The Six-Point Demand or Six-Point Formula put forward by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Awami League in 1966 called for greater autonomy of East Pakistan and an end to the perceived exploitation of East Pakistan by West Pakistani rulers. The six points included demands for separate currencies, tax collection powers, foreign exchange earnings, and a separate military for East Pakistan. The movement gained widespread support in East Pakistan and was a major milestone in the independence movement. However, it was criticized by West Pakistani political parties and the central government as a separatist agenda. The six points came to represent the economic and political grievances that eventually led to Bangladesh's liberation war and independence in 1971.

1. Introduction
The historic Six-Point Demand or the Six-Point Formula has been widely credited as the "charter
of freedom" in Bangladesh's struggle for self-determination from Pakistan's domination. Indeed,
the six-point movement in 1966 was the turning point in our quest for independence. Actually,
the six point movement was a movement in East Pakistan, spearheaded by Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman, which called for greater autonomy for East Pakistan. The movement's main agenda was
to realize the six demands put forward by a coalition of Bengali nationalist political parties in 1966,
to end the perceived exploitation of East Pakistan by the West Pakistani rulers. Mujib’s staunch
advocacy for the emancipation of Bengalis, which was rooted in the six-point agenda, would soon
earn him the title of Bangabandhu – friend of the Bengalis. It is considered a milestone on the
road to Bangladesh's independence.
Six-point Movement- Background
The main source of the inspiration of the Six-Point Program lies on the original concept of Pakistan
that it would consist of 'independent Muslim States'. The Awami League Council meeting at Dhaka
in February, 1966 proved to be a famous platform where Six Point Formula for autonomy of East
Pakistan was adopted.In the same meeting Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was also elected President of
the Awarni League.
It was presented publically in March, 1966 in Lahore before an all political parties meeting. The
main exponents of Six Point Formula were Tajuddin Ahmed, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Ruhul
Quddus. Majority of party workers did not know regarding the Formula till the Council Meeting
held in February, 1966. This ‘program’ had an important position in the life of all classes of East
Pakistani society.
It is very interesting to note that Mujib tried to trace analogy between the Lahore Resolution and
Six Point Program by placing it in the same month and venue. In March, 1966 he was in Lahore,
the same month and the same city where the famous Lahore Resolution (presented by Sher-e
Bangla Fazlul Huq) was passed in 1940. In a meeting when various political parties were present,
he placed the Formula claiming to have been based on the principles of the Lahore Resolution, to
save Pakistan from disintegration. He distributed the few hundred copies of the booklets of Six-
Point Program which he carried with him from East Pakistan with an explanatory note in reply to
the criticisms already raised from different quarters.
The program was announced immediately after the 1965 war with India. According to Talukdar
Maniruzzaman, during the war with India in September 1965, East Pakistan was completely cut
off from West Pakistan. The people of East Pakistan felt completely helpless. According to
another source, during the 1965 war Pakistan had only half a division of soldiers stationed in the
East Pakistan, a region surrounded by the 'enemy country' from three sides. The East Bengalis
were terrified by the thought that India could run over them any time and this fear made them feel
more neglected than ever before.

2. The Bengalis had a weighty complaint to make about the war's impact on them. The scheduled
economic development program was cut 5 per cent, because of increased military costs. In the
first year of the third five-year plan for 1965-70 which was to mark the beginning of provincial
economic parity, funds to the Provincial Government were reduced. Moreover, double funds were
allocated to the military expenditures for 1965 and 1966 at the expense of agricultural production
in East Pakistan.
Politicians took the language of the economists and intellectuals and tried to mobilize the masses
to realize their demands and supported the two economy theory. According to Talukdar
Mainruzzaman, the helplessness of the Bengalis during the war of 1965 with India and the
increasing economic disparity between the two wings of Pakistan gave Mujibur Rehman, 'a
political entrepreneur par-excellence'. In a press conference, Mujib declared "the question of
autonomy appears to be more important after the war. Time has come for making East Pakistan
self-sufficient in all respects”.
Six-point Movement- Background (Two Economy Theories)
Many Economists, during this period, particularly in East Pakistan, began to talk about the ‘two
economy theories’ for Pakistan. East Pakistan remained the most neglected province of Pakistan.
East Bengal's civil service, economy and armed forces were dominated by West Pakistan.
The results of the First Five Year Plan and allocations made in the Second Five year Plan showed
that East Bengal was made a source of income for West Pakistan. In short, East wing of Pakistan
was virtually made a colony of West Pakistan. The economists and intellectuals of East Pakistan
proved it quantitatively that earnings by East Pakistan were spent in development activities of
West Pakistan, and central government allocations showed a regional disparity against East
Pakistan to the extent of 60%.
The economists and intellectuals visualized that the growth in disparities between East and West
Pakistan originated in the inequitable policies and allocative decisions of the central government.
The East Pakistan economists and intellectuals analyzed the Second Five Year Plan (1960-65) and
made it clear analytically that East Pakistan was destined to be poorer and poorer compared to
West Pakistan unless the economic planning was made based on two economies.
Economically, East and West Pakistan would compete and collaborate with each other in order to forge a
balanced development for both the wings. But such thought did not get any consideration from the central
government, and thus discontentment in East Pakistan was growing fast.

