Morning News
2nd October 1962
‘National Democrats’ To Meet In Convention
MUJIB’S DISCLOSURE IN DACCA
(By Our Staff Reporter)
The leaders and supporters of the proposed National Democratic Front will shortly meet at an All-Pakistan Convention to work out the fundamentals of the Front and to outline its future programme.
This was disclosed in Dacca yesterday by the former General Secretary of the East Pakistan Awami League, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at a news conference in Dacca yesterday.
The leaders of various political parties who were scheduled to address a public meeting organized to protest against the reported attempt on the Awami League chief, Mr. H. S. Suhrawardy, could not do so due to inclement weather. Later, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman met the newsmen at a conference.
Sheikh Mujibur, who is one of the most devoted disciples of Mr. Suhrawardy and had been with him all long his extensive tour of West Pakistan, gave a broad hint that the Convention might be held in Dacca.
Though he refrained from touching specific questions relating to the basic concept of the National Front, he said the Front would demand a “democratic” Constitution in which the sovereignty of the people would be supreme.
He told newsmen that the overwhelming majority of the people in West Pakistan were “with us”. Negotiations were still in progress with the leaders of the West wing, but the Awami leader expressed his hope that the Front would be able to enlist the support of all leaders and workers irrespective of their party affiliations.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said, yesterday “There was a well planned conspiracy in Gujranwala to murder Mr. Suhrawardy.” “As an eye-witness, I am convinced that it was a bullet and not a cracker which injured Chiragh Pahalwan, the man who was standing beside Mr. Suhrawardy”, he added.
He further said that the crackers, which were exploded at the time, were meant to camouflage the pistol shot, becasue his workers had not brought crackers with them.
Mrs. Rokeya Anwar and Mr. Sultan Ahmed, MNAs, were present in the Press conference and they also seconded the viewpoint expressed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Giving the details of the incident, Sheikh Mujib said Mr. Suhrawardy along with some other leaders left Lahore for Gujranwala in the morning of September 28. At Gujranwala railway station a large number of people came to receive them. They raised various slogans in support of the National Democratic Front. Workers of Awami League, he added, escorted Mr. Suhrawardy as he came out of the station to enter his car. At this point sound of cracker explosion was heard. Mr. Chiragh Pahalwan, who was standing by the side of Mr. Suhrawardy, suddenly raised a cry. “He had been hit on his right thigh”.
Sheikh Mujib continued, “It was definitely a bullet shot. The bullet was recovered on the spot from his body. The man was taken to the civil surgeon who advised the Awami workers to hand over the bullet to the police. On taking receipt, the bullet was handed over to the Police. The doctor himself was ready to give the certificate that it was a bullet injury but on receipt of telephonic call he refused to issue the same”
“They had hatched the conspiracy to kill Mr. Suhrawardy”, Sheikh Mujib said, “when they failed to disrupt meetings in Lahore and Lyallpur”.
“For the first time in my life”, he said, “I have seen people raising slogans of “Thanadar Saheb Zindabad”, “Havildar Saheb Zindabad”.
“In some places in Gujranwala”, he said, “these hired goondas wee led by responsible police officials. In the public meeting at Gujranwala which was cancelled, these policemen sent the goondas back when they were beaten up by our workers. We had to cancell the public meeting as these people had started throwing stones.” According to him there were about 70,000 people present in the meeting.
About the incidents in Karachi, he said: “About 15 to 20 thousand people came to receive us. But even there the goondas were brought in trucks. Black flags were shown to us by the people on two of the seven trucks”. Skeik Mujib further said: “when people started following Mr. Suhrawardy’s car, the police made a lathi-charge on the peaceful people who came to receive Mr. Suhrawardy’. Lathi-charge, he said, was made on the Railway station. All the visiting East Pakistani leaders and MNAs were present there”.
সূত্র: সংবাদপত্রে বঙ্গবন্ধু দ্বিতীয় খণ্ড: ষাটের দশক ॥ প্রথম পর্ব