Part ofa series on the |
|---|
| Independence of Bangladesh |
.svg) |
| Events |
| Organisations |
| Key persons |
| Related |
 Bangladesh portal |
TheEleven Points Programme was a charter of demands inEast Pakistan that called for reforms and the resignation of President Ayub Khan. It was led by students and was a successor to thesix point movement led bySheikh Mujibur Rahman.[1]
The Eleven Points Programme was based on the six point movement. The six point movement, started in 1966, called for the restoration of democracy and the resignation of military ruler, PresidentAyub Khan. The movement was led by theAwami League and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The movement fluttered after the mass arrest of Awami League politicians. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and senior Awami League leaders were arrested on theAgartala Conspiracy Case. The democracy movement was taken over by the newly formed Pakistan Democratic Movement and Democratic Action Committee. Both of which failed in their objective to restore democracy. In October 1968, two fractions of East Pakistan Students Union, led byRashed Khan Menon andMatia Chowdhury, andEast Pakistan Students League formed an alliance called theSarbadaliya Chhatra Sangram Parishad (All Party Student Movement Council inBengali) The Parishad announced an 11-point demand that called for education reform, restoration of democracy, and autonomy for East Pakistan. The demands incorporated all the demands of the opposition in East Pakistan and the students became the leaders of the movement against President Ayub Khan. This culminated in the1969 mass uprising and the subsequent withdrawal of Agartala Conspiracy Case.[2][3][4] On 24 January 1971, in the backdrop of outbreak of theBangladesh Liberation War, the mass uprising was commemorated and all political groups of East Pakistan (barringIslamist groups likeJamaat-e-Islami) reiterated the 11-point demand.[5]
1. Cancellation of all anti-Bengali language actions like the recommendations of the Hamidur Rahman Education Committee & theDhaka University Ordinance (which stripped it of its autonomy) alongside reduction in monthly tuition fees of the university students.
2. Restoration of parliamentary democracy based on universal adult franchise, freedom of the press & uplifting the ban onThe Daily Ittefaq
3. Complete autonomy for East Pakistan based on the previous 6-points.
4. Formation of a federal government inWest Pakistan consisting of the autonomous provinces ofPunjab,Sindh,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa &Balochistan (which had been dissolved by the Ayub Khan government under theOne Unit Scheme)
5. Nationalisation of banks, insurance companies & all large industries, including jute processing units.
6. Decreased taxation upon the farmers & setting theminimum price ofraw jute at 40 rupees.
7. Providing respectable wages, education, treatment & residence to the workers alongside recognition to theirright to strike.
8. Taking adequate steps to control floods & utilising the water resources of East Pakistan.
9. Abrogation of all draconian laws enacted by the military regime of Ayub Khan.
10. Pakistan's exit fromSEATO &CENTO alongside formulation of a neutral foreign policy
11. Abrogation of warrants against those accused of participating in the Agartala Conspiracy Case alongside release of all students, farmers, workers & political activists imprisoned throughout the country convicted under it.