3. Source: Reports of the Advisory Panels for the Fourth Five Year Plan 1970-75, Vol. I, published by the
planning commission of Pakistan (quick reference: crore = 107
, or 10 million
Moreover, the Indo-Pak War of 1965 ended with the execution of Taskent Treaty. To the old
grievances of economic disparity added thecomplain of negligence and indifference of central
government towards the defence of East Pakistan. Bangabandhu SHEIKH MUJIBUR RAHMAN
was vocal on this issue.
Preparation and dessimination of the draft of 6-point movement
In so far as Bangladesh's socio-economic emancipation is concerned, the historic Six Point
programme of the Awami League launched in 1966 is undoubtedly a milestone in the annals of
our political progression. The Six Point Formula for regional autonomy was set out in a written
statement, which was to have been placed before the Lahore Conference. It was published under
the title "Six Point Formula-Our Right to Live" on March 23, 1966. Rehman Sobhan, Nurul
Islam, Khairul Kabir, and other prominent intellectuals drafted the six-point demand. It was
presented as a statement of basic principles for a firm resolution of the country's inter-wing
political and economic problems.

4. The leaders of the opposition parties of West Pakistan convened a national convention at Lahore
on 6 February 1966 with a view to ascertain the post-Taskent political trend. Bangabandhu reached
Lahore on 4 February along with the top leaders of Awami League, and the day following he
placed the Six-point charter of demand before the subject committee as the demands of the people
of East Pakistan. He created pressure to include his proposal in the agenda of the conference. The
subject committee rejected the proposal of Bangabandhu. On the day following, the newspapers
of West Pakistan published reports on the Six-point Programme, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was
projected as a separatist. Consequently Sheikh Mujib abandoned the conference.
In an impromptu press conference in Lahore on February 10, 1966, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
argued, as noted by Talukder Maniruzzaman in a seminal essay in 1967:
"The question of (provincial) autonomy appears to be more important after the war (between India
and Pakistan in September, 1965). The time has come for making East Pakistan self-sufficient in
all respects. He then enunciated a 'six-point charter of survival' program for East Pakistan
(Talukder Maniruzzaman, National Integration and Political Development in Pakistan, Asian
Survey,Vol.7,No.12,1967,pp.876-885)."
In that press conference, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had clearly said that since the proposed six-point
demand was not at all designed to harm the common people of West Pakistan, the question of
demanding a genuine "provincial autonomy" for East Pakistan based on the six-point formula
"should not be misconstrued or dismissed as provincialism."

