It is widely believed by a large number of people of all political persuasions that the Six-Points Programme was a demand for autonomy of East Pakistan in a conventional sense within a federation of two regions of East and West Pakistan.
However, the details of the programme, when elaborated, turn out to be very radically different from autonomy of East Pakistan within a federation as generally understood. The programme postulated that the only subjects which would fall within the purview of the federal government would be defence and foreign affairs. The tariffs on and regulations of foreign trade, the monetary and banking policies and institutions, fiscal policy (including revenues and public expenditures) and foreign exchange resources would be under the control of each region. There should take place no flight of capital or transfer of resources from one region to the other even though there could be one currency. Even the subject of transport and communications of all kinds which linked East and West Pakistan would be under the purview of the two regional governments.
“On the other hand, the Pakistan military and civilian leaderships, aided by their experts, fully understood, right from the beginning, what the programme was for in reality, i.e. one country in name but a very small step for independence of East Pakistan. That is why when the Six-Points Programme was announced by Bangabandu in 1966, Ayub, the President of Pakistan, declared in response that he would meet the Six-Points Programme with one point, i.e. at gun point. Thus, having made up their mind to suppress East Pakistan, the Pakistani leaders were making military preparations following the election of 1970 until March 1971 for the crackdown on East Pakistan under the facade of so-called negotiations for a political settlement.”
– The writer is a former Deputy Chairman, First Planning Commission (1972-75), and Research Fellow Emeritus, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington D.C.
Categories: Bangladesh