Six-point day recalls struggle for autonomy

The country on Sunday observed the historic Six-Point Day, marking the 60th anniversary of the landmark movement that laid the foundation for the Bengali nation's struggle for autonomy and eventual independence.

The day commemorates June 7, 1966, when a nationwide hartal was observed in support of the Six-Point programme. During the protests, 11 people, including Monu Miah, Shafique and Shamsul Haque, were killed in police firing in Dhaka, Tongi and Narayanganj.

Following the creation of Pakistan in 1947, the people of East Pakistan faced persistent political, economic and administrative discrimination despite constituting the majority of the country's population. In response to these inequalities, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman announced the historic Six-Point Programme, demanding greater autonomy for East Pakistan and mobilising the Bengali people against the discriminatory policies of the Pakistani regime.

As the movement gained momentum, the Pakistani authorities arrested Bangabandhu and implicated him in the Agartala Conspiracy Case in an attempt to suppress the growing demand for self-rule. However, the movement intensified and culminated in the 1969 Mass Uprising, leading to his release and further strengthening the autonomy movement.

The Six-Point programme later evolved into the demand for full independence, which ultimately led to Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971 and the emergence of an independent Bangladesh.

Historians regard the Language Movement, the Six-Point Movement, the Mass Uprising of 1969 and the Liberation War as interconnected milestones in the Bengali nation's long struggle for freedom and self-determination.

TZ