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A. A. K. Niazi

Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi HJ & Bar SPk SK MC (1915 – 1 February 2004) was a Pakistani military officer. During the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, he commanded the Pakistani Eastern Command in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), he signed the instrument of surrender as in 16 Dec. '71 his forces had to surrender to the Indian Army's Eastern Command's commander Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora by the order of the then President of Pakistan Yahya Khan.[1]

Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi
امیر عبداللہ خان نیازی
Niazi's official military portrait as Lieutenant General (1971)
Governor of East Pakistan
In office
14 December 1971 – 16 December 1971
PresidentYahya Khan
Prime MinisterNurul Amin
Preceded byAbdul Motaleb Malik
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as President of Bangladesh
Commander, Army Eastern Command
In office
4 April 1971 – 16 December 1971
Preceded byLt. Gen. Tikka Khan
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born1915
Mianwali, Punjab Province, British India (now Pakistan)
Died1 February 2004 (aged 88–89)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Resting placeMilitary Cemetery, Lahore[citation needed]
NationalityPakistani
Alma materOfficers' Training School, Bangalore
Command and Staff College, Quetta
Signature
Military service
Allegiance British India
 Pakistan
Branch/service British Indian Army
 Pakistan Army
Years of service1942–1975
RankLieutenant-General
(S/No. PA-477)
Unit 4th Battalion, 7th Rajput Regiment
CommandsGOC, 10th Infantry Division
GOC, 8th Infantry Division
14th Para Brigade[citation needed]
Battles/wars
Awards Hilal-e-Jurat & Bar[a]
Sitara-e-Pakistan
Sitara-e-Kidmat
Military Cross

Niazi's area of responsibility comprised the defense of East Pakistan from India during the war in 1971, and authors and critics within the Pakistani military held him morally responsible for his decision to unilaterally surrender the Pakistani Eastern Command, which resulted in the war's end in a decisive Indian victory as well as the independence of Bangladesh.[2][self-published source?][3]

After being taken and held as a prisoner of war by the Indian military, he was repatriated to Pakistan on 30 April 1975 as part of the Delhi Agreement. He was dishonourably discharged from his military service at the War Enquiry Commission led by Hamoodur Rahman.[4] The Commission leveled accusations against him for human rights violations in East Pakistan and the supervision of smuggling efforts during the Bangladesh Liberation War; he was held responsible for Pakistan's military failure during the course of the conflict.[5][6][7] Niazi, however, rejected these allegations and sought a military court-martial while insisting that he had acted according to the orders of the Pakistan Army GHQ in Rawalpindi; the court-martial was never granted.[6]

After the war, he remained active in Pakistani politics and supported an ultra-conservative agenda under the Pakistan National Alliance against the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the 1970s.[1] In 1998, he authored the book The Betrayal of East Pakistan.

Niazi died in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, on 1 February 2004.[8]

Biography

Early life and British Indian Army career

Khan was born in Mianwali, British India, in 1915, into a mixed Punjabi and Pathan family of the Niazi tribe. His village, Balo Khel, is located on the eastern bank of the Indus River.[2][9][10] After matriculating from a local high-school in Mianwali, he joined the British Indian Army as a "Y cadet" in 1941 as he was selected for an emergency commission in the army, before it he was an ordinary soldier.[2]

He received training in Officers Training School, Bangalore and Fatehgarh's Rajput Regiment's training centre; he was commissioned as an Emergency Commissioned Officer (ECO) in the rank of second lieutenant during the World War II on 8 March 1942 (following a 6 months training) into the 4/7 Rajput Regiment (4th Battalion of the 7th Rajput Regiment) which was then a part of the 161st Indian Infantry Brigade led by Brigadier D.F.W. Warren.[2][11]

World War II and Burma campaigns

On 11 June 1942, Lt. Niazi was stationed in the Kekrim Hills located in regions of Assam-Manipur to participate in the Burma front.[9] That spring, he was part of the 14th Army of the British Indian Army commanded by General William Slim.[9]

