বিভিন্ন দল ও জয়েন্ট ইলেক্টরেট সম্পর্কে বিস্তারিত ভাষণ
১১ অক্টোবর ১৯৫৬
ঢাকা
The National Assembly of Pakistan met in the East Pakistan Assembly Chamber
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (East Pakistan: Muslim): Sir, we had no intention to speak about this question which has been raised by Mr. Hamidul Huq Choudhury as it should have been Left to the Leader of the single-party majority opposition. Sir, let us take some history of the United Front Party for the purpose of clarifying the stand taken by my friend. Mr. Hamidul Huq Choudhury, who has declared that the United Front combined some other parties to fight against Muslim League and, as you know, Sir, it included Awami League, Ganotantri Dal, Krishak Sramik, Nizam-e-Islam parties having their own party, their own organization, their own leaders. Mr. Hamidul Huq Choudhury has also unfortunately said that a minor group crossed to the other side. But he should remember that this group was not in minority, rather it was a majority group of the United Front. Here Sir, I would like to say about his party position. He has claimed 12 members in his party while the Muslim league has got 11 members out of which one is an associate member. The Muslim league Party is the only party both inside and outside the House with certain standing. What about Mr. Hamidul Huq’s party which he calls the United Front Party. That is not a party but that is a group of which he claims to be the leader and that is how he claims to be Leader of the Opposition. I cannot understand what is the Meaning of this Opposition Party. A Party which is consolidated as one party with one consolidated organization if it is a single majority party it can claim to be an Opposition party and its leader can perhaps be called the leader of the Opposition. We know, Sir, that you as Speaker of the House have discused this matter with the leader of the House and leader of the Muslim League Party. Mr. Chundrigar and Mr. Hamidul Huq of the United Front group. As I said Sir, there is no United Front Party and we do not accept that, because truly speaking this United Front party was composed of the Nizam-e-Islam Party and others in order to fight the last general election for the East Pakistan Legislative Assembly. Now, Sir, what is the position at the present moment? The Nizam-e-Islam Party have declared that they lave no connection with the United Front and they adopted a resolution to that effect. Secondly there is the group of Mr. Abdus Salam Khan. Mr. Abdul Karim and Mr. Mafizul Huq who have declared that they have no connection with the United Front Party. So, Sir, you can see that this United Front was formed only for the purpose of running the general election in East Pakistan and not for the Central Parliamentary Party or Central politics. Let Mr. Hamidul Huq Choudhury sit with Muslim League Party and decide amongst themselves and submit to you their decision about their leadership. The leader of the House will accede to it. If the Muslim League claim that they are in a majority, if Mr. Hamidul Huq claims that his party is in majority and if Maulana Athar Ali also claims that his party is in majority then there is no end of the dispute and I do not know whose claim could be accepted. They should decide themselves as to who will be the leader of the Opposition and so far as the Government side is concerned we have no objection to accept him.
(Mr. Speaker: I think it is too much to say so. That is casting aspersions on Honourable Members.
Mr. Fazlur Rahman: If it is your desire, I withdraw that word.
This is about religion which has been much rediculed by my friends on the opposite.)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Sir, he finished Islam and that for personal interest.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Mr. Speaker, Sir, After long years we have got our Constitution which was framed by the coalition Ministry, viz. Muslim league and United Front. At that time we demanded that the electorate issue should also be decided. But unfortunately the Muslim league-United Front Party decided to postpone it on the plea that public opinion was to be obtained. Sir, the Muslim league who ruled the country for eight years failed to frame the Constitution. Now again they want to postpone this issue on the ground of eliciting public opinion and they have put in three amendments to the Bill, one by Mr. Aziz Din of the Muslim league who has, given the time-limit, of 15th December, another by Mr. Latif Biswas who has given not any time-limit, and the third by Mr. Rashdi who has given a time-limit of 15th November. Sir, when anything comes before the House for a decision they want to postpone it on the plea that we have not taken public opinion theron. I hope my friends will withdraw their amendments, because we have given sufficient time to the country and the two Houses have given their verdicts-west Pakistan has given their verdict in favour of separate electorate and East Pakistan for joint electorate. The people of East and west Pakistan have accepted this verdict. so there can be no question of obtaining, further public opinion in the matter. It is only delaying, tactics adopted by the Muslim league during their long eight years’ rule in the country. we have seen that the Muslim league has done four things during their regime, viz. corruption, nepotism, bribery and machination and, Sir, they are speaking about Islam and religious matters. Sir, I am not a Maulana, I want to deal with the matter in a practical manner. My friends Mr. Fazlur Rahman Mr. Daultana, delivered very good speeches. Mr. Daultana knows very good English and his speech is a good literature, but there is nothing in it, they signify nothing.
