[ALOCHONA] Mujib wanted confederation

Mujib wanted confederation

Syed Badrul Ahsan

On March 24, 1971, the Awami League leadership stayed busy all morning working out the finer details of the economy-related issues pertaining to the Awami League's position on a transfer of power. Meanwhile, the regime, in the guise of carrying on negotiations with Bangabandhu and his team, was essentially giving the finishing touches to the planned military action against the Bangalee population.

In the evening, according to Kamal Hossain, as the Awami League team of advisers prepared to meet a government team to work out what they thought would be the final points in the negotiations, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman told his representatives that they should suggest at the meeting that the republic be rechristened as a confederation. He suggested that the point be made clear that such a confederal scheme had become necessary in light of the people's sentiments on the state of things. When the Awami League team placed the proposal before the advisers of President Yahya Khan, there was predictably a howl of protest. The junta's men made it clear that the proposal meant that the Awami League had shifted from the position it had so far held, that it was a fundamental change in the policy of the majority party. The Awami League negotiators responded that all other points, as agreed upon, remained the same and therefore the proposal regarding a confederation should not be taken amiss. Justice Cornelius, as Hossain noted, appeared to comprehend the AL point of view, but he nevertheless suggested that instead of redefining Pakistan as a confederation, a more appropriate step would be to call it a union. It was then for the Awami League to suggest that if the meeting could not decide on what terminology should be applied to the state in the scheme of things then under preparation, the matter should be left for General Yahya Khan and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to decide.

Across the country, Bengalis were getting increasingly more restive. Reports of arms and ammunition being unloaded from MV Swat at Chittagong port only worsened matters. News came in from various parts of the province about the preparations being made by the army to launch an operation aimed at quelling the Bangalee nationalist movement.

By the evening of March 24, it was pretty much obvious that the talks between the Awami League and the regime had drawn to a near conclusion. The hawks in the junta had begun to push for firm action against Mujib. For their part, Bangabandhu and his team were by then convinced that President Yahya Khan had little intention of transferring power and that indeed a crossroads had been reached by both sides. As the AL-junta meeting was drawing to a close, General Peerzada said that another meeting between the two sides could take place the next morning, March 25. When Kamal Hossain asked about the time of the meeting, Peerzada replied that he would call and let him know. Evasion was at work.

The call never came.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=178939

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