Discuss the Six Point Movement and its impact on the struggle for independence of the

Bengalis in 1971.
Introduction:

The historic Six-Point Demand, also known as the Six-Point Formula, is widely regarded as the "charter
of democracy" in Bangladesh's fight for independence from Pakistan. The six-point movement of 1966
was, in reality, a watershed moment in our search for freedom. The Awami League called a countrywide
hartal in East Pakistan on June 7, 1966, to drive home the six-point demands. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
was detained, along with a large number of others. Since then, the seventh of June has been
commemorated as the historic six-point day.

A federal form of government based on the 1940 Lahore Resolution, a parliamentary system of
government directly elected by the citizens on the basis of adult franchise, two separate currencies or
reserve banks for the two wings of Pakistan, and a paramilitary force for East Pakistan were all part of
the six-point strategy.

The six-point movement's phenomenal success in 1966 led Pakistan's ruling elite to discredit the
movement's organizers. Despite the fact that Ayub Khan's diabolical regime used a variety of violent and
punitive measures against promoters, organizers, and supporters of the six-point formula, the six-point
anchored mass upsurge in 1966 had a significant effect on and situation on Pakistan's subsequent
political developments.

The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the historical six-point movement's importance and relevance,
as well as its effect on Bangladesh's struggle for independence. The essence, magnitude, and effect of
the six-point movement can be assessed once the key contents of the six-point formula have been
summarized.

The impact of the six-point movement:

Even though Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other top Awami League leaders were imprisoned in 1966, the
movement's momentum was suppressed, mass support for the six-point demand remained high. The
strategy of suppressing all kinds of democratic freedoms and dissenting voices had failed miserably to
halt the six-point movement's long-term consequences and possible implications. In reality, the
widespread governmental repression and use of police brutality against the six-point movement's
leaders and participants had prompted the general population of East Pakistan to back the six-point
formula wholeheartedly.

The six-point movement had far-reaching consequences for Pakistan's subsequent political
developments. "The entire weight of the party (the Awami League) was thrown in favor of the anti-Ayub
movement, which spread throughout the country in the early months of 1969," writes Dr. M.
Rashiduzzaman, "and it is likely that the Awami League will play an even more active role in the future"
(M. Rashiduzzaman, The Awami League in the Political Development of Pakistan, Asian Survey, Vol. 10,
No. 7, July 1st, 1969).

In reality, the arrogant and debased Ayub Khan's dictatorial regime had wrongly implicated him in the
Agartala Conspiracy case due to the success of the six-point movement. However, in late 1968 and early
1969, an anti-Ayub mass movement resulted in the dismissal of the so-called case and the unconditional
release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

"For all practical purposes, the eleven-point student program was an extended version of the Awami
League's six-point demand for autonomy," Dr. Rashiduzzaman said of the effect of the six-point program
on the 11-point charter of the 1969 student-mass movement. The importance of the six-point
movement in Pakistan politics at the time is exemplified by Dr. M. Rashiduzzaman's concluding remarks:
"The Awami League's real strength is not its organizational skill, but the growing popularity of its (Six-
Point) program for regional autonomy among the 70 million Bengalis in East Pakistan." Following the
announcement of the Awami League's six-point program, a common movement began in East Pakistan,
and the shifting trend of Pakistani politics ultimately led to what is undeniably a separatist movement.
Even harsh repressive measures and centralized administration are unable to stop the transition (of
separatism). The Awami League's future as a champion of regional autonomy depends on its ability to
maintain and improve the movement (M. Rashiduzzaman, The Awami League in Pakistan's Political
Growth, Asian Survey, Vol. 10, No. 7, July 1970; pp. 574-587)."

