RAWALPINDI: The President of All-Pakistan Awami League, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has stressed the need for a “real and living” democracy and justice between the country’s regions by granting full regional autonomy to the federation units on the basis of his party’s Six Point formula.

In a 30-minute speech over radio and television today [Oct 28], the first of the series arranged by the Government to enable political leaders to inform the people about their party manifestos ... he said: “Within such a federal democratic framework radical economic programmes must be implemented to bring about a social revolution.” …

He said: “Such autonomy in order to be effective must include the power of managing the economy, that is why we insist upon federating units having control over monetary and fiscal policy and foreign exchange earnings, and other powers to negotiate foreign trade and aid.” He said a just federal balance would be attained by giving to the federating units full control over their economic destiny, while entrusting to the federal Government “responsibility over foreign affairs and defence and, subject to certain safeguards, currency”.

Sheikh Mujib spoke of the “appalling record of economic disparity existing between the two Wings.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2020