5. Leading persons involved in 6-point movement
The Six-point Programme along with a proposal of movement for the realisation of the demands
was placed before the meeting of the working committee of Awami League on 21 February 1966,
and the proposal was carried out unanimously. A booklet on the Six-point Programme with
introduction from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Tajuddin Ahmad was published.
Another booklet titled Amader Banchar Dabi: 6-dafa Karmasuchi (Our demands for existence: 6-
points Programme) was published in the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and was distributed in
the council meeting of Awami League held on 18 March 1966.
Six Points Programme
The position of the Awami League on provincial autonomy and the constitutional structure was
embodied in the now famous Six Points. In summary the points were:
1. The Constitution should provide for a Federation of Pakistan in its true sense based on
the Lahore Resolution, and the parliamentary form of government with supremacy of a
Legislature directly elected on the basis of universal adult franchise.
2. The federal government should deal with only two subjects: Defense and Foreign Affairs,
and all other residual subjects should be vested in the federating states.
3. Two separate, but freely convertible currencies for the two wings should be introduced; or
if this is not feasible, there should be one currency for the whole country, but effective
constitutional provisions should be introduced to stop the flight of capital from East to
West Pakistan. Furthermore, a separate Banking Reserve should be established and
separate fiscal and monetary policy be adopted for East Pakistan.
4. The power of taxation and revenue collection should be vested in the federating units and
the federal center would have no such power. The federation would be entitled to a share
in the state taxes to meet its expenditures.
5. There should be two separate accounts for the foreign exchange earnings of the two wings;
the foreign exchange requirements of the federal government should be met by the two
wings equally or in a ratio to be fixed; indigenous products should move free of duty
between the two wings, and the constitution should empower the units to establish trade
links with foreign countries.
6. East Pakistan should have a separate military or paramilitary force, and Navy headquarters
should be in East Pakistan
In the first and second point, Mujib claimed that the Government shall be parliamentary in form,
at the center and in the provinces, governed by a directly elected legislature chosen on the basis of
population by universal adult franchise, the central government shall be responsible only for
defense and foreign affairs and, under certain conditions, currency, there shall be separate but
freely convertible currencies for each wing, or, should a single currency be used there shall be
means to prevent the transfer of resources from one wing to the other, fiscal policy will be vested

6. in the provinces which, in turn, will provide "requisite resources" to the central government for it
to carry out its responsibilities in the defense and foreign affairs areas, separate accounts will be
maintained for the foreign exchange earnings of each province and the provinces will provide
foreign exchange as necessary to the central government in a similar manner as internal revenues
are to be provided under point ,Each province shall be permitted to maintain a militia.
The third, fourth, and five of the Six Point Programme purely dealt with the economic issues of
East Pakistan. The third point section, Mujib analyzed this aspect on the basis that Pakistan had
two economic units, one in East and the other in West because of the distance between the two
parts…there was no mobility of labor and capital between the two wings but the flight of capital
could not be prevented due to the fact of having one currency.
The West Pakistan was the center of all important government offices. For example, the head
office of the State Bank of Pakistan which was the main body of issuing currency, the head offices
of the Central Bank (State Bank of Pakistan), the head offices of all public and private institutions
and national and foreign industrial organizations were located in West Pakistan. Consequently, the
transfer of money transactions from East to West wing was a natural thing.
All deposits of banks, all government resources, all earnings, profits and savings of trade and
industry operating in East Pakistan would move in a matter of second to West Pakistan. Ninety per
cent of the bank deposits or savings were generally invested and this investment was naturally
done in West Pakistan and this was how the capital formation in West Pakistan was so rapid. The
immediate benefit of investment i.e. employment and industrialization both were derived by West
Pakistan.
Mujib suggested that the only way to save East Pakistan from an immense kind of economic
exploitation from West Pakistan by creating a separate Reserve Bank for East Pakistan, capital
investment could be generated in that region. This reform in the currency system, he maintained,
would save East Pakistan from economic deterioration and at the same time, keep currency a
central subject as a symbol of unity and oneness of the people of Pakistan.
The fourth point, Mujib naively claimed that such an arrangement would make the federation
rather stronger and that tax-collecting was a liability not a source of power. XL Not surprisingly,
this point attracted maximum criticism from what Mujib called the 'uniteriarists’ and ‘pseudo-
federalists'.
Mujib was of the view,The central government would be constitutionally guaranteed of the
required amount they needed. The right and power concerned did not rest in the act of tax collection
but in the money so collected. The constitution would provide that 'a certain percentage of the
revenue collection on all heads shall automatically be credited to the Federal Fund by the Reserve
Banks on which amount the unit governments shall have no control. The demand was based on
past experience of the federating unites not being allocated their due share of the national
resources. This too was an unexceptionable demand not inconsistent with greater autonomy.

