Campaign of other parties

Campaign of other parties:

On one hand there were Rightists like Pakistan Muslim League and its all three factions, Pakistan Democratic Party Jamiat Ulema-i Islam Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan and Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan  who were slowly losing popular support and on the other there were Leftists including National Awami Party of Abdul Wali Khan and Sindh United Front under G. M. Syed. In arrange to put off violence in the election campaign Yahya Khan issued MLR No. 60 which forbidden anti Pakistan dialogical propaganda violence attempt to mould public judgment excursion of too much pressure on newspapers intrusion with the activities of other parties showing of weapons at public meetings. The election campaign which started in January 1970 and went on for almost a full year twisted out to be the longest election campaign ever in the parliamentary history of Pakistan. The issues which got prominence during the campaign were not indistinguishable in all over the country.

The main issue in the election campaign in East Pakistan was the question of provincial autonomy and the political picture from the beginning was conquered by Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman of the Awami League. The League had organizations of student labourers and peasants to support its objectives. However Mujib leadership contributed to its appearance as the dominant party in East Pakistan. Upon H. S. Suhrawardy death in 1963 he left the National Democratic Front and invigorated the Awami League in January 1964. While Mujib was a wonderful speaker with the capability to entrance the crowed however negative role of the West Pakistani establishment also contributed in his success. The people of East Pakistan were unhappy when three Prime Ministers hail from Easter wing Khawaja Nazimuddin Muhammad Ali Bogra and H.S. Suhrawardy were abruptly dismissed because of plotting hatch by West Pakistani coterie wield power at the Centre. Moreover failure of the central government to introduce Bangla language the unjust allotment of national capital to East Pakistan and low representation of Bengalis in the central services chiefly in higher positions were matter which were deeply resent in East Pakistan. When President Ayub Khan began to make preparations for the coming Presidential election in 1969-70 the majority of opposition parties including the Awami League decided to boycott it and the climate for anti-Ayub turned into mass movement. When the movement continued vigorously for over four months it took a violent turn in East Pakistan. Government machinery miserably failed to suppress the uprising in the province and Ayub finally realized the separatist dimensions of the movement. Consequently, on February 21, 1969 he announced his intention not contesting the next Presidential election. The political climate made Mujib’s continued detention impractical. His release and dropping of charges against all those held was one of the demands accepted by Ayub prior to the Round Table Conference consequently when the Conference was called he was released to enable him to take part.