Sir, Mr. Bari said that if there is no separate electorate there will be no Islam in Pakistan. Mr. Fazlur Rahman said that he has achieved Pakistan on the basis of religion which is the only tie between East Pakistan and west Pakistan. I want to tell Mr. Fazlur Rahman that Muslims wanted Pakistan not on the question of religion but on the question of economy. Because the Muslims in India were poor, they wanted safeguard for the minorities and they wanted a homeland. I would mention here for the information of the House that the Lahore Resolution did not contemplate exchange of population, even on a small scale for it only said that the geographically contiguous units should be demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial re-adjustments, as might be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslim were numerically in a majority as in the North-western and Eastern Zones of India should be grouped to constitute independent states – Thus it is clear that the Lahore Resolution was never intended to carry the two-nation theory to its logical conclusion, complete exchange of population between Hindu India and Muslim India.
Now; Sir, you. can understand what was the idea of the Muslims of India to get Pakistan for their homeland. Some Maulanas of the Nizam-e-Islam party declared jehad. That decision is against the fundamental principle of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. As declared by Mr. Surhrawardy there are about 50 crores of Muslims in the world. But in Pakistan we have only 7 crores Muslim population. According to the Nizam-e-Islam Party, Mr. Bari and Mr. Fazlur Rahman we Muslims of Pakistan are not Mussalmans. Sir, in Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Indonesia. Iran, China, and also Russia, in all these places there is joint electorate and even in Morocco, Iraq and Sudan there is joint electorate. So according to my Maulana friends of the Nizam-e-Islam Party the people of all these places are not Muslims.
(Pir Ali Mohammad Rashdi: On a point of order, Sir, I want to know whether repetition is allowed or not.)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: It is no point of order. I am not repeating.
(Pir Ali Mohammad Rashdi: I love to hear you. But let the Chair rule that repeatation is allowed. Because some consideration should be shown to us also.)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: I have to raise this question because I have to refute one thing which Mr. Fazlur Rahman said that Mr. Suhrawardy will destroy Pakistan. I want to tell him that they have ruined Pakistan and if Pakistan is to be saved it will be saved by Mr. Suhrawardy and nobody else.
According to them we East Pakistan Muslims are not Muslims because we want joint electorate and in West Pakistan they are Muslims because they want separate electorate. we have seen fatwas from Maulanas, particularly from the Nizam-e-Isiam and Moudoodi group that if there is joint electorate Islam will be in danger. Sir, Mr. Athar Ali, Mr. Nurul Huq Chaudhury and Mr. Farid Ahmed all these three have been elected to the National Assembly on the Nizam-e-Islam ticket on the joint votes of the Hindus and Muslims. They did not oppose this joint voting which made them members of the National Assembly. And now they are opposing joint electorate in the country. Here we are working jointly passing laws and other things which according to them have become illegal and na-jaez. Similarly as the Constitution was passed on the joint votes of both Hindus and Muslims, according to them, that has also become un-Islamic. Sir, in East Pakistan we are voting jointly for the last. 30 or 40 years in the District Boards, Municipalities and the Union Board elections. All these bodies according to Maudodi are un-Islamic no doubt. Mr. Fazlur Rahman said that Hindus who opposed Pakistan cannot be expected to be loyal to Pakistan. what about the Maulanas of the Nizam-e-Islam Hind and Maulana Moudodi and Maulana Ataulla and other Maulanas who also opposed Pakistan taking the money of the Congress.
(Pir Ali Mohammad Rashdi: Sir, this is a serious reflection on the Maulanas. There are two Maulanas sitting here. They do not say anything because they do not understand what he says. and, Sir, you are also a Maulana (Laughter.)
Mr. Speaker: I am not a Maulana.
Maulana Hafiz Athar Ali (East Pakistan: Muslim): Mr. Speaker I could not follow what Mr. Mujibur Rahman said about Maulana.
Pir Ali Mohammed Rashdi: He says that Maulanas do all this for remuneration.
Mr. Speaker: He does not say this.
Maulana Hafiz Athar Ali: He has said that we are anti Pakistani. We strongly protest that this is a false charge.
Mr. Nurur Rahman (East Pakistan: Muslim): Speak in Bengali, please.
Mr. Speaker: Order, order! Maulana Hafiz Athar Ali: If he call us anti-Pakistani, I shall only say this …..
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: I spoke about the Maulanas of Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Hind.
(Maulana Hafiz Athar Ali: Sir, if I had understood his speech I would have given a fitting reply. The adverse remarks against Islam which Mr. Suhrawardy made in his speech yesterday evening and supporting them by citing examples from Iran and Egypt, etc. have made me sad.
Mr. Speaker: Order, order. Please take your seat.)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Sir Allah will judge what I said about the Maulanas and not Maulana Athar Ali.