During this period, the 14th Army had halted the offense against the Imperial Japanese Army at the Battle of Imphal and elsewhere in bitterly fought battles along the Burma front.[9] His valor of actions were commendable and General Slim described his gallantry in a lengthy report to General Headquarters, India, about his judgment of the best course of action.[9] They agreed on Niazi's skill in completely surprising the enemy, his leadership, coolness under fire, and his ability to change tactics, create diversions, extricate his wounded men.[9] At the Burma front in 1944, Lt. Niazi impressed his superior officers when he commanded a platoon that initiated an offence against the Imperial Japanese Army at the Bauthi-Daung tunnels.[9]

Lt. Niazi's gallantry had impressed his British commanders in the GHQ India and they wanted to award him the Distinguished Service Order, but his rank was not high enough for such a decoration.[9] During the campaign, Brigadier D.F.W. Warren, commander of the 161st Indian Infantry Brigade of the British Army, gave Niazi the soubriquet "Tiger" for his part in a ferocious fight with the Japanese.[9] After the conflict, the British Government decorated Lt. Niazi with the Military Cross for leadership, judgement, quick thinking and calmness under pressure in action along the border with Burma.[12][9][2]

After the end of World War II, in 1945, from an Emergency Commissioned Officer, Niazi was granted a regular commission of the British Indian Army, and he got his service number as IC0-906 (Indian Commissioned Officer-906);[2] he was promoted to captain and sent to attend the Command and Staff College in Quetta which he graduated with a staff course degree under then-Lt. Col. Yahya Khan.[2]

Pakistan Army: from major to lieutenant general

 
Pakistani soldiers during the Battle of Chawinda. Brigadier A.A.K. Niazi, (3rd from right) observing a map

In 1947 the United Kingdom, through the Indian Independence Act 1947, announced their intention of partitioning British India amid the failure of the 1946 Cabinet Mission to India. After the creation of Pakistan in August 1947, Major Niazi decided to opt for Pakistani citizenship and joined the newly established Pakistan Army where his S/No was redesigned as PA–477 by the Ministry of Defence of Pakistan and he joined the Punjab Regiment.[2] He continued serving at the Command and Staff College in Quetta and briefly completed his tenure as an instructor.[13]

His career in the army progressed well. In the rank of Lt. Col. he served as commanding officer of two battalions in West Pakistan and one in East Pakistan.[14] In 1961, he was promoted as Brigadier and offered discussion on infiltration tactics at the Command and Staff College.[11] Subsequently, he published an article on infiltration and promoted talks on military-supported local rebellion against the enemy.[11] He served as the commander of 51st Infantry Brigade in Karachi and was decorated with the Sitara-i-Khidmat (lit. Service Star) for his contributions and service with the army. His leadership credentials had led him to be appointed martial law administrator of both Karachi and Lahore to maintain control of law in the cities of West Pakistan during this time.[15] Shortly after, he was appointed as the commandant of School of Infantry and Tactics in Quetta.

Brigadier Niazi went on to participate in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the second war with India.[16] He was appointed as the commander of 14th Paratroopers Brigade under 7th Infantry Division (then commanded by Maj. Gen. Yahya Khan), which later became part of the 12th Infantry Division under Maj. Gen. Akhtar Hussain Malik; Niazi commanded the 1st Infantry Brigade in Azad Kashmir for a brief period but later was reappointed as the commander of 14th Para Brigade in Zafarwal sector, he gained public notability when he participated in the famous Battle of Chawinda tank battle against the Indian Army which halted the Indians troops rotation.[17] His role in a tank battle led him to be decorated with the Hilal-e-Jurat by the President of Pakistan.[17] After the war he was again took command of the School of Infantry and Tactics.

On 18 October 1966, he was promoted as Major-General and made General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 8th Infantry Division, stationed in Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan.[18] On 22 June 1969, Major-General Niazi was made GOC of 10th Infantry Division, stationed in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. On 2 April 1971, he was promoted to Lieutenant General, and he was to take command of the Eastern Command in East Pakistan.

East Pakistan

Eastern Command in 1971 war

 
Niazi's strategy of defending the India-East Pakistan border by deploying the troops at the border.

