পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (পঞ্চদশ খণ্ড).pdf/১৮১

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বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ পঞ্চদশ খণ্ড
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Informed me over the telephone that the notice was still being studied by the Law ministry.

 Obviously the Round Table Conference could not start on 17 February and in view of the mounting tension I was urged to travel to Rawalpindi to make further efforts to secure the release of Sheikh Mujib. Tajuddin Ahmed, who had just been released from jail, Amirul Islam and myself reached Rawalpindi on 17 February. An air of crisis prevailed since Sheikh Mujib had not been released and consequently the Democratic Action Committee was unable to sit at the conference table with Ayub Manzar Bashir, an Advocate, who was associated with the opposition volunteered to see the Law Minister Zafar late at night to find out the position. I was informed almost at midnight that he could see Zafar the next morning. Zafar made some noises about “legal difficulties” but when pressed to respond to the legal notice, he said it was not only a matter of law but of a political decision at the highest level.

 It was impressed upon him that the notice merited a clear reply and that on should be given without further delay. He said the matter was being considered by the cabinet the same morning and that he would let me have a reply by mid day he also asked for a further notice or a summary of the notice to be given to him. Within an hour a fresh notice was sent to him at around 12.30 Zafar telephoned me to say that he would meet him at the hotel where he was staying. He came and reported that after protracted discussion the Cabinet had decided in the negative namely that they could not accede to the demand contained in the notice my reaction was one of indignation which I shared with Manzoor Quader, who appeared on the scene. IIc, too, expressed displeasure at the negative attitude of the Government. He said he would talk to me later in the afternoon and then he began to talk to Zafar.

 That afternoon Manzoor Quader telephoned to ask me to see him in his room in the same hotel. He had barely entered his room when Zafar arrived. They (Manzoor Quader and Zafar) then proposed that the government was ready to make an announcement that Sheikh Mujib could join the round table conference as a free man when asked to clarify the legal position Zafar was reticent and said that this was the only formula which he could persuade the government to accept. They urged that I should convey this to Sheikh Mujib.

 Tajuddin, Amirul Islam and myself flew to Dacca via Lahore & Karachi, as that was the only route by which Dacca could be reached by the following morning. We were met by Asghar Khan at the airport at Lahore and Brohi at the airport in Karachi. Manzoor Quader had assured me before departure that he would try to see Ayub in the course of the evening once again to press him to accept the demand contained in the notice.

 It was the night of the 18/19 February. A telephone fall was made to Manzoor Quader from the Karachi airport Manzoor Quader explained that he had been sitting throughout the evening to meet Ayub but was told that Ayub was engaged in a meeting. He expressed his amazement at the fact that Ayub was still closeted in a meeting even though it was past midnight. He said that was perhaps the only time when he had wanted