Morning News
16th November 1957
Awami Meeting Reiterates Demand for Joint Poll
Mujib’s Tirade Against Centre
By A Staff Reporter
Chief Minister Ataur Rahman Khan told a big public meeting held in Dacca yesterday that Pakistan could never attain a compact nationhood if the system of joint electorate was undone. The public meeting, held under the auspices of the Awami League, adopted a resolution reiterating the demand for joint electorate. The AL president, Moulana Tarkabagish presided. A large number of Awami workers and workmen belonging to some trade unions displayed placards expressing resentment against the move for restoring separate electorate. Full throated slogans were raised against the President. Mr. Ataur Rahman Khan declared that those who loved the country and wanted to infuse a spirit of nationalism must stand for joint electorate and should oppose, tooth and nail, the proposed restoration of separate electorate. The Awami league general secratary, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, said the people of East Pakistan would demand scraping of parity if the present system of joint electorate was unsettled by the Muslim League Republican Coalition. If separate electorate was imposed, East Pakistan would demand Muslim seats in the Parliament equal to that of West Pakistan in addition to the non-Muslim seats. Tirade Against Centre He unleashed a tirade against the Central Government, which he said had deprived “the Bengalees of their share in matters of trade and commerce” by cancelling import licences of the value of about Rs. 5 crores. The licences, he said, had been cancelled without making any enquiry into the genuineness of the traders. “We shall not allow any party to exploit the interests of Bengal whether we are in power here or not”, Mr. Rahman said. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ridiculed the argument that the influence of a handful of Hindus in East Pakistan would, under the joint electorate system, jeopardize the ideology and integrity of Pakistan. “If that really be the case let us go to the river and drown ourselves in shame,” he added.
Bengali Muslim’s Role
Warming up, the Awami secretary said that the Muslims of East Pakistan could never act against the interests of the country. Ninetynine percent of the Muslims of Bengal voted in favour of Pakistan in 1946, while the other Muslim majority provinces were dominated by the Congress, he declared. It was Khizr Hayat Khan Tiwana in the Punjab, G. M. Syed in Sind and Dr. Khan Sahib in Frontier who betrayed the cause of Pakistan while the Bengali Muslims were solidly behind the movement, he asserted.
Mr. Ataur Rahman Khan regretted at the very outset of his speech that the issue of electorate had to figure in public discussions anew when the country had already expressed its views through the National Assembly. He recalled that no definite provision with regard to the electorate could be incorporated in the Constitution as a result of conflicting opinion in the National Assembly and this led the Parliament to lay down Article 145 which said that the matter would be decided by it after ascertaining the views of the Provincial assemblies.
Province’s View
The Act provided joint and separate polls for East and West Pakistan respectively in accordance with the views expressed by the respective Assemblies, he said and added that the Act was amended later by the Parliament providing joint electorate for both the wings in view of the, fact that different systems for one country were not conducive to its interest. He alleged that the decision of the new Coalition Government to adopt separate electorate had again given rise to a countrywide confusion. “Now the Muslim League-Republican Government wants separate electorate, when we come in power we shall demand joint electorate,” how long would this continue, he asked. He charged that the protagonists of separate electorate were sabotaging the interests of the country. He alleged that Moulana Athar Ali was one of those who did not want the establishment of Pakistan. These elements, he said, could change their views to suit their self-interest. Concluding his speech, Mr. Khan made a passionate appeal to the people to support joint electorate for the progress and prosperity of the country.
Equal Rights
Mr. Rafiqul Hussain, MPA, dwelt at length on the implications of joint electorate in national life and said that every one must have equal right of citizenship and to achieve this end the Muslims and non-Muslims must elect their representatives jointly. The MPA maintained that joint electorate alone could guarantee security to the minority communities in Pakistan. Mr. Abdul Hamid, MPA, who is also the organizing secretary of the Awami League, argued in the course of his speech that the achievement of Pakistan in its present form was a result of a “compromise formula” and that the Pakistan resolution envisaged territorial adjustments through transfer of population. Pakistan as envisaged in the compromise formula left no scope for transfer of Hindu population to Bharat and as such, he said, the structure of the State called for introduction of joint electorate so that the country might emerge as one nation.
This view he claimed, was on many occasions, expressed by the Qaid-e-Azam shortly after the achievement of independence. According to him the Hindus demanded joint electorate because they wanted security of their lives and properly through goodwill and co-operation of the majority of the population.