair. They will not solve our difficulties. On the contrary, they are. likely to create greater unhappiness and disappointments leading, ultimately, to a really bloody revolution. Recently, we had elections for the Karachi Municipal Corporation. Twenty-nine per cent of the electorate exercised their votes, and, out of these, about 50 per cent were bogus votes.
We hear threats and cries of civil disobedience in order to retain private volunteer organizations and to break up One Unit. These disruptive tendencies are a good “indication of their patriotism and the length up to which politicians and adventurers are prepared to go to achieve their parochial aims.
Our foreign policy is subjected to unintelligent and irresponsible criticism, not for patriotic motives, but from selfish viewpoints, often by the very people who were responsible for it. We desire to have friendly relations with all nations, but political adventures try their best to create bad blood and misunderstanding between us and countries like the USSR, the UAR and the Peoples Republic of China. Against India, of course, they scream for war, knowing full well that they will be nowhere near the firing line.
In no country in the World do political parties treat foreign policy in the manner it is done in Pakistan. To dispel the confusion so caused, I categorically reiterate that we shall continue to follow a policy which our interests and geography demand and that we shall honor all our international commitments, which, as is well-known, we have undertaken to safeguard the security of Pakistan and as a peace loving nation to play our part in averting the danger of war from this troubled world.
For the last three years, I have been doing my utmost to work the Constitution in a democratic way. I have labored to bring about coalition after coalition, hoping that it would stabilize the Administration and that the affairs of the country would be run in the interests of the masses. My detractors, in their dishonest ways, have, on every opportunity, called these attempts as palace intrigues. It has become fashionable to put all the blame on the President. A wit said the other day: “If it rains too much it is the fault of the President and if it does not rain it is the fault of the President” If only I alone is concerned, I would go on taking these fulminations with the contempt they deserve. But the intention of these traitors and unpatriotic elements is to destroy the prestige of Pakistan and the Government by attacking the Head of the State. They have succeeded to a great extent, and if this state of affairs is allowed to go on, they will achieve their ultimate purpose.
People Disillusioned
My appraisal of the internal situation has led me to believe that a vast majority of the people no longer have any confidence in the present system of Government and are getting more and more disillusioned and disappointed and are becoming dangerously resentful of the manner in which they are exploited. Their resentment and bitterness are justifiable. The leaders have not been able to render them the service they deserve and have failed to prove themselves worthy of the confidence the masses had reposed in them.
The Constitution which was brought into being on March 23, 1956, after so many tribulations, is unworkable. It is so full of dangerous compromises that Pakistan will soon disintegrate internally if the inherent malaise is not removed. To rectify them the country must first be taken to sanity by a peaceful revolution. Then it is my intention to collect a number of patriotic persons to examine our problems in the political field and devise a Constitution more suitable to the genius of the Muslim people. When it is ready and at the appropriate time, it will be submitted to the referendum of the people.
Foremost Duty
It is said that the Constitution is sacred. But more sacred that the Constitution or anything else is the country and the welfare and happiness of its people. As Head of the State, my foremost duty before my God and the people is the integrity of Pakistan. It is seriously threatened by the ruthlessness of traitors and political adventurers whose selfishness, thirst for power and unpatriotic conduct cannot be restrained by a Government set up under the present system. Nor can I any longer remain a spectator of activities designed to destroy the country. After deep and anxious thought, I have come to the regrettable conclusion that I would be failing in my duty, if I did not take steps. which in my opinion are inescapable in present conditions, to save Pakistan from complete disruption. I have therefore, decided that-
(a) The Constitution of March 23, 1956 will be abrogated.
(b) The Central and Provincial Governments will be dismissed with immediate effect.
(c) The National Parliament and Provincial Assemblies will be dissolved.
(d) All political parties will be abolished.
(e) Until alternative arrangements are made. Pakistan will come under Martial Law. I hereby appoint General Mohammad Ayub Khan, Commander in-Chief, Pakistan Army, as the Chief Martial Law Administrator and place all the Armed Forces of Pakistan under his command.
Call to Armed Forces
To the valiant Armed Forces of Pakistan, I have to say “That having been closely associated with them since the very inception of Pakistan, I have learnt to admire their patriotism and loyalty. I am putting a great strain on them. I fully realize this but I ask you Officers and men of the Armed Forces on your services depends the future existence of Pakistan as an independent Nation and a bastion in these parts of the free World. Do your job without fear or favor and may God help you.
To the people of Pakistan, I talk as a brother and fellow compatriot. The present action has been taken with the utmost regret but I have had to do it in the interests of the country and the masses, finer men than whom it is difficult to imagine. To the patriots and the law-abiding, I promise you will be happier and freer. The political adventurers, the smugglers, the black-marketers, the hoarders will be unhappy and their activities will be severely restricted. As for the traitors, they had better flee the country, if they can and while the going is good.