870 ংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড broad results of the elections are worth noting. Out of a total of 313 seats, 169 had been allotted to East Pakistan. Of those 169 seats, the Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won as many as 167. Winning 98 per cent of the seats in East Pakistan, Mujibur Rahman gained an absolute majority in the National Assembly and would, in normal circumstances, have been in a position to form the Government and become the Prime Minister of Pakistan. For the elections, the Awami League had adopted a six-point programme to obtain specifically a greater degree of autonomy for East Pakistan with a view to putting an end to discrimination and exploitation Apparently, the results of the election so startled the rulers of Pakistan that they saw in them a risk to their economic, military and political domination over the Eastern Wing; this explains their swift action and their desire to continue military rule. So, on the fateful night of 25th and 26th March, the armed forces set out to crush the verdict of the 75 million Bengalies Before, however the army was given the signal to let loose the reign of terror, protracted negotiations started; in the meantime, the strength of the armed forces in East Bengal was considerably increased What the army did, and is continuing to do, in its massive assault on the civilian population is now well known, and I do not wish to take up the time of the Assembly in describing the innumerable instances of killings and atrocities. A reign of terror prevailed, and still prevails. The leader of the Awami League, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was arrested and is still in prison. He is now being secretly tried in military court on a charge which carries the death penalty. The freedom of the press and civil liberties were totally suppressed, and the foreign journalists were expelled. The International Red Cross was not allowed to visit the area, and all attempts were made, not always successfully, to conceal what was happening in that part of the world. Killing, raping, burning and looting became widespread. The inevitable consequences followed: the people fled from terror and violence to India, leaving behind all they had. Their number rose from less than a million, at the end of April, to nearly 4 million at the end of May, crossed the 6-million mark before June was over, and has been rising steadily. Their number now exceeds 9 million, and the exodus still continues. This is an exodus of refugees unprecedented in history, across any international frontier. Pakistan's military action and the snuffing-out of an human rights, and the reign of terror, which still continues, have shocked the conscience of mankind. There is a popular revolt against these actions. Some have fled from the terror, while the others are resisting it as best they can. The hard core of this resistance was provided by thousands of men who had defected from the army and the police and various paramilitary organizations at the time of the military crackdown. They have been joined in ever-increasing numbers by people of all ages. The Pakistani authorities have torn up solemn declarations and conventions to which Pakistan had subscribed. Pakistan has desperately tried to divert attention from its outrageous actions. Its actions have made so many serious inroads into much that our Charter stands for, that it would indeed be a travesty of international law and a mockery of international justice to suggest that what is involved is an internal issue. It 1Տ ՅVՅՈՇՏՏ
