65 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র : সপ্তম খণ্ড শিরোনাম সূত্র তারিখ ২৯ করাচীতে সাংবাদিক সম্মেলনে ওয়াশিংটন দূতাবাস প্রকাশিত পুস্তিকাঃ ২৪ মে, ১৯৭১ জেনারেল ইয়াহিয়ার বক্তৃতা ব্যাকগ্রাউন্ড রিপোর্ট-৪ PRESIDENT'S NEWS CONFERENCE May 24, 1971 The following extracts from the President's seventy-minute news conference is excerpted from the Pakistan Times: Karachi, May 24: The President, General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan, said here today that in about two to three weeks he hoped to announce his plan for the peaceful transfer of power to the elected representatives of the people. He told a press conference at the President's House here this evening that he had not lost his main aim-transfer of power to the people's representatives. The President said the recent secessionist movement in East Pakistan was a big jolt to his plan for the transfer of power, he added, this jolt was temporary. President Yahya Khan said that he had struggled for the past two years to hold elections in the country. "I shall not let these elections be lost," the President declared. "As soon as normalcy returns I shall move again to fulfill my aim," President Yahya said. He however, emphasized, "I do not want to transfer power to chaos." Asked if there would be any change in the manner of transfer of power he replied, "I wish You were a soldier' He added that in military parlance maintenance of aim was the principle of war. "My aim also remains the same-transfer of power." The President said that for the past two years he had been saying that his main aim was to transfer power to the people's representatives "but nobody believes me." "But I still hope I will do it." He said: "Even some of my countrymen do not like it. But I will do it. I do not agree with them. I believe that power should be handed over to the elected representatives of the people." Political upheaval During his 70-minute press conference, the President dealt mostly with the unfortunate situation in East Pakistan recently. "What happened in East Pakistan recently was a great political upheaval," he said and added, "it came as a personal shock to me."
