The historic Six-Point Demand had emerged before the people of this part of Bengal as their demand for freedom since they had taken it as their right to live, says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
"The people had taken the Six-Point Demand in such a way that I don't know whether such a demand could draw so much popularity so rapidly in any country of the world. The people of Bangla had taken it as their right to live. And it was actually that demand,” UNB quoted her saying at an online discussion marking the historic Six-Point Day on Sunday.
The National Implementation Committee for the Celebration of the Birth Centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman arranged the discussion as well as an online quiz completion with participation of the young generation.
The people not only extended support to the Six-Point Demand, they also accepted the demand of autonomy as their own, she said before adding: “And thus the Six-Point emerged as the demand of freedom of the people of Bengal.”
Focusing on the context of the Six-Point Demand, Sheikh Hasina said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had placed the demand for establishing the rights of the Bangalee nation.
"It was seen the people of East Bengal meaning East Pakistan was completely unprotected during the 1965 Pakistan-India war," she said adding that the then Pakistani rulers did not take any step to save the East Bengal.
Noted writer Prof Syed Manzoorul Islam attend as the chief discussant at the event, while Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque and Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni also took part in the discussion.
The six points included having a federal structure of government based on the spirit of the Lahore Resolution of 1940, with a parliament elected on the basis of universal adult franchise.
It also asked for the central government’s authority only in defence and foreign affairs and vesting all other subjects in the federating units of the state of Pakistan.
It proposed two freely convertible currencies for the two wings of Pakistan or two separate reserve banks for the two regions of the country; vesting power of taxation and revenue collection in the federating units; and two separate accounts for foreign exchange reserves for the two wings of Pakistan.
It also demanded a separate militia or paramilitary force for East Pakistan as a measure of its security.