‘East Bengal Safety Act’ নিয়ে বঙ্গবন্ধু
২৬ সেপ্টেম্বর ১৯৫৫
করাচী
The constituent assembly of Pakistan:
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (East Bengal: Muslim): Honourable Mr. Zahiruddin has moved an amendment and I feel that my friends on the opposite side should accept it though I know they will not accept it but I want to tell them of course it might be that Dr. Khan Sahib might have suffered for the independence and they know and they have seen how the sons of the soil have suffered for the independence of this country. Sir, who has enacted this Frontier Crimes Regulation Act? It has been enacted by the British Imperialists. Why? To keep their imperial power in India and to rule India. Sir, you know Dr. Khan Sahib is sitting there and his brother is in jail, when they fought against British Imperialism, these people suffered under this Act. Sir, you know and we have seen in the time of Mr. Abdul Quaiyum Khan as chief Minister of Frontier, how the people after achieving independence, when they spoke against the Muslim League, were to jail, anybody who spoke about the civil liberty was punished under this heinous Act. Sir, This Act has been used against the patriotic people of this country. Sir, we are independent country. So many years have passed, eight years have passed, and what are we doing when we ask for food, for clothing for justice, they give us only one thing, that is Frontier Crimes Regulations. In East Bengal, Sir our leader, Mr. H. S. Suhrawardy, moved a habeas corpus petition in the High Court. Many of my friends and myself have suffered for three or four years in jail under East Bengal Safety Act. When he challenged the East Bengal Safety Act in the High Court of Dacca, the High Court declared it illegal.
Mr. Speaker: We are not discussing the East Bengal Safety Act.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: You must allow me to say something, Sir, Now, when that Safety Act was declared illegal we were to be released and they could not have kept us any longer in jail. Now what happened? Immediately after that we got an order from the Government that we have been re-arrested under Bengal Regulation III of 1818. Now, Sir, think about this 1818. How many years have passed-practically more than 100 years and we are now living in 1955 and we are telling the world that we are an independent country, we are shouting from the platform in Jahangir park that we are a free country, but this regulation is over our head. Now we are going to pass the same Act again which was used by the British people to exploit the Indo-Pakistan Sub continent. Sir, if we appeal to them that do not accept these rules and regulations, throw them into the Arabian Sea, they will not accept our plea. If somebody asks them to do justice, stop this bribery, nepotism and corruption, at once they will use these Frontier Crimes Regulations Act and this Bengal Act of 1818 and mm to jail in-spite of the fact that we are living in 1955 and this Act belongs to 1818, days of British Imperialism. Now, can you think of it, Sir? My friends will tell me just how we can accept it, we are going to pass this one Unit Bill and we will be to use it if anybody opposes this Act. Now, this is their intention of retaining this Act. Their intention is that if anybody of Frontier will say that you are doing injustice to use, they will at once tell him that you are working against one Unit and not only that but you are working against Pakistan, therefore, under this Act you are to be punished. Now, if they agitate against their Leaders, they say, “you are against the musalmans” and if you say anything against the Muslim League, they will say “you have spoken against Pakistan” and thus they will apply these regulations against their political opponents who do not see eye to eye with them. Now, why all this is being done? We are as true a Pakistan as anybody. You know, Sir, being a son of Bengal, how this Bengal Regulation has been used against the people of Bengal. Many people were hanged by the Britishers and families were massacred in Bengal due to this Regulation of 1818. Do not forget it. My friends of the Congress will bear me out as many of them spent valuable time of their life extending over 20 or 25 years in jail due to this Regulation and now they are going to support that very Regulation to be passed. Now, they will vote for its passage. Sir, power is everything. Only the other day Mr. Hamidul Huq Choudhury in the Paltan Maidan told the people of East Bengal that all the black laws will go from the soil of Pakistan. They have included this thing in their 21-Point Programme.
Mr. Speaker: Please do not bring in extraneous matters.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Sir, this is not an extraneous matter. He told the people in the Paltan Maidan that all the black laws will go from this country and they have included this in our 21-point programme and now they are going to support it. They have told their voters in East Bengal that they will not do it, but still they are doing it.
The Honourable Sardar Abdul Hameed Khan Dasti: Sir, Kindly protect us from his lecturing.
Speaker: Please do not bring in extraneous matters; I told you more than once. Please give up this habit of bringing in extraneous matters.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Sir, this is not an extraneous matter, kindly just explain to me how it is extraneous and I will sit down. So. Sir, this Bengal Regulation of 1818 is one of the 11 points and they promised that they will not vote for it and it will not be on the Statute Book of Pakistan. They have given this promise and I am only telling them “please remember your promise to the people of East Bengal at the time of taking votes, for you have to go back tomorrow and face them.” Further I appeal to them that this Act we cannot give in anybody’s hands. There will be One-Unit where there will be a Governor and a Chief Minister – designate and they are already there but when will the West Pakistan Assembly come? Nobody knows. So we do not like that this should be in their hands because they will use it against their political opponents who do not want to see eye to eye with them. We are an independent country, at least we claim so though still we are under Her Majesty – but I appeal to them that with this regulation prevalent in Pakistan we cannot face that world. This should not be allowed to continue in Pakistan. Further, I appeal to them that due to this Regulation, the whole area round about Darjeeling was turned into an internment camp and hundreds of Bengalis have suffered on account of this Regulation. Sir, I appeal to that side though you not to accept this regulation and not to give this power in anybody’s hands. It will De an injustice and not only that but the whole of Pakistan will be insulted by that, with these few words I appeal to them to accept the amendment.
Reference:
Iqbal, S. (1997) Sheikh Mujib in Parliament (1955-58), p. 52-58, Dhaka, Agami Prakashani