2020-Sesssion11

Six Point
Movement

BANGLADESH STUDIES
Human 1103 : Bangladesh Studies Dr. Abdul Baqee
Part time Teacher
 1. 1952 language movement
Basically, there are 7 2. 1954 united front's election
main events and some winning
minors which led the 3. 1958 martial law by General
people to go for the fight Ayub Khan
for their freedom. 4. 1962 constitution of
Pakistan/ Education
movement
Even the national 5. 1966 Sheikh Mujibur
monument on Savar Rahman's historic 6 point
represents the main 7 demand
struggles we faced 6. 1969's mass upsurge and
before getting Agartala conspiracy
Independence by it's 7 7. 1971 Awami League's huge
win at the election
pillars. 2/26
The six point movement was
a movement in East Pakistan,
spearheaded by Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman, which
called for greater autonomy
for East Pakistan.
Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman
announcing the
six points in
Lahore
The movement's main agenda
was to realize the six demands
put forward by a coalition of
Bengali nationalist political
parties in 1966, to end the
perceived exploitation of East
Pakistan by the West
Pakistani rulers.
It is considered a milestone on
the road to Bangladesh's
independence.
3/26
 East Pakistan was facing a
critical situation after
being subjected to
continuous discrimination
year after year.
 As a result, the economist,
intellectuals and the
politicians of East Pakistan
started to raise questions
about this discrimination,
giving rise to the historic
six-point movement.
• But Ayub Khan was not the only
individual who perceived the
threat to Pakistan's unity with the
backdrop of the Six Points.
• His soon sent out the then foreign
minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
challenged Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman to a public
debate at Dhaka's Paltan Maidan
on the Six Points.
• It was Tajuddin Ahmed who
accepted the challenge on
Bangabandhu's behalf, but Bhutto
did not turn up.
4/26
 January, 1966 President
Ayub Khan and Indian • February, 1966 East
Prime Minister Lal Pakistan Awami
Bahadur Shastri sign a League leader
peace deal, following the Bangabandhu
September 1965 war Sheikh Mujibur
between the two Rahman place the
countries, in Tashkent. Six Point
programme at a
 Shastri dies of a heart
conference in
attack soon after.
Lahore

5/26
 May, 1966 Sheikh • President Ayub Khan threatened
Bangabandhu against Language Movement and
Sheikh Mujibur foresee the platform of the Six
Rahman and a large Points.
number of other • December, 1967 Towards the end of
senior Awami the month, the Pakistan government
League politicians announces the arrest of a number of
were arrested under individuals, all Bengalis.
the Defence of • It is the first sign of what the
Pakistan Rules. authorities will later present as the
Agartala Conspiracy Case.

6/26
Six Point Movement
 Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujib-ur-Rehman was the
founder of Bangladesh.
 During the rule of Ayub • He presented the Six-
Khan and Yahya Khan he Point formula in 1966, in
played a major role in collaboration with his
Pakistan politics as a party and demanded the
prominent leader of the Pakistan government to
Awami League in East accept them and to
Pakistan. implement them the way
they were. 7/26
The historic Six-Point
Demand or the Six-Point
Formula has been widely
credited as the "charter of
freedom" in Bangladesh's
struggle for self-
determination from
Pakistan's domination.
Indeed, the six-point
movement in 1966 was
the turning point in our
quest for independence.
On June 7 in 1966 the Awami
League called a countrywide
hartal in the then East
Pakistan to press home the
six-point demands.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman along with many
others was arrested.
Since then 7th June is
observed as the historic six-
point day. 8/26
Key Features of Six Points
 The six-point plan dreamed of
• The deliberate
a federal form of government
based on the 1940 Lahore distortions of our
Resolution. political history over a
period of almost
 A parliamentary system of thirty years, the fact
government directly elected by remains that the six-
the people on the basis of point movement is a
adult franchise, two separate milestone in the
currencies or two reserve
history of our struggle
banks for the two wings of
Pakistan, and a para-military for independence.
force for East Pakistan.
9/26
Six Points at a Glance
Notwithstanding the
deliberate distortions of
our political history over
a period of almost thirty
years, the fact remains
that the six-point
movement is a milestone
2. The central government would
in the history of our
struggle for
independence.
The Six-Point demands
included the following;
1. Pakistan would have a federal
structure of government based
on spirit of the Lahore
Resolution of 1940, with a
parliament elected on the basis
of universal adult franchise;
have authority only in defense
and foreign affairs and all other
subjects would be handled by
the federating units of the state
of Pakistan;
10/26
 3. There would be two
freely convertible • 5. There would be two
currencies for the two separate accounts for
wings of Pakistan or two foreign exchange reserves
separate reserve banks for for the two wings of
the two regions of the Pakistan;
country;

• 6. East Pakistan would

 4. The power of taxation
and revenue collection have a separate militia or
would be vested in the paramilitary force as a
federating units; measure of its security.

