‘One Unit Bill’ সম্পর্কে বঙ্গবন্ধু
২১ সেপ্টেম্বর ১৯৫৫
করাচী
The constituent assembly of Pakistan:
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (East Bengal: Muslim): On a point of order, Sir, we want to know when the decision will be taken by you about those documents. We want to know the date. It is fifteen days since the matter has been under your consideration. We want to know when you are going to take a decision.
Mr. Speaker: The matter has been closed.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: How can it be closed?
Mr. Speaker: For the time being it is closed.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: You said, it is under your consideration – it is the 50th time you said that. We want to know when you are going to give a decision.
Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the opposition has given his statement and I would request the Honourable Member to resume his seat.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (East Bengal: Muslim): Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are at present discussing clause 2 of the One Unit Bill which aims at the unification of West Pakistan. My friends on the other side have made reference to regional autonomy, Bengali as a State language and some other things like that in their speeches, but, you know, Sir, when we were elected we had submitted a 21-point programme to the people of East Bengal. Sir, you were also elected under that 21-point programme, but here it is said that the victory of the United Front was due to the popularity of Mr. Fazlul Haq only. Whether the victory in election was due to Mr. Fazlul Huq or Mr. Suhrawardy or Maulana Bhashani, the fact remains that we had categorically mentioned that only Defence, Foreign Affairs and Currency should remain with the Central Government and the rest should be transferred to the provinces. Sir, it has been said that when this One-Unit Bill is passed, then the question of regional autonomy will be considered. But, our demand has been and still is that only these three subjects should vest in the Centre and no other.
Sir, so far as West Pakistan is concerned, my friends have told that public opinion is in their favour. But, Sir, what is the public opinion that they have in their favour? Recently Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan has been arrested. I would not be allowed to speak about him because it may be ruled by you that it is subjudice – while he was going to address a public meeting in Baluchistan. I will not go into the merits of the case but I will only point out this much that, is this democracy that you are talking about? Will it bring free elections in the country and restore confidence in the people? I am sorry to say that this is not the way in which democracy can be established in a country; you are not allowing the free – will of the people to be expressed. Do you call this popularity of the West Pakistan leaders? We have got information and we are receiving information sitting here in Karachi that the Frontier people will not tolerate this sort of injustice that is being perpetrated upon them. Sir, each and every member on this side has expressed his views and said that we are not opposed to the plan of unification; by all means, if you want it, do it, but do it in a fair way and not by force.
Sir, you know what is happening in the province of Sind. Mr. Suhrawardy has already told you the actual state of affairs prevalent in that province. But, Mr. Khuro instead of controverting those arguments, has come on personalities and attacked Mr. Suhrawardy in his speech. His speech was nothing but personal accusation and insinuations against Mr. Suhrawardy. But, I am sure Mr. Khuro cannot deny the fact that the conditions in Sind are not such as may be called to be in favour of this One-Unit Bill. I do not want to go into the history of aministration under Mr. Khuro or other Minister; they are well nown facts. Then, Sir, Mr. Hamidul Huq Choudhry has also said that this one-Unit Bill had been submitted by Mr. Suhrawardy at Murree and at that time he was all out for this Bill, but now that he has been disappointed, he is against it. You were also attending the Murree Session and, sir, you must be remembering that Mr. Suhrawardy had also submitted the Validation Bill, but when the Assembly insisted, it was referred to a Select Committee. So, What I want to impress upon the House is that if a Bill is submitted by an Honourable Member, it does not mean that he agrees in toto with all the clauses of the Bill; he only agrees with the principle of the Bill and then it is for the House to adopt whatever clauses it pleases to adopt. The members are there to exchange their views and if Mr. Suhrawardy after being in agreement with the principle of the Bill, had submitted it to the acceptance of the House, what great harm has he done? I can only say this much at the present moment that if you satisfy the opposition Benches, then the people of Pakistan will be satisfied ….
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: If interruptions are allowed, then I must be given two minutes more.
Sir, leaders from Punjab have stated in this House that by unification they will be sacrificing 16 per cent, but I ask them have they taken the opinion of the common Punjabi people about this sacrifice of 16 per cent. I am sure even the Punjabi people will not agree to such a thing. They have not forgotten the atrocities perpetrated upon them under the Martial Law that was imposed upon the Punjabi people. Punjab is not going to forget all that. Therefore, how can you say that the people in Punjab are behind it and they are prepared to forgo their 16 per cent share, when you have not consulted them.
Then, also there is the question of Sindhis; have they agreed with this scheme of unification of West Pakistan. You have not consulted them. Then, there is the question of Karachi. Karachi, being the federal capital, belongs to everybody in Pakistan.
Sir, I can give through you a warning at this stage in regard to the integration of Karachi into West Pakistan. I am coming from Dacca after addressing a public meeting of 60 thousand people in Paltan Maidan and there I have seen the determination of the common people; they are not at all prepared to allow Karachi to be included in the One-Unit. I met in Dacca the man in the street, the poorest people I have met there and I know how to mix up with them. I am also a poor man from East Bengal; I am a poor Sheikh and I know what their feelings are about Karachi. They have said that if you are going to sacrifice Karachi and merge it into One-Unit province, we are not going to tolerate it. If, on the contrary, you feel that the people are behind it, then I would throw a challenge to the Honourable Members on the other side of the House to hold the four bye-elections in Dacca on this issue. Let us test the popularity of Mr. Fazlul Huq on this issue. And, I am sure, sir, Fazlul Haq’s party will face a very unfortunate defeat there in East Bengal.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Sir, you must give me another two minutes for these interruptions.
I tell you, sir, that on this issue of Karachi Whether it should be included in the West Pakistan Province or not, you must hold your four by-elections in East Bengal and you will see the result. I even ask Mr. Fazlul Huq to resign and fight his own election from any constituency in Dacca City on this issue, and he will be defeated. You know the result of Natore and Balurghat bye-elections in which Mr. Fazlul Huq’s nominee got only 800 votes out of 10 thousand votes. Why should he forget all these things now? These are historical facts. Now, Sir, it is the demand of the people of East Bengal that if you are going to merge Karachi into West Pakistan then the capital should be shifted to Dhaka. They are prepared to give the whole of Dacca to the Federation of Pakistan people in West Pakistan have been accusing East Pakistanis that they want to be out of Pakistan. I tell you, Sir that we form the major portion of Pakistan, we are 56 per cent and we are more Pakistani than anybody else. If, however, the people of West Pakistan do not want to remain with us, well the course is left open for them. We, on our side, are true Pakistanis and we have suffered much more than anybody else for the cause of the establishment of Pakistan. It was on account of Bengal that Pakistan was created. We will not go out of it after having sacrificed all that we had. Bengal will not even think of that. I know our people are suffering immensely on account of various things; they are starving and dying. But people in West Pakistan have not suffered much for the cause of Pakistan and therefore they cannot appreciate our viewpoint.
Reference:
Iqbal, S. (1997) Sheikh Mujib in Parliament (1955-58), p. 18-29, Dhaka, Agami Prakashani