Amena Begum, a former MP of East Pakistan, was a prominent figure in the independence movement of Bangladesh. She was instrumental in campaigning all over East Pakistan for the Six Point programme of regional autonomy drafted by the Awami League, and on June 7, 1966 organised the general strike along with Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury. This strike was observed throughout the then East Pakistan and was the first major indication that an independent Bangladesh was imminent.