Sir, the Jamiat-e-Islamia supported Muslim League on the achievement of Pakistan. But after the achievement of Pakistan when there was a great killing at Lahore and there was a court of enquiry by Justice Munir now the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, what Maulana Moudoodi said about the Quaid-e-Azam and what did he say about Pakistan. The book is with me. I can place it on the Table. We should not forget one point, that is we have got three crores of Musalmans in India who have sacrificed and suffered for the achievement of Pakistan. Maulana Moudoodi declared in a question and answer form – “(Q) If we have this form of Islamic Government in Pakistan, will you permit Hindus to base their constitution on the basis of their own religion? (A) Certainly, we should have no objection even if the Muslims of India are treated in that form of Government as Shudras and melechchas and Manu’s Law are applied to them, depriving them of all share in the Government and the right of a citizen. In fact such a state of affairs already exists in India. What the Maulana Moudoodi did say about the Shudras. At the time of partition an agreement was arrived at that the Muslims of India will be treated equally with the Hindus; similarly in Pakistan the Hindus will be treated equally with the Muslims. We have some responsibility for the Muslims of India who sacrificed everything for Pakistan and we should not leave them at the hands of the Hindu Mahasabha. Sir, they speak of two nation theory. Why do they not speak of five-nation theory? If that be the case then let the Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Parsees have their everything separate, viz. their Assemblies, their Speaker and their own Ministers.
One Point I want to raise, Sir, is that if we go to other countries, should we mention on our passport “Pakistan Hindu, Pakistani Muslim, Pakistani Christian”? Is it not better that when we go to foreign countries we say we are Pakistanis. We are Pakistanis first, Pakistanis last and Pakistanis at all times. They however want to create such a situation where we may say we are Pakistani Muslims, Pakistani Christians and Pakistani Hindus etc.
Sir, I may now refer to some of the attacks made by some of my friends opposite. Now, Sir, a scion has come from the Krishak Sramikh Party. Their Leader is Mr. Haimdul Huq Choudhury and the standing Resolution of this party is joint electorate. The manifesto issued by them supports joint electorate but now they have declared their support to the separate electorate. I cannot understand on what principle their policies are based. Now Mr. Fazlur Rahman has declared that in the Awami League Council meeting Mr. Suhrawardy opposed it. He is an old Parliamentarian who has been a Minister in the Central Government for long four, five or six years ..
(Mr. Speaker: What is the use of bringing in all these irrelevant things?)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: I will come to the point. You have allowed him to make an incorrect statement. I am now giving his qualifications how many qualifications he has.
(Mr. Speaker: Not necessary.)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: He was the Minister for Education, for Industries, for Economic Affairs and a number of other Departments and he betrayed the people of East Pakistan from beginning to end. Now he has declared that Mr. Suhrawardy opposed joint electorate at the Awami league Council meeting. I may tell him that. Mr. Suhrawardy delivered his speech at the Awami League Council meeting supporting joint electorate.
(Mr. Hamidul Huq Choudhury: When was it?)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: It was in Dacca. Mr. Hamidul Choudhury: When was it? In 1555?
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: In 1954 or 1955. I am not sure. Now we have been told by Mr. Fazlur Rahman that we have declared for joint electorate in order to catch the minority votes. There was a Ministry – the Ministry of Mr. Abu Hussain Sarkar-in which Mr. Basanta Kumar Das and Mr.Majumdar were Ministers. All the minorities were with the United Front party in the Centre and in the Provinces. In this Centre Mr. A. K. Das was there. There was a coalition there. If our party was opposed to it we could have declared havoc in the country on the communal issue but we love our country. we love our people and our policy is based on definite programme and one of the items of that programme is that Pakistan is to be saved from disturbances in the country on a communal basis. That is the case and still we are told that we want joint electorate to catch the vote. Mr. Fazlur Rahman does not know that during the last nine years almost everyone of our workers has suffered for three or four or five years in Jail. According to the law of democracy today one man is in power, tomorrow he may by in the Opposition. If you want to give us a challenge we are ready to take it and say that the people of East Pakistan have voiced their support to the joint electorate. So far as he is concerned I give him a challenge that if tomorrow he contests, whether it be on joint or separate electorate, he will forfeit his deposit money!
Now, Sir, Mr. Suhrawardy’s integrity has been challenged: that Mr. Suhrawardy is a British toy! I may tell Mr. Fazlur Rahman that during his long administration he has economically, financially, socially and culturally – in all respect ruined East Pakistan, rather the whole of Pakistan, not merely inside but also outside Pakistan. It is Mr. Suhrawardy and his Coalition party which will establish full sovereignty of Pakistan and there will be a foreign policy for Pakistan which the whole world will recognize and they will say that Pakistan has now got an independent foreign policy and that Pakistan has now got a Government and that Pakistan will develop rapidly because Mr. Suhrawardy is a man who knows how to work. What does Mr. Fazlur Rahman understand? We know many things about all these people. I do not like to attack any body personally.
