Six-Point Movement

& It’s Aftermath

Presented by
Prof. M. Emdadul Haq
DHP: NSU
 Contents
Preface: Turning Point
Genesis of the Demands
Six-Points at Lahore Summit
Six-Point Manifesto
Climax in Pakistani Polity
‘Agartala Conspiracy Case’
Concluding Remarks
 Key Questions & Concepts:
How can you reveal the Six-Point demands raised by
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1966?
What political climax the Six-Point Demands created in the
regional politics in East Pakistan?

Concepts:
Ayub Regime, Lahore Summit, Agartala Conspiracy Case, Indo-
Pak War of 1965, Charter of Freedom, Two-economic Theory,
Maulana Bhashani,
 Genesis of the Demands
The genesis of the demand based politics in the Indian sub-continent
dates back from the colonial era.
 The major benchmarks:
- Appeal to British Government by British-Indian Association in 1856
for the cessation of poppy cultivation in India.
- The 14 Point Demands of Mohammad Ali Jinnah of 1929 in favor of
the minority community interests, responding to the Nehru Report
of 1928.
- The Lahore Resolution of 1940 for separate homelands for the
Indian Muslims
- Recognition of Bengali as the State Language of Pakistan
- 21 Point Demands of the Jokta Front in 1954
- Six Point Demands in 1966.
 Genesis of the Demands
The Six-Point program was the culmination of unmet demands raised
by Bengali leadership in different phases of Pakistan’s political history.
 The major factors of the demands were as follows:
- Awami League’s drive for the implementation of the Lahore
Resolution of 1940
- Aspirations of the ‘Independent United Bengal’ move of 1947
- Protect the socio-economic & political interests of East Pakistan
from West Pakistani exploitation
- Mobilize public opinion for achieving regional autonomy
- Crushing the Ayub’s civil-military autocracy
- Cross-border connectivity in politics with India since 1963
- Address the security issues after the Indo-Pak War in 1965
Mujib’s press conference in Lahore on 5th February 1966
 Six-Points at Lahore Summit
The Pakistan government faced a tough situation resulting from the
placing of Six-Point demands by Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman at a major political party convention held in Lahore in 1966.
The summit was organized by the Ayub regime to discuss issues
related to the post-1965 war realities in Pakistan.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman raised his mandate, surprising other party
leaders, who were not ready to reconcile or address the issues at that
point in time.
The West Pakistani leaders looked at his demands as a device to
‘disband’ Pakistan, & hence they rejected his proposals outright.
The Pakistani media came up adversely with an anti-Mujib coverage
portraying him as a ‘traitor’, like what was done to his mentor
Suhrawardy earlier in 1958, to the country’s integrity.
 Six-Points at Lahore Summit
After drawing primary attention of the Pakistani political parties over
the Six-Point Manifesto in Lahore, Sheikh Mujib got the mandate
approved by the party Executive Committee on 21st February 1966,
setting an important milestone in his party career.
Then, the plan was presented in a big public rally at the Chittagong Lal
Dighi field on 25th February & endorsed in the party Council at the
Dhaka Eden Hotel on 18-19th March 1966.
A booklet entitled আমাদের বাাঁচার োবী: ছয় েফা কমসূম চী (Our demands for
existence: 6-Point program) was published & distributed among the
party activists & foot soldiers for organizing mass campaign.
For massive publicity, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman himself presented the
demands in the district level public meetings organized by his party
men during the subsequent months.
 Six-Point Manifesto
1. The constitution should provide for a federation of Pakistan in the
real sense by Lahore Resolution & for a Parliamentary form of
government based on the supremacy of a duly elected legislature by
the universal adult franchise.
2. The Federal Government shall deal with only two subjects: defense
and foreign affairs, while all residuary issues were to be vested in the
federating units.
3. There should be two separate freely convertible currencies for the
two wings, or one currency with two different Banking Reserve to
prevent the inter-wing flight of capital.
4. The power of taxation & revenue collection shall be vested in the
federating units. The Federal Government will receive a share to meet
its financial obligations.
 Six-Point Manifesto
5. Economic disparities between the two wings shall be made to
disappear through a series of economic, fiscal, & legal reforms.
6. A militia or para-military force must be created in East
Pakistan, which at present has no defense of its own.
The mandate was generated on the basis of a ‘two-economic theory’
drawn by the leading Bengali economist Rehman Subhan & others
during mid-1950s to help protect their political economy in the
Pakistani inter-state colonial settings.
