Then Again It Was the Workers and Students Who Formed

501 : Then again it was the workers and students who formed the hardcore of the non- cooperation movement launched by Sheikh for fighting against the Bhutto-Yahya conspiracy. And finally, when the armed might of Yahya Khan was let loose on the unsuspecting and unarmed people of Bangladesh to put at naught their democratic rights, the war of liberation began. Here also, as in other previous occasions, the workers were the first to join the war of liberation as fighters and volunteers. The carnage, the ruthless killings, unprecedented mass massacres perpetuated on our people to-day by Yahya Khan and his army have not been able to break the will and determination of the workers of Bangladesh. About one lakh members of the working class in Bangladesh have been killed so far. Residential colonies of the industrial workers through the length and breadth of Bangladesh have been systematically gutted down. In Adamjie Jute Mills premises, the invaders killed hundreds of workers in a mosque. The West Pakistani Army are now singling out leading workers and their families, killing them at sight, looting their meager possessions up to the last grain of rice. Those who have escaped the initial onslaught of tanks and mortars are now fighting a slow and painful death due to lack of shelter and food. In the face of all these odds and atrocities the workers are still continuing their struggle. The non-cooperation call given by the Bangabandhu is being continued in to by our working class people. For the industrial and communication workers, non- cooperation is an effective weapon to, destroy the economic base of the invaders. The same weapon is, however, depriving the poor workers of their work and wages which they could have easily earned by agreeing to cooperate with Yahya. It is thus very clear indeed that the ,weapon of non-cooperation designed to weaken the enemy will eventually destroy the users of the weapon i.e. the 4 million workers of Bangladesh, if during the fighting period they are not sustained by help from their brethren all over the world. We, therefore, appeal, on behalf of the fighting workers of Bangladesh, and in the name of humanity and justice to the working class of all nations of the world to come to our aid at this most crucial and fateful juncture of our struggle for freedom and economic emancipation. 1. We seek economic and material help of varied kinds. 2. We hope that the working people all over the world, through their respective organizations, will chalk-out an effective programme and launch immediate movements so that their Governments give recognition to the sovereign state of Bangladesh, with Bangabandhu Sk. Mujibur Rahman as head of the State. 3. We request our fellow workers of the world to create economic blockade against the Government of Pakistan. The international sea-mens fraternity may please refuse to work in any Pakistani ship or other ships going to or coming from West Pakistan. 502 : 4. We will also request our fellow workers to start appropriate movements so that countries all over the world forthwith stop giving any aid. economic or military, to the Government of Pakistan. 5. We would request you to take initiative in forming an International Workers Co- ordination Forum for giving effective and long term assistance to the fighting people of Bangladesh. We would request our fellow brethren to consider that time is very important for us and a moment’s delay in helping us today may cause us years of sufferings and subjugation. JAI BANGLA. Yours in all Struggles for Justice and Freedom THE WORKERS OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF BANGLADESH Sd/- Md. Shah Jahan Sd/- Abdul Mannan Acting President General Secretary National Worker’s League and National Workers' League and Member, Bangladesh Central Convener, Bangladesh Central Worker’s Action Committee Workers' Action Committee, Mujibnagar, Bangladesh. 503 : , A MEMORANDUM TO MR. EDWARD M. KENNEDY FROM REFUGEE INTELLECTUALS OI BANGLADESH Sir, We take this opportunity to express 'our deep sense of gratitude for the moral support and sympathy shown for the cause of Bangladesh. We deeply appreciate your own concern and opposition to the supply of arms and aid to the military overlords in Pakistan and also for your support to the cause of the people of Bangladesh. We gratefully acknowledge your contribution to the relief undertaken for more than seven million unfortunate refugees who have taken shelter in India. You are no doubt aware of the circumstances in which the People's Republic of Bangladesh emerged as the eighth largest sovereign state of the world on April 10, 1971. From its very inception Pakistan was an unusual state, unique in modern history in that its two wings were separated by more than one thousand miles of foreign territory- with a common religious belief as the only binding factor. The Pakistan Resolution of 1940 which spelled out the aspirations of the Muslims of undivided India conceived of "Sovereign States" in the two Muslim majority areas of the sub- continent. In their sincere desire and enthusiasm to build a unified state, the people of East Pakistan surrendered their right to sovereignty as visualized in that resolution and accepted the structure of one Pakistan. They tried to make this dream work but did not succeed owing to (the) undemocratic manoeuvres. Taking advantage of the goodwill of the people of East Bengal, they evolved a political and economic system in which the Bengalis had an inferior position. The misery, suffering and exploitation of the people of Bangladesh by the West Pakistani ruling clique over the last twenty three years finally brought home to them the realization that they could not survive with honor and dignity unless autonomy of the regions as visualized in the Pakistan Resolution of 1940 became a political reality. The six-point programme of the Awami League formulated by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman sought to end regional exploitation while preserving the unity of Pakistan. The massive support given to this programme by the people of Bangladesh in the genera elections held in Pakistan in December, 1970 was the last desperate attempt by them to force a realization on the ruling circles of West Pakistan of the seriousness of the situation. But the military rulers never meant to. give up their colonial exploitation of Bangladesh nor were they prepared to let democracy function. The tragic happenings since March 25, 1971 have proved that the military rulers want to hold' on to power at all costs. The declaration of independence by the people of Bangladesh was therefore the only course left open to them. 504 : The atrocities committed by the Pakistani soldiers clearly indicate that the concept of one nation and one country had never taken root in the minds of Yahya Khan and his associates because such acts could never be permitted by an army except on an alien people whom it wants to subdue and terrorize. We appeal to you and through you to the Government and people of the United States of America to take the following steps immediately:- 1. Recognize the Govt. of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. 2. Put pressure on Islamabad to secure the release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and all other political prisoners in Bangladesh. 3. Give all possible help to Bangladesh in defense of freedom and democracy. 4. Stop all aid to Pakistan, including aid in the pipeline. 5. Sever all trade and economic relations with Pakistan. 6. Force Yahya to stop his campaign of genocide. 7. Establish an International Commission of Jurists to enquire into the acts of genocide and traffic in women committed by the Pakistan troops, and to punish the culprits. BONGAO August 10, 1971. Yours faithfully, On behalf of Bangladesh Refugee Intellectuals now in West Bengal 505 : , - ‘‘ ’’ । * , । * , , । *‘‘ ’’ । (((()) () । () । () - । , - , । (((()) () । () । () । (((()) । (((()) * ‘‘ ’’। ‘‘’’। ‘‘ ’’। * - - , ‘‘ ’। 506 : , ‘‘ ’’ । ‘‘ ’’। (((()) , - -, ‘‘ ’’। (((()))) । (((()))) * । * । * - । * । * - । * । (((()))) * । * , । * । । * , - । (((()) * - । * ‘ ’ । * । । 507 : * । -- । । (((()) ?? ???? ‘‘ ’’ । । । । (((()) , , , , - । - । । , , । । , - । , - । । ‘‘’’ ? ? ? - -? , ? , , ? । - । । , , , - । । । , , - । , - । । , , , । ‘‘’’ । । -, , , -- । । ‘‘ ’’ । । -- 508 : , ‘‘‘‘‘‘‘‘ ’’’’’’’’ - - , । ‘‘ ’’ , । । । -- । , , -, - । , , ‘ ’ । । । ‘ ’ । । ‘ ’ - । ‘ ’ । । । । , ,

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