"As one would have anticipated, Sheikh Mujib's arrest in 1966 only served to enhance his popularity to
the point that he became the veritable symbol of Bengali nationalism (Talukder Maniruzzaman, The
Bangladesh Revolt)," writes Dr. Talukder Maniruzzaman of the immediate impact of governmental
repressive measures during the six-point movement on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's popularity. The six-
point movement had the following effects, according to Dr. Rounaq Jahan: "In the spring of 1966, Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman initiated his now-famous six-point movement. The six-point petition, which was
especially appealing to Bengali nationalist bourgeoisie, was the most radical demand for East Pakistani
autonomy to date. In East Pakistan, the six-point movement sparked widespread support. The East
Pakistan Awami League organized mass meetings and demonstrations throughout the province, helping
to resurrect the dormant party and the Awami-affiliated student party, the East Pakistan Student's
League (EPSL). The six-point campaign, predictably, increased the Awami League's popularity in East
Pakistan at the expense of West Pakistani support (Rounaq Jahan, Pakistan: Failure in National
Integration, The University Press, 1994, p.139).

Dr. M.B. Nair's authoritative text, Politics in Bangladesh: A Study of the Awami League:1949-58 (New
Delhi, Northern Book Center, 1990, p. 257), ends with the following observations about the six-point
movement's far-reaching effects: "However, when political activities on a party basis were permitted in
1964, the Awami League (AL) emerged from its exile and reorganized itself, so that in 1966 it (AL) was
able to give concrete shape to its long-standing demand for regional autonomy in the form of the "Six-
Point Program," which was subsequently the harbinger of Bangladesh's emergence as an independent
and sovereign state in 1971."

There were also senior political figures from other groups, such as Maulana Bhasani, the founder of the
Awami League, who spoke out in favor of East Pakistani provincial autonomy. Maulana Bhasani,
appalled by West Pakistan's colonial dominance and repression of East Pakistan, said "goodbye to West
Pakistan" more than once, at least a decade before the historic six-point movement. In reality, Maulana
Bhasani was never willing to compromise on the question of East Pakistan's full provincial autonomy.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's fearlessness and perseverance, on the other hand, gave the autonomy
movement in East Pakistan a more concrete form.
Conclusion:

It is additionally reasonable for recommend that the six-point development was the forerunner of the
accompanying pivotal occasions: the evacuation of the scandalous Provincial Governor Monem Khan,
the unexpected breakdown of Ayub Khan's autocracy and the ascent of Yahya Khan's wicked system, the
General Elections in 1970 based on grown-up establishment, the avalanche triumph of the Awami
League in the overall races, the dynamite ascent of Sheik Mujibur Rahman as the sole representative of
the Bengali talking individuals of the then Pakistan, the nine-month-long freedom battle in 1971 under
the administration of the Awami League, lastly the rise of Bangladesh as an autonomous country state
on December 16, 1971. Without a doubt, these turbulent occasions were achievements throughout the
entire existence of Bangladesh's battle for opportunity and autonomy, and the name of the ongoing idea
that had solidly associated these achievements was Bangabandhu Sheik Mujibur Rahman.

Even in the absence of a bold provincial autonomy plan in the form of the six-point formula, Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman would have remained a top Awami League leader. There is no question that the
Agartala Conspiracy case would have been hatched against Sheikh Mujib in 1966 if there had been no
six-point campaign. The student-mass movement of 1969 may not have happened if the Agartala
Conspiracy case had not been brought up. The six-point campaign, the Agartala Conspiracy case, and the
1969 student-mass movement had thus provided the much-needed groundwork and background for
Sheikh Mujib's ascension to the throne of Bangabandhu (Friend of Bengal).

Following that, in the general elections of 1970, the people of Pakistan's then-eastern province had
placed their full confidence in their Bangabandhu, making him their rightful sole spokesperson and
undisputed leader. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the undisputed leader of his people, was the
driving force behind Bangladesh's battle for complete independence. It was critical to time the framing
and articulation of the six-point formula, as well as the launch and maintenance of a nationalistic
campaign to achieve the six-point formula's goals. The historic six-point formula's economic and political
demands were a frontal attack on Pakistan's colonial and oppressive modes of government, as
stipulated and enumerated in the historic six-point formula.