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Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s 6-Point Formula

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman placed the 6-point demand on 5th February, 1966 before the select committee of the national conference of the opposition, held in Lahore. The 6-point is regarded as the basis of freedom of the Bengali Nation. Sheikh Mujib himself described the formula as 'our right to live.' The text includes the original 6 Points as well as their later amendments.


Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s 6 Points

Point 1

The constitution should provide for a federation of Pakistan in its true sense on the basis of the Lahore Resolution, and parliamentary form of government with supremacy of legislature directly elected on the basis of universal adult franchise.

Amended: The character of the government shall be federal and parliamentary, in which the election to the federal legislature and to the legislatures of the federating units shall be direct and on the basis of universal adult franchise. The representation in the federal legislature shall be on the basis of population.

Point No. 2

Original Federal government shall deal with only two subjects, viz. Defence and foreign affairs and all other residuary subjects shall vest in the federating states.

Amended: The federal government shall be responsible only for defense and foreign affairs and, subject to the conditions provided in Point No. 3 below, currency.

Point No.3

(A) Two separate but freely convertible currencies for two wings may be introduced, or one currency for the whole country may be maintained. In this case effective constitutional provisions are to be made to stop flight of capital from East to West Pakistan. Separate banking reserve is to be made and separate fiscal and monetary policy to be adopted for East Pakistan.

Amended: There shall be two separate currencies mutually or freely convertible in each wing for each region, or in the alternative a single currency, subject to the establishment of a federal reserves system in which there will be regional federal reserve banks which shall devise measures to prevent the transfer of resources and flight of capital from one region to another.

Point No. 4

The power of taxation and revenue collection shall vest in the federating units and that the federal center will have no such power. The federation will have a share in the taxes for meeting their required expenditure. The consolidated federal fund shall come out of a levy of certain percentage of all state taxes.

Amended: Fiscal policy shall be the responsibility of the federating units. The federal government shall be provide with requisite revenue resources for meeting the requirements of defense and foreign affairs, which revenue resources would be automatically appropriable by the federal government in the manner provided and on the basis of the ratio to be determined by the procedure laid down in the constitution. Such constitutional provisions would ensure that the federal government’s revenue requirements are met consistently with the objective of ensuring control over the fiscal policy by the government of the federating units.

Point No. 5

(1) There shall be two separate accounts for foreign exchange earnings of the two wings.

(2) Earnings of East Pakistan shall be under the control of East Pakistan government and that of West Pakistan under the control of West Pakistan government.

(3) Foreign exchange requirement of the federal government shall be met by the two wings either equally or in a ratio to be fixed.

(4) Indigenous products shall move free of duty between two wings.

(5) The constitution shall empower the unit governments to establish trade and commercial relations with set up trade missions in and enter into agreements with, foreign countries.

Amended: Constitutional provisions shall be made by enable separate accounts to be maintained of the foreign exchange earnings of each of the federating units, under the control of the respective governments of the federal government shall be met by the governments of the federating units on the basis of a ratio to be determined in accordance with the procedure laid down in the constitution. The regional governments shall have power under the constitution to negotiate foreign trade and aid within the framework of the foreign policy of the country, which shall be the responsibility of the federal government.

Point No. 6

The setting up of a militia or a para-military force for East Pakistan.

Amended: The governments of the federating units shall be empowered to maintain a militia or para-military force in order to contribute effectively towards national security.


Source: Documents and Speeches on the Constitution of Pakistan
By G. W. Choudhury (1967). Green Book House, Dacca (East Pakistan)


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