7. Mujib proposals regarding fifth point were there to draw attention to the following facts such as
the Eastern wing had earned a lot of the annual foreign exchange of Pakistan, East Pakistan's
earnings had been used for the industrialization of West Pakistan and the earnings from those
industries were again reinvested in that wing, East Pakistan's foreign earnings were not being used
in that wing due to the non-availability of capital formation, imports to East Pakistan was less than
as compared to her exports whereas imports to West Pakistan was more than her exports, two-
thirds of Pakistan's foreign exchange earnings were made by jute which was the main cash crop of
eastern wing, but those foreign earnings were used neither for the development of the jute growers
or planters nor for the common people of East Pakistan and almost all the foreign aids and loans
were taken against foreign exchange earned by Eastern wing; but they were used in Western wing.
Moreover, the irony was that installments and interest on these loans were being paid by East
Pakistan.
In the last point, Mujib wanted to ensure the safety of the people of East Pakistan. For that he
claimed East Pakistan should have a separate military or paramilitary force, and Navy headquarters
should be in East Pakistan.
Political parties and 6 point movement:
The six-point movement was the turning point in our quest for independence. The movement`s
main agenda was to realize the six demands put forward by a coalition of Bengali nationalist
political parties in 1966, to end the perceived exploitation of East Pakistan by the West Pakistani
rulers. On June 7 in 1966 the Awami League called a countrywide hartal in the then East Pakistan
to press home the six-point demands. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with many others was
arrested. Since then 7th
June is observed as the historic six-point day. “Notwithstanding the
deliberate distortions of our political history over a period of almost thirty years, the fact remains
that the six-point movement is a milestone in the history of our struggle for independence. East
Pakistanis were left to their fate, without military defence and security, while the Pakistani rulers
kept themselves busy in defending the West Pakistani frontiers. In this backdrop, soon after the
end of the War, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman raised the historic 6-point demand, a charter for the
economic emancipation from the exploitative Pakistani colonial state-system.”
Other Contemporary Political Parties and Six Point Programme not only the government but
almost all the major political parties of West Pakistan and East Pakistan criticized the Six Point
Formula. It created a storm of controversies and political arguments. It was called by opposition
parties to protest against the Tashkent Declaration. According to an analyst, “this programme of
Mujib was a covert scheme of separation. One noticeable aspect of this programme was that what
was given by one hand in centre was taken aback by the other one”.
The Council Muslim League called the programme ‘nothing but the programme for the separation
of East Pakistan. It was a demand for confederation and no federation? To them the Six Points
were unacceptable as a basis for the future constitution of Pakistan. Jamat-i-Islami called the
programme to have aimed at ‘disintegrating Pakistan into pieces and making it an easy prey to

8. Indian aggression, posing a direct threat to the existence of Pakistan. The programme was a
separatist design. The Nizam-i-Islam rejected the programme and blamed Mujib for his unilateral
and dictatorial move. The National Awami Party (NAP) ignored the Six Point Programme on the
ground that it did not provide any economic solution for the starving masses and it did not include
any measure to free East Pakistan from the imperialist agents.
Reaction/Response of West Pakistan on Six-Point Movement
The leaders of the opposition parties of West Pakistan convened a national convention at Lahore
on 6 February 1966 with a view to ascertaining the post-Tashkent political trend. Bangabandhu
reached Lahore on 4 February along with the top leaders of Awami League, and the day following,
he placed the Six-point charter of demand before the subject committee as the demands of the
people of East Pakistan. He created pressure to include his proposal in the agenda of the
conference.
 The subject committee rejected the proposal of Bangabandhu.It was rejected by the
President of All Pakistan Awami League Nawabzada Nasarullah Khan. It was also rejected
by National Awami Party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Nezam-e-Islam.
 Maulana Bhasani of NAP described it as a ploy of the Western Imperialist and questioned
its economic viability.
On the day following, the newspapers of West Pakistan published reports on the Six-point
Programme and Instead of endorsing or discussing the six-point formula, the self-declared
champions of restoration of democracy in the then Pakistan had deliberately launched a vile
propaganda campaign against Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the chief sponsor and proponent of the
six-point plan. Doubtless, the motivated propaganda was essentially characterized by blatant
falsehoods, conjectures, distortions, and innuendoes. In fact, the six-point proposal received a

