734 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ষষ্ঠ খণ্ড শিরোনাম সংবাদপত্র তারিখ Political Solution Bangladesh 15 October, 1971 VO|. 1 : NO. 7 Editorial POLITICAL SOLUTION Yahya Khan in his broadcast of October 12 has made a statement of his intentions. By-elections will be held toward the end of December, he says, to fill the National Assembly seats forcibly vacated by him. He proposes to form a new central government and hand over the power to it, "soon after the inaugural session of the National Assembly." He has also benevolently conceded to the National Assembly the right to propose amendments to the constitution now being prepared under his supervision. Each amendment, however, must be submitted to him for his consideration and approval. With the Awami League the only representative political party in Bangladeshremaining banned and its elected leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman behind prison bars, it is difficult to see how there can be any meaningful participation of the people of Bangladesh in the proposed by-elections. Moreover, who has given the right to Yahya Khan to unseat so many members of the National and Provincial Assemblies freely elected by the people? Again what is the basis of Yahya Khan' assumption that the remaining members of the National and Provincial Assemblies will turn up as his dutiful stooges? What validity would a central government have where the inalienable rights of the people of Bangladesh are not reflected? The heart of the matter is that the Awami League own a clear and overwhelming mandate from the people of Bangladesh for a program of self-determination and autonomy. That mandate was completely ignored by the Yahya regime and it tried to suppress the movement for autonomy by brutal and savage force. The people of Bangladesh reacted with a spirit of heroism and resolved to free themselves from the colonial domination of West Pakistan. In such a situation, it would be idle to expect that a sham transfer of power to a puppet civil administration subservient to the army would achieve any purpose at all except that of perpetuating army rule. Even as an attempt to hoodwink world opinion it is bound to fail, for the ghastly happenings in Bangladesh since March 25 are by now fairly well know. Yahya Khan must realize that in the present circumstances of the country no meaningful political solution is possible without fulfilling the following conditions: a) accepting the independence of Bangladesh. b) The unconditional release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and (c) the withdrawal of West Pakistani Army from Bangladesh. It appears that Yahya Khan has learned no lesson from his predecessor who also tried to impose a one man constitution and a puppet government on the people. The effort of Ayub Khan failed and a people's movement forced him out of power; the same fate awaits Yahya Khan if he persists in his folly. In a free democratic country a constitution is given by a people unto a people.