11/26
 Bangabandhu's move raised howls
of protest all over Pakistan. The
civil-military bureaucracy and • Tofazzal Hossain
politicians straddling both Manik Mia, the
government and opposition circles respected editor of
were quick to dub the Six Points as the Bangla daily
a secessionist plot to dismember Ittefaq, was arrested
Pakistan. on June 16 over his
support for the Six
 Bangabandhu's arrest in May 1966, Points.
followed by the 7 June strike, swiftly • The next day, a ban
led to circumstances where the was clamped on his
Pakistan government opted for newspaper.
repression in East Pakistan. 12/26
 No sooner had the 6-point
programme been published
than Ayub Khan declared it
‘secessionist’ and styled its
author Bangabandhu as the
enemy number one of
Pakistan.
 Ayub also threatened to use
brute force to suppress this
charter of demands.
 But Awami League and its
leader Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman remained
undaunted by such
threats. Bangabandhu
started a 3-month long
mass-contact programme
which took him to every
nook and corner of
Bangladesh.
13/26
• The case, which would
become notorious as
the Agartala
Conspiracy Case,
would eventually be
withdrawn under
public pressure on
February 22, 1969.
• A day after his release,
Sheikh Mujib was honored
as Bangabandhu (friend of
Bengal) at a historic rally in
Dhaka.
14/26
 Bangabandhu Sheikh  He was finally thrown
Mujib was arrested eight into jail on May 8, 1966, a
times in the first three general strike was
months of the 6-point observed all over East
movement. By then, Pakistan in support of the
Bangabandhu had become 6-point programme and
the President of Awami for the release of
League. Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujib.
 Police fired in Tejgaon, Tongi and Narayanganj killing 13
people. This was followed by large-scale arrests of the
leaders and followers of Awami League throughout the
country.
15/26
 All these measures taken
by the Ayub regime
proved counter-
productive.
 6-point programme
became the heartfelt  Thus the political situation
demand of the common in East Pakistan became
masses. extremely volatile: the
 Students put forward their stage was set for a great
11-point programme explosion of popular anger
which complemented the through an all-out mass-
6-point charter of movement against the
demands. Ayub rule.
16/26
 Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman's • The six-point plan had exposed
demand for "maximum the fact that the real intention
autonomy" based on of Pakistan's ruling elite was to
his six-point formula "strengthen" the central
seems to have shaken government, but not Pakistan.
the foundation of the
Islamic Republic of • He repeatedly said in several
Pakistan. public meetings that the people
of Pakistan had always desired
to have a "strong Pakistan," not
a "strong central government.”
17/26
 However, the ruling group of
Pakistan was not at all
interested in dealing or
negotiating with the Awami
League on the issue of
provincial autonomy.
 Even though Bangabandhu  The autocratic
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had rulers of Pakistan
publicly stated that he was started using
willing to negotiate his six- repressive tactics
point plan with anyone in to suppress the
good faith, provided a six-point
meaningful autonomy was movement.
ensured for East Pakistan.
18/26
 The Ayub regime's
policy towards the
six-point demand of
the Awami League
was one of total
suppression.
 It showed once again
that the regime
failed to respond to
the political demand.
A. A. K. Niazi

Tikka khan

19/26
 Ayub Khan was quick to
denounce it as a
In the army general's
separatist or secessionist
khaki uniform with
move.
full display of all of
his ceremonial dress
 Ayub Khan immediately and medallions, the
started discrediting the self-declared
messenger of the six- president of Pakistan
point program. had condemned the
six-point plan in the
harshest possible
terms.
20/26
 In fact, the many forms  The six-point movement had also
of governmental far reaching effects on the
repression and the use subsequent political developments
of police violence in the then Pakistan.
against the organizers
and participants of the  As noted by Dr. M. Rashiduzzaman:
six-point movement "The entire weight of the party (the
had motivated the Awami League) was thrown in
general population of favour of the anti-Ayub movement,
the then East Pakistan which spread throughout the
country in the early months of
to render their full
1969, and it is likely that the Awami
support for the six-
League will play an even more
point formula. active role in the future.
21/26
 In fact, the success of the
six-point movement had
prompted the arrogant and
 However, an anti-Ayub
debased Ayub Khan's
mass movement in late
dictatorial regime to falsely 1968 and early 1969 led
implicate him in the to the withdrawal of the
Agartala Conspiracy case. so-called the case and
unconditional release of
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

22/26
 "The real strength of the
Awami League is not its
organisational skill but the
growing popularity of its (Six-
Point) program for regional
autonomy with the 70 million
Bengalis in East Pakistan.
 Following the announcement
of Awami League's six-point
program, and the changing
pattern of Pakistan politics
has eventually led to what is
undeniably a separatist
movement.

 Even the stringent repressive measures and centralised

administration can't halt the process (of separatism). As
the champion of the cause of regional autonomy, the
future of the Awami League lies in its capacity to sustain
and strengthen the movement
23/26
 During the six-point
movement, Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's
popularity increased in
the following words: "As
one might have expected,
 Eventually, the six-point
Sheikh Mujib's arrest in
demand -- especially
1966 only served to
enhance his popularity to attractive to the Bengali
the point where he nationalist -- was the most
became the veritable radical and ultimate
symbol of Bengali demand for East Pakistani
nationalism.” autonomy.

24/26
• Mass meetings and
rallies held throughout
the province by the East
Pakistan Awami League
helped to rejuvenate the • Predictably, the six-point
moribund party movement broadened
organisation and the the Awami League's base
Awami-affiliated student of support in East
party, the East Pakistan Pakistan was also floated
Student's League (EPSL). West Pakistani too,
although not to that
scale.
25/26
 It is also fair to suggest that
the six-point movement was
instrumental in the removal
of the Provincial Governor
Monem Khan.
 All of a sudden collapse of
Ayub Khan's dictatorship
and the rise of Yahya Khan's
regime conducted the
General Elections in 1970.
 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
appeared to be the only
spokesperson.
 All theses events led to the
nine-month long liberation
war in 1971 under the
leadership of the Awami
League, and finally the
emergence of Bangladesh as
an independent nation-state
on December 16, 1971.
26/26
Class Test
Elucidate the scoio-political disparity between the then East
and West Pakistan and its eventual consequences.

Submission : Tomorrow (25-01-2021) at 2 Pm

Identifying your Script : BoMS-last Two digit of you roll
number-your short name.
Example : BoMS-12-Karim

Assignment
Bring out the salient aspects of Six Point forwarded by Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Critically analyze its backdrop.
Submission : Feb. 01, 2021
My mailing address : baqeedu@yahoo.com
27 Question and Assignment