9. frontal attack even from the veteran Pakistani political stalwarts of most of the political parties at
a time when they were clamoring for establishing pure democracy in Pakistan
The leaders of West Pakistan looked at the Six-Point Program as a plan to dismember Pakistan,
and they outright rejected the demands. The Ayub government projected Sheikh Mujib as a
separatist and later initiated the Agartala conspiracy case against him and 34 others in June 1968.
The trial was conducted before a special tribunal set up by the Ayub regime in Dhaka cantonment.
The case led to widespread agitation in East Pakistan, culminating in a Mass Upsurge in early
1969. Under public pressure, the government was forced to release Sheikh Mujib unconditionally
on February 22, 1969.
Historical significance of six point movements
The six-point demand marks a unique and an important change of course in the annals of our
history and thus is a milestone event in Bangladesh. It was a movement in the-then East Pakistan,
spearheaded by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, which called for greater autonomy for
East Pakistan. The movement's main agenda was to realise the six demands put forward by a
coalition of Bengali nationalist political parties in 1966, to end the exploitation of East Pakistan
by the West Pakistani rulers. It is considered a turning-point on the road to Bangladesh's
independence.
Following the partition of India, the new state of Pakistan came into being. The inhabitants of East
Pakistan (later Bangladesh) made up the majority of its population, and exports from East Pakistan
(such as, jute etc.) were a majority of Pakistan's export income. However, East Pakistanis did not
have a proportional share of political power and economic benefits within Pakistan.
East Pakistan was facing a critical situation after being subjected to continuous discrimination on
a regional basis, year after year. As a result, the economists, intelligentsia, and the politicians of
East Pakistan started to raise questions about this discrimination, giving rise to the historic six-
point movement. The Six-Point Program is called as – “The charter of freedom to the Bengali
Nation”
There is no doubt that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would have remained a top Awami League leader
even in the absence of a bold provincial autonomy plan in the form of the six-point formula. Had
there been no six-point movement in 1966, there is every doubt that the Agartala Conspiracy case
would have been hatched against Sheikh Mujib at that particular time. Had there been no Agartala
Conspiracy case, the student-mass movement of 1969 may not have taken place the day has great
political significance. It was, once again on this day, that blood flowed out of the veins of our
people as they demanded their self-rule through the famous Charter of Six-point Demands of
Bangabandhu which ultimately became the Magna Carta of all movements that emanated from the

10. soil of Bangladesh. So, the importance and significance of this historic day can hardly be over-
emphasised..
Economic Significance of Six-Point Movement
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman not only emancipated the Bengali from political
exploitation but also emancipated from economic exploitation by Pakistani Junta.Bengali
economists Professor Nurul Islam in the Planning Commission at that time echoed the term of
Pakistani rule as discrimination1 on which Bangabandhu had drawn attention.
Centering the movement on removing discrimination, Bangabandhu had prepared six-point
proposals that ensured a protecting shield from economic and political exploitation addressing
the end of Master-Slave Rule by Pakistan. Development of the Eastern Province of Pakistan was
the least thing in their mind. As a reaction to economic exploitation, business oligarchy,
deprivation and discrimination, Bangabandhu started a long political movement aimed at the
independence of Bengal.
Hence, the significance of six points in political and economic freedom of Bangladesh is beyond
the description. Analyzing the six-point spearheaded by Bangabandhu, we become assured that
the movement was an integrated approach of national freedom and contributed to preparing the
backbone of present consistent economic growth. Since 1966, to the general election of December
1970, the political movement in East Pakistan becomes dependent on the Six-Point program2. It
becomes so popular in a short while and turned into a charter of Freedom for Bangali. Given the
fact, Bangabandhu was arrested under the Defense Rules on May 8, 1966, and the Agartala
Conspiracy case was filled. After that, the strong mass people upsurge burst forth throughout
Bangladesh in protest against the arrest of Bangabandhu.
Finally, the case was withdrawn and Bangabandhu was invited to a roundtable discussion at the
capital of Pakistan. And the discussion became unable to reach an integrated decision due to
the stubborn approach of Pakistani Junta and not accepting the six-point program. In the first
article of six points, Bangabandhu urged for a federal system of government based on Lahore
Resolution and drew attention for Parliamentary form of government. In the second article, he
pointed out that the federal government should deal with only defense and foreign affairs, and all
other economic and residual issues should be vested in federating states. With this article, he
tried to take over all the administrative power of East Pakistan by the Bengali.
The most significant article number three put emphasis on economic emancipation and proposed
to end the capital flight from East Pakistan to West Pakistan. Hence, he stressed for freely
convertible currencies for two wings or constitutional provisions for prohibiting capital flight.
Furthermore, he also proposed to introduce a separate Banking reserve for East Pakistan and to
adopt a separate fiscal and monetary policy for East Pakistan so that the demand for economic
development and industrialization could address. He stressed that every province has its right to
become self-dependent and pointed out the necessity for ensuring credit disbursement and

