He turned his guns upon my helpless people

2008-07-07T00:24:00.001-07:00

He turned his guns upon my helpless people, a people with no arms to defend himself. These were the same arms that had been purchased with our own money in protect us from external enemies. But it is my own people that are being fired upon today.

In the past, too, each time we - the numerically larger segment of Pakistan's population - tried to assert our rights and control our destiny, they have conspired against us and pounced upon us.

I have asked them this before: How can you make your own brothers the targets of your bullets?

Now Yahya Khan is saying that I had agreed to a Round Table Conference on the 10th. Let me point out that that is not true.

I had said, Mr. Yahya Khan, you are the President of this country. Come to Dhaka, come and see how our poor Bengali people have been mowed down by your bullets, how the laps of our mother and sisters have been robbed and left empty and bereft, how my helpless people have been slaughtered. Come, I said, come and see for yourself and then you be the judge and you decide. That is what I told him.
Earlier, I have told him there would be no Round Table Conference. What Round Table Conference. Whose Round Table Conference? You expect me to sit at a Round Table Conference with the very same people have emptied the laps of my mothers and my sisters?
On the 3rd, at the Paltan, 1 called for a non-cooperation movement and the closure of the offices, courts and revenue collection. You gave me full support.
Then, suddenly, without consulting me or even informing us, he met with one individual for five hours and then made a speech in which he turned all the blame on me, laid all the fault upon the Bengali people!
Bhutto created the deadlock, yet the Bengalis are the ones facing the bullets!

So, the struggle this time is a struggle for freedom and the fight this time has to be a fight for independence.
Brothers, they are now calling for the Assembly to meet on March 25, with the streets not yet dry of the blood of my brothers. Well, if they want the Assembly to meet, they must first withdraw Martial Law. The soldiers must return to their barracks. The murders of my people must be redressed.
And..... they must hand over power to the elected representatives of the people.
Then only will we consider if we will be part of the National Assembly or not!
Before these demands are met, there can be no question of our participating in this session of the Assembly: That is one right not given to me as part of my mandate from the masses.

As I told them earlier, Mujibur Rahman refuses to walk to the Assembly treading upon the fresh bloodstains of his brothers' blood!
Do you, my brothers, have complete faith in me...?

Let me then tell you that the Prime Minister ship is not what I am seeking. What 1 want is justice, the rights of the people of this land? They dangled the Prime Minister ship before me but failed of buy me. Nor did they succeed in hanging me from the gallows for you rescued me with your blood from the so-called conspiracy case.

That day, right here at this racecourse. I had pledged to you that I would pay for this blood-debt with my own blood. Do yon remember? I am ready today to fulfill that promise.

I now declare the closure of all the courts, offices, and all educational institutions for an indefinite period of time. No one will report to his offices – that is my instruction to you.

So that the poor are not inconvenienced, rickshaws, trains and other transport will ply normally - except to serve any needs of the armed forces, if the army does not respect this. I shall not be responsible for the consequences.

The Secretariat, Supreme Court, High Court Judges courts, and governmental semi-government offices shall remain shut. Only Banks may open for two hours daily for business transactions but no money shall be transmitted from east to West Pakistan. The Bengali people must stay calm during these times. Telegraph and Telephone communication will be confined within Bangladesh but journalists may send dispatches to the outside world.

The people of this land are facing elimination, so be on guard. If need be, we will bring everything to a total Standstill...
Collect your salaries on lime. If the salaries are stopped, if a single bullet is fired upon us henceforth, if the murder of my people does not cease, I call upon you to turn every home into a fortress against their onslaught! Use whatever you can put your hands on to confront this enemy. Every last toad must be blocked.
We will deprive them of food to cat; we will deprive them of water to drink. Even if 1 3m not around to give you the order, and if my associates are also not be found, I ask you to continue your movement unabated.
I say to them again, if you arc our brothers, return now to the barracks where you belong and no one will bear any hostility towards you. Just do not attempt to aim any more bullets at our hearts: It won't be fair!

...And seven million people of this land will not be cowed down by you or accept suppression any more: The Bengali people have learned how to die for a cause and you will not be able to bring them under your yoke of suppression!

To assist the families of the martyred and the injured, the Awami League has set up committees that will do all they can. Please donate whatever you can. Also, employees must give full pay to the workers who participated in the seven-day hartal or were not able to work because of curfews.

To all government employees I say that my directives must be followed. 1 had better not sec any of you attending your offices. From today, until this land has been feed, no taxes will be paid to the Government any more. As of now, they stop. Leave everything to me: I know how to organize movement.

But be very careful Keep in mind that the enemy has infiltrated our ranks to engage in the work of provocateurs. Whether Bengali or non-Bengali. Hindu or Muslim, all Bangladeshis are our brothers and ii is our responsibility to ensure their safety.

I also ask you to stop listening to radio, television and the press if these media do not report news about our movement.

To them, I say: You are our brothers? I beseech you to not turn this country into a living hell. Will you not have to show? Your faces and confront your conscience some day?

If we can peaceably settle out differences there is still hope that we can co-exist as brothers. Otherwise there is no hope. If you choose the other path we may never come lace to face Again.

For now, I have just one thing to ask of you: Give up any Thoughts of enslaving this country undo military rule again!

I ask my people to immediately set up committees under the leadership of the Awami League to carry on our struggle in every neighborhood, village, union, and subdivision of this land.
You must prepare yourselves now with what little you have for the struggle ahead.
We have already had to shed our blood; we will have to sacrifice more. But, God willing, the people of this land shall be set free!
The fight, this time, is for freedom! The struggle, this time, is for independence.
Be ready, we cannot afford to lose our momentum. Keep the movement and the fight alive because if we drop back they will descend upon us.
Be disciplined. No nation’s movement can be victorious without discipline.
Joy Bangla.
In the midst of non-cooperation movement Sheikh Mujibur Rahman joined meeting with Mr. Znlfiqucr Ali Bhutto, leader of the West Pakistan People's Party in the President's House.

On March 12. 1971 Col. Osniani, the retired Bengali soldier addressed to the retired Bengali soldiers showing allegiance to the call of non cooperation movement under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
On March 22, 1971 Bangadandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman called for non-cooperation Movement from his residence.

On March 23, 1971 the student leaders under the leadership of Mr.A.S.M. Abdur Rab accompanying crores of people marched cowards Road No. 32 and handed over a flag of Independent Bangladesh to the land of Sheikh Muiihnr Riiliman.