Now, Sir, Mian Bari has questioned the loyalty of some of my friends. He has said that the Hindus by giving money will purchase Muslims of East Pakistan if there is a joint electorate. Sir, I do not like to say-but still I have to say: it might hit many of my friends – that in the year 1946 there were-you know, Sir, you have come form Bengal and the district of Barisal – Hindu zamindars, Hindu moneylenders, Hindu talukdars, Hindu advocates and Hindu doctors. The Mussalmans of Bengal voted for Pakistan on the call of the Quaid-i-Azam though crores of rupees had been spent. I want to mention here that at that time in the Punjab there was the Unionist Ministry of Khizr Hyat khan and there was no Muslim League Minister there. It was in Bengal that there was a Muslim League Ministry. In the Frontier province also there was a Congress Ministry. Now, in the Frontier Muslims were massacred. Of course, I do not question the bonafide of those people there – I salute them – who fought against the Britishers, as they had to undergo long periods of jail where they remained for years and years in their fight against the Britishers. I respect them. Now, that there has been a partition and we have got Hindus living in Pakistan, who are serving Pakistan and who will serve Pakistan like all other citizens of Pakistan they should be treated on equal footing. This is a principle of our policy which we intend to follow.
Now, Sir, these people say they will purchase Mussalmans of Bengal. I may tell my friends opposite that during the last general elections in East Pakistan in the year 1954 the Muslim League had spent from 25 to 30 lakhs of rupees against the combined United Front which had only spent about Rs I lakh, and they were heavily defeated here. Only nine seats they got out of 303. Why could they not purchase the Mussalmans of East Pakistan? I have toured many of the countries of the world and I also know the Mussalmans of Bengal and I know that they are better Mussalmans than others. They might be illiterate but they are not fools and to say that 15 percent. of the population will govern and purchase the 45 percent of Muslims and recapture their seats what do you think about it? What do they think about East Pakistan Mussalmans. It is an insult to question the loyalty of the Mussalmans of East Pakistan. When they were 45 percent. in Bengal they failed to be purchased, except by betrayers who now are supporting the separate electorate. I know – I do not like to mention names – but I would ask the Maulana Sahib to keep his head on his shoulders and tell one of his Ministers, who was in the previous Government, that the Hindus opposed Pakistan from beginning to end. Sir, I do not like to say that Mr. Basanta Kumar Das and Mr. Ashrafuddin Chaudhury joined together and as Ministers there was no agreement.
(Mr. Nurul Huq Chaudhary (East Pakistan: Muslim): point of order. Mr. Ashrafuddin Chaudhury is not a member of this House.
Mr. Zahiruddin: Mr. Nurul Huq Chaudhury is not in his seat, he cannot speak from another seat. He is not on his own seat.)
(Mr. Zahirudding kept standing and was seen by Mr. Speaker.)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: He is not in his seat.
Interruptions)
(Mr. Speaker (addressing Mr. Zahiruddin): please resume your seat.)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: He was after all a Minister. He wants to sit in the front! Mr. Nurul Huq was a Minister on behalf of the Nizam-i-Islam party at the Centre …. Mr. K. K. Dutta was also a Minister and they were governing the country by sitting together. Is it not a crime, is it not a crime, is it not najaiz? But when we Muslims and Hindus Christians vote together it becomes un-Islamic and we will go to Dozakh.
(Mr. Speaker: You have dealt with Jaiz and najaiz. I do not think you have anything further to add.)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: They say that Pakistan will be divided. Pakistan will continue, Pakistan will continue whether Mr. Fazlur Rahman is there or Mr. Bari is there or Mr. Suhrawardy is there. Pakistan has come to stay, and it will continue.
(Mian Abdul Bari: On a point of order. He has called me “Bari.” My name is Abdul Bari.)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: I am sorry. I say Maulana Mian Abdul Bari. We Know public opinion and if the people of West Pakistan are educated they will accept joint electorate for the whole of Pakistan.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: We want to work for the betterment of the country and do something for the poor. The Muslim League have ruined them and finished them.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Sir, official resolution comes every year. We supported joint electorate from the beginning i-e-1952 when the resolution came there in the Working Committee of the Awami league of East Pakistan. You can see the manifesto of 1952 and it will be found there.
Reference:
Iqbal, S. (1997) Sheikh Mujib in Parliament (1955-58), p. 305-317, Dhaka, Agami Prakashani
বঙ্গবন্ধুর ভাষণসমগ্র ১৯৪৮-১৯৭৫, সংগ্রামের নোটবুক