In 1969, following the mass uprising that forced the resignation of president Ayub Khan, general Yahya Khan assumed office on March 25. He immediately moved to consolidate his power by dissolving the national and provincial assemblies, effectively scrapping the constitution, and declaring martial law across Pakistan.
Indomitable 23 March 1971: A mighty slap to Pakistani regime in Bangladesh – Sri Lanka Guardian slguardian.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from slguardian.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Flag Hoisting: A Bold Step towards Independence
Anwar A. Khan
2nd March, 2021 11:35:14
In March 1971, the vision of independent national sovereignty became politically dominant, for the first time. Its organizational strength and mass appeal remained outside the halls of constitutionalism, where its origins lay and where student organizations had nurtured its evolution; but now it began to acquire influential Bengali adherents in government circles.
On 2 March, spontaneous hartals occurred all over East Pakistan. People came from all over Dhaka and suburbs to the Bat-tala at Dhaka University, where crowds sang of national independence, SBKCSP (Bangla Kendriya Chhatra Sangram Parishad) leaders solemnly declared independence, and A S M Abdur Rob, a Student League leader and vice president of the Dhaka University Central Student Union, hoisted the flag of Bangladesh to the tumultuous applause and cries of “Joy Bangla”.