11. development support for enhancing industrialization of East Pakistan. Article number three has
differentiated the six articles from the Lahore Resolution spearheaded by Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq
as in the six-point, industrialization and securing export earnings from domestic sources get
emphasis.
The 6 points included economic, political, martial and other rights of the people of East Pakistan.
The Ayub regime termed it as a separatist movement. The demands reflected the national spirit of
the Bengalis. Although the demand of independence was not spelled out in it, the charter inspired
the Bengalis in the spirit of independence, and in the end, it became the national charter for
liberation. For his 6-points programme the Pakistani regime blamed Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as a
Secessionist and enemy of Pakistan.
EVALUATION OF SIX POINTS MOVEMENT
Earlier we know that Six Point Movement was formed through different phases of history. The
first Grand Convention of the Democratic Federation was held at Dhaka in November, 1950. They
gave constitutional proposals against the first report of the BPC and it was suggested by the
Convention on the subject of taxation that centre only could impose taxes under some specified
heads with the consent of the province. In the famous 21-Point Programme of East Pakistanis in
1954 a full provincial autonomy on the basis of the Lahore Resolution was demanded by giving
center only defense and foreign affairs. Sheikh Mujib tried to trace analogy between the Lahore
Resolution and Six Point Programme by placing it in March, 1966. He was in Lahore at the time
and place where famous Lahore Resolution took place, presented by Sher-e-Bangla Fazlul Haq In
this meeting various political parties were present, he placed and distributed the few hundred
copies of the booklets of Six-Point Programme which he carried with him from E Pakistan with
an explanatory note in reply to the criticism.
The main source of the inspiration of the Six-Point Movement lies on the concept of Pakistan that
it would consist of 'independent Muslim States'. The Awami League was basically a provided its
main support in the country. They were small industrialists, surplus farmers, traders and the lower
stage of the civil service in East Pakistan. These small traders and industrialists suffered from
comparative disadvantage in competition with their more established counterparts in Pakistan.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was vividly examining the situation. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman decided to
capture the public support in the existing vacuum by raising the popular demand for autonomy in
more radical and concrete terms, considering the weakening position of the National Awami Party
(NAP). The Awami League Council meeting at Dhaka in February, 1966 proved to be a famous
platform where Six Point Formula for autonomy of East Pakistan was adopted. The Six Point
Movement was primarily financed by the wealthy owner of the Pioneer Press, the rising Bengali
business community and the Dacca helped printing the booklet free of cost. The Six Points
Programme was welcomed whole heartedly and gained huge support for a variety of reasons. The
reasons are:

12. ★The first reason was this challenged the political and economic monopoly of West Pakistan.
★Secondly, for the growth of the industrialization of West Pakistan, the export of East Pakistan
earnings would no longer be exploited and manipulated.
★ Thirdly, foreign aid would no longer be monopolized for West Pakistan only.
★ Fourthly, for West Pakistani products, the East Pakistan would no longer remain an inferior and
sub-ordinate market.
★ Fifthly, the end of Economic priorities determined for the advantage of West Pakistan only.
In Six-Point Movement, the emerging industrialists and businessmen found relaxation of intense
competition and short cut route to prosperity. The labor and peasants found hope of in-coming
change for the better. This movement itself helped inspiring and consolidating the nationalist
forces and it became the vehicle of Bengali nationalist movement. The Six- Point Movement
appeared to be a more solid and straight forward scheme compared to any other political
programme ever offered to the country by a political party and seemed to be a well-thought out
concrete manifestation of the historical urge of the Bengalis.
CONCLUSION
The six point movement was a movement in East Pakistan, spearheaded by Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman, which called for greater autonomy for East Pakistan. Sheikh Mujib’s proposal by the
provinces for substantial control of the economy gave birth to an irrational fear in West Pakistanis.
That they thought it would lead to the dismemberment of Pakistan by encouraging sectarian tribal
and linguistic groups in the west. In reality, Six Point Movement were long standing demands of
the East Pakistanis who were waiting for these fulfilments for decades, reflected some genuine
East Bengali grievances. The Six Point Programme aimed towards a confederation rather than a
federation. It was too much for the central government to accommodate the demand of full control
on rising taxes and expenditure along with the freely convertible currencies and the power to enter
into foreign trade relationships, keeping foreign exchange earning separate and the central
government of Pakistan were opposed to provide these demand of the Six Points Programme.

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