On the fifth day of the countrywide continuous hartal on 5 March in 1971, four labourers died and 25 other were injured as law enforcers opened fire on an anti-Yahya procession in Tongi. People across the country burst out in anger upon receiving the news.
In Rawalpindi, People’s Party chairman ZA Bhutto talked to president Yahya in the Presidential palace for more than 5 hours.
Retired Air Marshall Asghar Khan reached Dhaka in the evening from Karachi and held a meeting with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the latter’s Dhanmondi Residence.
That night Sheikh Mujibur Rahman completely rejected the news broadcasted by several foreign radio station that he was willing to share and separate the country with Bhutto saying that the news was completely false and fabricated by Mr Bhutto.
After the meeting between ZA Bhutto and president Yahya in Rawalpindi, the spokesperson for Peoples Party said that the reaction and response of Awami league to the suspension of the National Committee meeting had no validity.