The West Pakistani leaders were very much uncomfortable with the
proposal of ‘dual currency system’ & the handling of the ‘revenue
collection’ by the provinces as referred to the Six-Point program.
 Table 1: East-West Disparity in Expenditures
Differences in the
Spending in West Spending in East
Years Pakistan in crores Pakistan in crores
spending in East
Pakistan
1950/51-
Rs. 1,655 Rs. 524 46.4%
54/55
1955/56-
Rs. 1,129 Rs. 524 31.7% *
59/60
1960/61-
Rs. 3,355 Rs. 1,404 41.8%
64/65
1965/66-
Rs. 5,195 Rs. 2,141 41.2%
69/70
Total Rs. 11,334 Rs. 4,593 40.5%
Source: Reports of the Advisory Panels for the Fourth Five Year Plan 1970-75, Vol. I,
published by the Planning Commission of Pakistan
 Climax in Pakistani Polity
Despite the merits of the demands, the leading political parties in
Pakistan generally took the Six-Point as a ‘secessionist move’
undertaken by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
They showed no signs of negotiating with the Awami League on the
issues of provincial autonomy or economic disparity.
Even though Sheikh Mujib publicly announced that there was room
for negotiation, his political counterpart Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
encountered him at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka addressing the pros &
cons of the proposed demands.
In her book Pakistan: Failure in National Integration, Dr. Rounaq
Jahan (1972) maintained that the Six-Point demand made it difficult
for the East Pakistan Awami League to reconcile with any other West
Pakistan-based political parties.
 Climax in Pakistani Polity
Summarizing the adverse reactions of different political parties to the
six-point formula, Rounaq Jahan maintained:
The Council Muslim League described the six points as a demand for
confederation, not a federation. The Jama’at- i-Islami branded it as a separatist
design; the Nizam-i-Islam rejected it as a unilateral, dictatorial move on Mujib’s
part; & the National Awami Party dismissed it because it was parochial & did not
include any measures to free East Pakistan.
In line with the political parties, constitutional demands raised in the
Six-Points were denied by the Pakistan government & it refrained from
recognizing the legitimate economic & political rights of the Bengalis.
Instead of endorsing the demands, the Pakistani leadership launched a
hate campaign against Sheikh Mujib, the chief patron & proponent of the
Six-Point program.
 Climax in Pakistani Polity
With the rise of a publicity campaign in favor of the Six-Point mandate
in East Pakistan, President Ayub Khan pursued tough measures against
Sheikh Mujib & his party leaders.
An infamous pro-Pakistani Bengali Governor of East Pakistan Abdul
Monem Khan publicly warned that
‘As long as I remain as the governor of this province, I will see that
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman remains in chains’.
Under the directives of the Ayub-Monem regime, 12 cases were filed
against Sheikh Mujib in different district towns in East Pakistan.
Subsequently, under the Defence Act of Pakistan, the Awami League
leader was arrested along with his political associates & colleagues
Tajuddin Ahmed, Khandoker Mushtaq Ahmed, Mansoor Ali, Zahur Ahmed
Chowdhury on 8th May 1966.
 Climax in Pakistani Polity
In a press note, the Pakistan Home Ministry maintained that this group
kept a close link with the Deputy High Commissioner of India in Dhaka P.
N. Ojah, & some of them visited Agartala & had meetings with Colonel
Mishra, Major Menon, & other Indian officials over their secret plan.
In protest of the political arrests, countrywide dawn to dusk hartal was
observed on 7th June 1966 to release Mujib.
Police killed 11 people in the Adamji industrial area in Narayangonj, &
Tejgaon industrial area in Dhaka, & arrested almost 800 people from
different places in the country.
As a result of the repressive move taken by the government, the Six-
Point Movement temporarily lost its momentum.
During the same time, right-wing political parties in East Pakistan
attempted to organize a united Pakistan Democratic Movement under
the leadership of Ataur Rahman, defying Mujib.
 Climax in Pakistani Polity
Due to differences in their strategic objectives, the leading Awami
League & National Awami Party refrained from taking part in the right
wing drive.
Behind the scene, however, there was some political maneuvering
taking place in both wings of Pakistan to knock down the Ayub regime.
A prolific Bengali writer Professor G. W. Chowdhury (1993), in his book
The Last Days of United Pakistan, explained some of these incidents as
an insider of the Ayub administration.
In his work, Chowdhury referred to the first Coup attempt took place
in Chittagong Cantonment during the 20th Anniversary of the Bengal
Regiment on 20th February 1967.
The book further suggests that an assassination attempt was made on
Ayub’s life, killing his Major ranking bodyguard during his visit to
Dhaka in December 1967.
Agartala Conspiracy Case

