907 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড শিরোনাম সূত্র তারিখ ৩৮০। পূর্ব পাকিস্তানে উপনির্বাচন দি হিন্দু ২৭ অক্টোবর, ১৯৭১ (সম্পাদকীয়) THE HINDU, OCTOBER 27, 1971 Editorial THOSE BY-ELECTIONS IN EAST PAKESTAN Quite recently the correspondent of a leading British journal who visited Dacca wrote in his paper that "it would be quite unthinkable to hold elections in the uncertain security conditions which now prevail over about 90 per cent of the countryside". He added that two months ago it was possible to drive out of Dacca after dark but now it was too dangerous and it was impossible to think of holding an election campaign in Dacca itself despite the presence of the Pakistan Army. How then does President Yahya Khan propose to hold elections for 78 National Assembly and 194 East Pakistan Provincial Assembly seats? It is reported that a large number of nominations have been filed for both assemblies but the elections are still to be held. Meanwhile, there is a report emanating from Pakistan Radio to the effect that fifteen candidates have been "provisionally" elected from East Pakistan to the National Assembly. They consisted of five members each from the Pakistan Democratic Party and the Jamat-E-Islami and two each from the Convention Muslim League and the Nizam- E-Islami and one from the Pakistan Muslim League (Qayyum Group). If this report is authentic, it seems to reflect a situation where candidates from the political parties which failed to get anyone elected from East Pakistan last time will now be elected unopposed without the painful necessity of campaigning in the region. There is no news of Mr. Bhutto's People's Party which sent a delegation to Dacca to see if it could make contact with moderate Awami Leaguers... Though Gen. Yahya Khan may go ahead with this convenient method for filling in the empty seats in the National and the Provincial legislatures it seems that there will still be plenty of trouble in dealing with the West Pakistan political patties. The three splinters of the old Muslim League have still to come together and the radical programme of Mr. Bhutto's Peoples' Party still infuriates the orthodox parties like the Jamat, And while it may be quite safe to hold the session of the National Assembly in West Pakistan it will not be so easy to convene the provincial Assembly in Dacca. The Pakistan Government is no doubt going on the assumption that sooner or later the resistance movement in the east wing will crumble and the local people will accept the rule of the West Pakistanis as they did for so many years. But in fact the operations of Mukti Bahini are gaining not losing in strength. According to some analysts a new phase has opened with the ending of the monsoon where battles are likely to be fought for the major towns and airports. In this context of armed conflict plans for constitution-making are premature and meaningless. They could acquire some meaning only if Gen. Yahya Khan decides to deal with the imprisoned leader of East Pakistan Editorial. The Hindu, Madras–October 27, 1971,
