December 1970 when elections were going to be held in Pakistan. But
five days before the polls an attack took place. The Indian army entered East
Pakistan.
Ban on political activity
in Pakistan was lifted on January 1, 1970. Following which political parties in
the country openly started the elections campaign. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was
also continuing electioneering on the basis of his six points. For the leaders
of West Pakistan implementation of these six points was a threat to the
integrity of the country.
General Yahiya was optimistic about convincing Mujibur Rahman in
making the 6 points soft after the polls. General Yahiya was sure about it
also on the basis of intelligence reports that Sheikh Mujib would not be
able to get a majority in the 70's elections. Mujib's Awami League was being
predicted getting at the most of 80 seats of the total 315. So Yahiya Khan was
anticipating a hung parliament after the elections. A hung parliament meant Yahiya
Khan retaining as the center of power and the decision maker.
Against the possible emergence of a hung parliament, Sheikh Mujib and
Z.A.Bhutto was carrying their election campaign with full force to avoid it
and get a clear majority to form the government. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's
address at the Paltan Medan, Dhaka was very significant in this regard. Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman addressed the public meeting on January 11, 1970. This public
meeting was so huge that the entire Medan became jam-packed.
In his historic speech, Sheikh Mujib categorically said that the
Bengalis had committed a blunder in the Constitution of 1956. That they had
accepted the principle of equal seats of the Parliament for East Pakistan and
West Pakistan. He warned of strict resistance if the same principle was tried
to be thrust upon Bangladesh again. In that case, a movement would also be
launched for the rights of the people. In the same big rally, Sheikh Mujib had
first time called East Pakistan, Bangladesh.
The media began to raise questions on this public meeting. As per
media, Rs. 200000 were spent on the Paltan Medan public meeting of Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman. 300 trucks, 200 buses, and 350 launches were hired to bring
people to the venue. All hotels were also booked for the stay of the Awami League
leaders. Awami League had borne all these expenses so the political rivals
alleged that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman enjoyed the financial and practical help of
the foreign forces. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was addressing mammoth public
meetings.
And he had also become the most favorite leader of the Bengalis. No
other in East Pakistan was holding a public meeting against Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman. First, it was because of the popularity of the Awami League, and secondly,
the Bengali nationalists were creating hurdles in the election campaign of the
rival parties. The groups of the nationalists would attack the public meetings
of the rivals chanting 'Jay Bangla' slogans. On January 18, 1970, when
Jamaat-e-Islam planned a public meeting at Paltan Medan, thousands of armed men
surrounded the venue, blocked the ways and attacked the participants, and set
the stage on fire. As per the media reports the attackers thrashed every
bearded person.
Who called himself Bengali was spared while he was attacked who
called himself Muslim. The injured were dragged on the ground and denied medical aid. And the injured who managed to reach the hospitals were beaten
there by the club bearers. The attackers would reach the hospitals and take off
blankets from the injured and intimidate them. In this mob action, one was
killed and over 500 were injured. The Awami League gave a strike call in Dhaka
on January 19; the next day of the violent action. The protest persisted the next
day when the mob set many vehicles on fire.
On another occasion, the activists of the Awami League and the
Convention Muslim League had severe crashes. Many lost their lives therein. Over
200 houses and shops were also gutted in that confrontation the riots spread to
the extent where the police had to open the fire. 40 persons were arrested but
the violence did not stop. Now Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was carrying on his
election campaign on the six-point agenda. He was raising the slogan of Sonar
(Golden) Bengal.
The Awami League was terming every other party traitor and 'Mir
Jafar.' In West Pakistan, Z.A.Bhutto was dominating the political scene. He was
carrying on his election campaign in the name of Islam. According to him,
people would no way accept the un-Islamic constitution. Obviously, the
parliament coming after the election was to frame the constitution also. And
this constitution had to provide a roadmap for the future of East Pakistan and
West Pakistan also.
So prior to the polls, General Yahiya on March 28, announced a code
for the new constitution. It was named Legal Framework Order or LFO. The LFO
necessitated the protection of the Islamic ideology in the new constitution. The
state would be called the Islamic republic and the Centre would get more powers for national security. The phrase 'more powers' ran counter to Sheikh Mujib's
demands raised through the 6-points.
As he was campaigning for stronger provinces instead of a strong
Federal Government. He wanted complete internal autonomy to the provinces. So
he became furious over this LFO. In a speech, he said his target was the establishment of Bangladesh so he would tear the LFO into pieces after the
elections. He said no one would dare stand against him after the elections. His
statement was recorded. And reached General Yahiya Khan through any secret
means.
Yahiya Khan also got furious when heard Sheikh Mujib saying all
that. He angrily warned Sheikh Mujib of dealing him with an iron hand if he would
deceive him. Yahiya Khan was perhaps calling it a 'deception' since Sheikh
Mujib had taken him into confidence that he had not launched the movement for
the separation from Pakistan. Rather his movement aimed at getting more
authority. And this situation gave the idea about the nature of ties between
the Central Government and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the level of distrust therein
before the elections.
And the distrust furthered when the elections were postponed when
all was set for it. But the election postponement had a reason. The
electioneering was in full swing when in August 1970 East Pakistan was hit
by the horrible floods. Dozens of villages were washed away by the floods and
Dhaka got cut off from other parts of the province. Over 10 million people
became displaced and the situation posed difficulty in the conduct of
elections.
Therefore General Yahiya postponed the elections for two months. Polls
for the National Assembly by December 7 and Provincial Assemblies by December
19 were announced. But the problem compounded when a huge sea storm in November
wreaked havoc in Bengal. A hurricane emerged in the Gulf of Bengal and caused
terrible destruction in the coastal areas. The typhoon submerged 13 islands of
East Pakistan. 60,000 people lost their life only on one island.