On 6th January 1968, the

Ayub regime arrested 28
people on charges of
armed rebellion &
imprisoned Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman & others in the
Agartala Conspiracy Case.
 Agartala Conspiracy Case
On 18th January, the government brought charges against 35 people,
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman being Number one accused in the charge
sheet.
Hearing of the case started at Dhaka Cantonment on 20th June, led by
a Punjabi Justice S.A. Rahman, who was assisted by two Bengali judges
- Justice Mujibur Rahman Khan and Justice Maksumul Hakeem.
Barrister A. Salam Khan, Manjur Kader, including a British lawyer Sir
Thomas Williams QC, assisted Bangabandhu & his co-defendants.
Awami League, as a political party, faced an awkward situation
initially because of the nature of the charges involving India.
Still, the people took the case with sympathy as fabricated, &
perceived Bangabandhu must have been implicated for raising the Six-
Point demands.
 Agartala Conspiracy Case
Nevertheless, there remains a lack of clarity about the true nature of
the Agartala conspiracy case that was brought by Ayub regime
against the Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman & his party
stalwarts in early 1968.
An eminent Bengali journalist Faiz Ahmed in his book আগরতলা মামলা,
শেখ মুজিব ও বাাংলার ববদরাহ (‘Agartala Case’, Sheikh Mujib & Bengal
Rebellion) presented some factual evidence about the merit of the
case; that neither Ayub regime could establish, nor Awami League
leaders admitted officially until now.
As a chief reporter of the Daily Azad, he covered daily reports on the
sensational trial for the Bangla newspaper by sitting next to Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman.
In an investigative drive, Faiz Ahmed met the former Chief Minister of
Tripura Sri Sachindralal Singh in his solitary life in Delhi in 1991.
 Agartala Conspiracy Case
Referring to the interview Faiz Ahmed documented that recalling his
memoir, the age-old Chief Minister noted ‘accompanied by ten people;
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman met him in his Agartala Banglo at one
midnight in 1963 in the presence of his brother Umeshlal Singh, MLA.
They entered Tripura through Khuai subdivision of Palom district.
They stayed for 15 days at the residence of Hemangini Debi, the sister
of the Chief Minister, for a meeting with the Prime Minister of India
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
In the post-Indo-Chinese war situation, the Indian Prime Minister
declined to meet or shelter the visiting group but assured future
assistance’.
The exact text of the memoir in Bengali is as follows:
 Agartala Conspiracy Case
The eventual outcome of the Agartala plan led to the Bangladesh
Liberation War in 1971, India providing every sorts of geo-strategic
support in favor of the Bengali freedom fighters.
Similar to Faiz Ahmed, an Indian journalist Subir Bhumik in his edited
book (2016) The Agartala Doctrine: A Proactive Northeast in Indian
Foreign Policy, provides an analysis of a grey area that exists in the
background of the political history which never has been revealed by
academics objectively or even talked about by the Awami League
stalwarts in Bangladesh.
Colonel (Rtd) Shawkat Ali (2001), who was implicated in the Case, in his
book Armed Quest for Independence & সতয মামলা আগরতলা [Agartala
True Case, 2015] also himself provided admission account of the case.
The publications mentioned above, thus, tell us about the secret role
played by the Indian government in the creation of Bangladesh.
 Concluding Remarks
Evidence suggests that the Awami League leaders, under the captaincy
of Bangabandhu, forged a secret relationship with India, the arch-enemy
of Pakistan, from early 1960s.
The adoption of the Agartala Conspiracy Case against Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman & his accomplices, despite its merits, provided Awami League &
its political leadership political dividend for mobilizing public opinion in
favor of autonomy movement in 1969.
Maulana Bhashani took bold step, in association with other student
bodies, for the unconditional release of Bangabandhu on 22 February
1969 & receive a brute majority in the first-ever held general elections
in December 1970.
The lack of procedural stability & non-transfer of political power to the
majority party, provided India a scope to intervene in the internal crisis
of Pakistan.
 Concluding Remarks
 As the strategic objectives of the Bengali power politics converged
with India’s interests during the 1960s that eventually spearheaded
the guerrilla war for the creation of independent Bangladesh in
December 1971.
 The failure of the Pakistani leadership in offering constitutional
practices in the country, the continued suppression of democracy by
the civil-military dictatorship, the absence of a balanced economy
between the regions, etc. aspired the Bengali leadership to come up
with the Six-Point mandate to get rid of the Pakistani hegemony.
 The question of provincial autonomy under the Six-Point demands was
a stepping stone towards achieving complete independence.
 The Six-Point formula advanced by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman with the appropriate measure for the eventual creation of
independent Bangladesh in 1971.
Thank you