By now much water have flown in river
Burigana and Indus and Panjnad (five
rivers) rivers. Political landscape in
Pakistan had changed. Gen.Aga
Mahmmad
Yahya Khan snatched
power from Gen.Ayub Khan in a coup
in on 25 March,1969 declaring
Martial Law. After assuming power
President General Aga Muhmmad
Yahya Khan assured the nation that he
would hand over the power to the
People‟s representatives following
holding general elections as soon as
possible. Against this background, a
general election was held in erstwhile
Pakistan on 7 December, 1970 under
the Legal Framework Order of Martial
Law. The Awami League contested
the election on all Pakistan basis in
spite of suggestion to boycott the
election by Maulana Abdul Hamid
Khan Bhashani of National Awami
Party who denounced the election as
a sham and to support for his one
point programme, the independence
of Bangladesh. Founder editor of
Daily Star, who became known as
international repute of journalist-
6
People‟s party, who launched a severe
campaign against Ayub Khan in West
Pakistan. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
along with other leaders was released
following withdrawal of the case in
early 1969.
Page
meeting. Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan
resigned and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
became President of Awami League in
1966. There was lot of confusion
about six point formulas. The ruler in
central government did not accept the
idea in good grace. Instead, Ayub
government resorted to ruthless
suppression of the movement and
arrested Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. A
conspiratorial case, which came to
known as Agartala conspiracy case,
was instituted against Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman along with a few civil servants
and officers of the armed forces
belong to East Pakistan. It turned out
to be concocted case. Meanwhile, the
people of East Pakistan, including
student leaders and President of
National Awami Party Maulana
Bhashani launched a campaign against
Ayub Khan Regime and demanded
release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
unconditionally.
Role of Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman was dubious, to say
the least. In spite of requests from his
own party and leader of National
Awami Party Maulana Abdul Hamid
Khan Bhashani Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman on being released on parole
attended round table conference held
in Rawalpindi under the chairmanship
of dictator Ayub Khan to size up
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, President of the