13000 Hindu yatrees (pilgrims) were also swept away in the water. The
death toll soon reached to millions. The Army started rescue and relief
operations in the affected areas. But the Army faced a problem in performing the
relief works. That the helicopters carrying relief goods from West Pakistan
were to cross through the air territory of India. India refused the use of its
air territory to these helicopters. Consequently, the relief works started after
much delay.
But by that time a very large number of people had become affected
against little relief goods that a large number would rush to get the relief
good when they see the helicopter. The rescue teams witnessed the scenes of
Doomsday in the affected areas. People had died in such a large number that
they were buried in the mass graves. The heart rending aspect of the typhoon
was the death of 600,000 children. In Nawakhali not a single child had
survived.
Therefore the rescuers asked the people for not sending clothes for
the children to Nawakhali. Because no child was there to wear these clothes. Emergency
was declared in the affected areas and the entire Pakistan was deeply sad on
this tragedy. Mourning was also being held for the dead. The national flag was
brought to half-mast. Hundreds others died due to eruption of cholera, measles
and pneumonia in the affected areas. So huge number of people had died due to
floods and diseases that army was again called in for their burial. In this
situation postponement of elections was also evident but Sheikh Mujib became a
hurdle in the way. He warned that another one million Bengalis would lay down
their life if elections were postponed. But he would not let the polls called
off.
Sheikh Mujib also alleged that the Bengalis were not warned
beforehand about the typhoon. That many lives might have been saved had the
government started relief operation within 24 hours. It was perhaps the effect
of Mujib's threats and criticism that government did not defer the polls despite
such a widespread destruction. So the Election Day remained intact on December
7. But five days before the polls, India attacked East Pakistan. Rangpur
district of East Pakistan had an area Bansriganj that was surrounded by Indian
area of Cochbehar.
Which meant it was cut off from the rest of East Pakistan. Similarly,
some Indian areas were also surrounded by West Pakistan land. The people on
both sides had to get visa to travel to each other's territory. As per
Pakistanis newspapers Indian army and people on December 2, 1970 attacked
Bansriganj and brutally massacred 300 unarmed persons. Over 700 were also
injured in this attack. The Indian soldiers also kidnapped a number of Bengali
girls and set afire many houses.
Pakistan called the Indian High Commissioner and recorded strong
protest over this incident. Pakistan demanded return of the kidnapped Bengalis
and punishment to the attackers. Pakistan warned India would be responsibility
for the deteriorated situation if demand did not meet. But India took no notice
of the Pakistani protest and denied any attack was made by the Indians. The day
Pakistani lodged protest, thousands of armed Indians attacked Danga area of
Rangpur.
Houses owned by the Bengalis were torched once again while the
Indians also committed plundering. When the Pakistan officers applied for visa
to visit Danga, India refused to grant them visa. In this background, voting
for the National Assembly took place. It was the first general elections of
Pakistan on the basis of one-man, one-vote. 56.5 million Registered voters were
to cast votes in East Pakistan and West Pakistan. It must be born in mind that
Awami League was very strong in East Pakistan and chances of its victory were
bright as a number of candidates against the League had already withdrawn.
This factor had made position of the Awami League even stronger. The
people of Pakistan showed a tremendous excitement on December 7 when the
polling was held. People came to the polling stations on foot, rickshaws and
cars. In East Pakistan people reached the polling stations on boats. It was a
carnival like scene in East Pakistan and West Pakistan. 'Boat' was the election
symbol of Awami League while Peoples Party of Bhutto had the 'Sword.'
General Yahiya cast vote in Rawalpindi and Bhutto in Nodero, Sindh.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman cast vote in Dhaka. Former President Ayub Khan also
exercised his right to vote through postal ballot. The complaints of election
rigging also came out. One complaint was about easy removal of the ink used to
mark cast vote on the thumb of the voters. It implied a voter could again cast
vote removing the ink mark. The media also reported about the genuineness of
the ink which the people however, attempted to erase.
An interesting advertisement was also published in this regard. This
advertisement was by a beauty cream company, Emex that spelled out that some
dishonest political activists tried to erase the ink mark with this cream but
they failed as the cream was prepared on a face cleansing formula and did not
have acid. The turnout in the election was around 60 percent. After polling
ended, the media on the next day reported victory of Awami League in East
Pakistan and the Peoples Party in West Pakistan.
Mujibur Rahman was elected in two constituencies. As a result of 70
elections, Awami League had bagged 167 of total 169 seats in East Pakistan. After
the polling, Mujibur Rahman had kept awake till late night. He offered 'fajr'
prayers on December 8 and thanked Almighty Allah over his success. Then he
offered 'fateha' at the tomb of Bengali leaders Suharwardi, Khawaja Nazimuddin
and A.K.Fazul Haq. Now a new era was about to begin after the elections were
over.
Like
this school board, many people were now hopeful of a new era of peaceful and
democratic Pakistan. But that did not come about. As soon after the elections,
ties between East Pakistan and West Pakistan became estranged. Only two days
after the polls, former head of the Awami League Maulana Bashani demanded referendum
to make East Pakistan an autonomous state in the light of Pakistan Resolution. Sheikh
Mujib on the other termed the election results referendum in support of the
provincial autonomy. The UK media reported about Pakistan being bifurcated into
two 'kingship' at the cost of unity. The situation became worse after these
media reports and the statements. The situation came to the extent of a civil war.
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