Karachi, September 5. While the secret trial of the Awami League leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is reported to be in progress, in the last week President Yahya Khan has taken two measures which official spokesman describe as steps towards restoring full democracy and normality in East Pakistan.

Mr. Bhutto, chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, disagrees with this description. He has called the President’s first measure - the appointment of the mild-mannered Dr. A. R. Malik as Governor of East Pakistan - eyewash. He said this was not a move towards restoration of democracy and he asked: “With due respect to Dr. Malik, whom does he represent?” Mr. Bhutto has not yet commented on the President’s decision to grant a general amnesty “to all those who have committed or are alleged to have committed offences during the East Pakistan disturbances.”

The amnesty extends to everyone who belonged to the armed forces, the East Pakistan Rifles, the police and the paramilitary organizations. The official communique published this morning said: “Criminal proceedings have been initiated against certain MNAs and MPs (members of the National and Provincial Assemblies) of East Pakistan and a certain other limited number of individuals. They are also being afforded sufficient opportunity to clear themselves of the charges before the courts are set up” for this purpose. Since this part of the communique appears to be vaguely worded, the Rawalpindi correspondent of “Dawn” commented: “The communique, however, did not mention specifically if this general amnesty order will also apply to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. No official explanation on this point was available either.”

The amnesty order does not even mention the Sheikh’s name. But the fact that the President does want normality to return to East Pakistan is indicated strongly by the release from prison of Ataur Rahman Khan, president of the Pakistan National League and a former Chief Minister of East Pakistan, and that of Malik Ghulam Jilani, a politician from the Punjab. Ataur Rahman, a former Awami League was a bitter enemy of Sheikh Mujib as was Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, leader of National Awami Party. About a year ago, Ataur Rahman wrote a series of articles in the “Pakistan Observer” of Dacca demanding confederation between East and West Pakistan and suggesting three constituencies - one for East Pakistan, one for West Pakistan and one for the centre.

In early March, Ataur Rahman and Bhasani, whose whereabouts are not yet known, addressed a joint meeting in Dacca demanding the independence of East Pakistan. About six weeks ago, Professor Ghulam Azam, head of the East Pakistan Jamaate Islami and another bitter opponent of the Sheikh complained that while Sheikh Mujib, who had never “openly cried” for the independence of East Pakistan, was declared a traitor and was imprisoned, no such action was taken against Ataur Rahman who had publicly preached secession. Professor Azam’s statements at his news conferences in Lahore and Karachi were followed by an official announcement that Ataur Rahman had been arrested. Now he has been freed. Malik Ghulam Jilani had been critical of the Government’s East Pakistan policies. On May 5 he was detained in his house but on August 9 he was allowed free movement within the limits of the city of Lahore. He, too, has now been freed.

There is a danger of reading too much into these developments and perhaps this is what led “Dawn” to wonder whether Sheikh Mujib was covered by the general amnesty. While President Yahya’s anxiety to end the East Pakistan nightmare is understandable, it is too early yet to assess the efficacy of last week’s measures. It is clear that India will continue to be a crucial factor in the East Pakistan crisis. Islamabad has lodged yet another strong protest to India for harbouring the Bangladesh elements and giving them moral and material support with intent to subvert Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty.

The Indian Foreign Office has not replied to this protest but the Defence Minister, Mr. Jagjivan Rao, was quoted today by All India Radio as saying that “the [East Pakistan] refugees will go back to the Bangladesh of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and not to the province held by Pakistani forces.” The Indians have made no secret of their complete support for Sheikh Mujib’s rebellious Awami League and All India Radio and the Indian press have been giving play to stories of sabotage in East Pakistan by guerrillas operating from India.

Dr. Malik has been sworn in as Governor of East Pakistan but he has yet to choose his team of Ministers. Whether Mr. Bhutto likes it or not, most of Dr. Malik’s Ministers will be from among those politicians who either did not take part in the elections or were defeated. Mr. Bhutto has suggested that instead of choosing people who do not represent the people, the Government should “bring into play” the 20 or 25 “available” former Awami Leaguers who were elected from East Pakistan. One wonders whether it would be advisable to associate these Awami Leaguers - the rest presumed to be in India, “underground”, or dead - with the Government at this stage. The President has amended the legal framework order under which the general elections were held to provide for by-elections within four months.

According to his June 23 plan, the by-elections should have been held by the last week of October but this appears to be difficult. In the meantime, Pakistan’s third constitution is being drafted by a committee of experts appointed by the President. The constitution was to have been framed by the National Assembly but with the East Pakistan crisis, the President took aWay the National Assembly’s right to draft a constitution. Mr. Bhutto is willing to accept a constitution written by official experts but Air-Marshall Asghar Khan, a former commander of the Pakistan Air Force, has demanded that the right to frame a constitution must be restored to the National Assembly.

The Government is faced with two enormous tasks. One is to meet the challenge from the Indian-backed armed guerrillas which is likely to become more formidable in the coming months, and the other is to launch a programme of pacification through Dr. Malik’s civil Government in East Pakistan.