number of publicized confrontations with the CMLA of that time. General Yahya Khan, and with his principal economic advisor Mr. M. M. Ahmed.
The research and public position on the rights of Bangladesh taken up by the Bengali economists inevitably drew them into more active association with the political struggle for Bengali nationalism. Some of us were frequently consulted by the political leadership of the nationalist movement of economic issues. The 6 point programme of the Awami League was influenced, by our writing, though as far as I am aware no economists actually participated in its preparation. At the time of the Round Table Conference in Pindi in early 1969. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, drew upon the services of prof. Nurul Islam, Prof. Anisur Rahman and Prof. Wahidul Haq to advise him in the preparation of the memorandum he presented to the confedence. In the summer of 1970, prof. Nurul Islam, Prof. Anisur Rahman Dr. A. R. Khan, Dr. Swadesh Bose, Dr. Hasan Imam and myself met in Karachi with Dr. kamal Hossain to draw up the Awami League election manifesto. Its radical orientation and analytical content owes in some measure to the efforts of this group.
Up to December 1970, however, our contribution was still spasmodic. However immediately after the massive electoral victory of the Awami Leaguer in December, 1970, Bangabandhu decided to move ahead with the task of framing a viable constitution which fully incorporated the provisions of the 6 point programme in which the Awami League had fought its election camping. he wanted to discuss in detail the implications of putting such a constitution into operation so that the 6 point programme could be taken beyond the level of election rhetoric and be presented at the negotiating table and to the National Assembly as a seriously thought out and workable constitutional programme for the country.
In the months after the election a series of meeting were convened by Bangabandhu to discuss the constitution. These meeting were attended by the high command of the Awami League made up of the Tajuddin Ahmed, Nazrul Islam, Capt. Monsoor Ali. Qamrzzaman and Khondhar Mushtaq Ahmed and by Dr. Kamal Hossain, Prof. Nurul Isam, Prof. Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury, prof. Sarwar Murshed, Prof. Anisur Rahman and myself. In these days long and intensive discussion, usually held in a house on the banks of the Buriganga, the academic participants, including Dr. Kamal Hossain played the most active role. However Tajuddin Ahmed was quite as fertile in his contribution as any of the academics demonstration deep political insight dialectical skill and an extraordinary capacity to absorb and break down complicated technical issues to their basic essentials. Bangabandhu was himself an active participant giving us the benefit of his political experience and shrewd commonsense. By the time the group had finished their exercise, the Awami League had a constitutional draft and a fully worked out negotiating position for any future political dialogue which may have ensued.
In order to ascertain if any of the leading political parties in West Pakistan had given any serious thought to the constitution or had decided to take the 6 points seriously I was requested by Bangababdhu and Tajuddin Ahmed to pay an informal Visit to West Pakistan in January 1971. During this visit in Lahore I met separately with Dr. Mubasher Hasan and with Mian Mahmud Ali Qasuri of the PPP who were meant to be the leading