Lieutenant-General Niazi volunteered for transfer to East Pakistan when Lieutenant-General Bahadur Sher declined the post.[1] There were two other generals who had also refused postings in the East. However, Niazi said "yes" without necessarily realizing the risks involved and how to counter them.[1]

After General Tikka Khan had initiated the Operation Searchlight military crackdown in March 1971, many officers had declined to be stationed in the East and Niazi arrived in Dhaka on 4 April 1971 to assume the Eastern Command from Tikka Khan.[19] Furthermore, the mass killing of Bengali intellectuals in 1971 at the University of Dhaka had made the East Pakistani people hostile towards the Pakistani military, which made it hard for Niazi to overcome the situation.[20] On 10/11 April 1971, he headed a meeting of his senior commanders to assess the situation but, according to eyewitnesses, he used abusive language aimed at the Bengali rebels.[19] From May through August 1971, the Indian Army trained Mukti Bahini led Operation Jackpot, a series of counter guerrilla campaigns against the Eastern Command, and Niazi began taking countermeasures against the Bengali rebellion.[21] By June 1971, he sent reports on the rebellion and noted that 30,000 insurgents were hurriedly trained by India at the India-East Pakistan border.[21] In August 1971, Niazi formulated a plan to defend the borders from the advancing Indian Army based on a "fortress concept" which mean converting the border towns and villages into a stronghold.[22]

By September 1971, he was appointed the martial law administrator in order to provide his support to Governor Abdul Motaleb Malik who appointed a civilian cabinet.[23] On the issue of the 1971 East Pakistan genocide, Niazi had reportedly told his public relations officer and press secretary, Major Siddique Salik, that "we will have to account every single rape and killing when back in (West) Pakistan. God never spares the Tyrant."[24][25]

The Government of East Pakistan appointed Niazi as commander of the Eastern Command, and Major-General Rao Farman Ali as their military adviser for the East Pakistan Rifles and Pakistan Marines.[23] In October 1971, he created and deployed two ad hoc divisions to strengthen the defence of the East from further infiltration.[22]

In November 1971, General Abdul Hamid Khan, the Chief of Staff of the army, warned him of an imminent Indian attack on the East and advised him to redeploy the Eastern Command on a tactical and political base ground but this was not implemented due to shortage of time.[26] In a public message, Niazi was praised by Abdul Hamid Khan saying: "The whole nation is proud of you and you have their full support".[27]

No further orders or clarification was issued in regards to the orders as Niazi had been caught unawares when the Indian Army planned to launch a full assault on East Pakistan.[26] On 3 December 1971, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) launched Operation Chengiz Khan, the pre-emptive PAF air-strikes on Indian Air Force bases that officially led to start of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the third war with India.[26] According to Krishna Chandra Sagar, Niazi was surprisingly not aware of the attack and had no prior knowledge of the attack.[26]

Credibility of this claim is given by Niazi's press secretary and public relations officer, then-Major Siddique Salik, who wrote in Witness to Surrender, that Niazi's chief of staff Brigadier Baqir Siddiqi reportedly scolded him of not notifying Niazi and his staff of an aerial attack on India.[28]

Surrendering of Eastern Command

 
Lieutenant-General Niazi signing the Instrument of Surrender under the gaze of Indian Army's Eastern Command's commander Lt. Gen. J.S. Aurora (sitting beside Niazi), on 16 December 1971 in Dhaka.

When Indian Army soldiers crossed the borders and charged towards Dhaka, General Niazi panicked when he came to realise the real nature of the Indian strategy and became frantically nervous when the Indian Army successfully penetrated the defence of the East.[26] Niazi's military staff further regretted not heeding the intelligence warnings issued 20 years earlier in the 1952 Cable 1971 report compiled by Major K. M. Arif, the military intelligence official on Niazi's staff.[29]

According to the testimonies provided by Major-General Farman Ali in the War Enquiry Commission, Niazi's morale collapsed as early as 7 December and he cried frantically over the progress report presented to Governor Abdul Motaleb.[30] Niazi ultimately blamed Lieutenant-General Tikka Khan for the army's oppressive strategy.[31] Major accusations were also directed toward Lieutenant-General Yakob Ali Khan, Admiral S. M. Ahsan and Major-General Ali for aggravating the crisis, but Niazi had to bear most responsibility for all that happened in the East.[citation needed]

The Pakistani military combat units found themselves involved in a guerrilla war with the Mukti Bahini under Atul Osmani, and were unprepared and untrained for such warfare.[32]

On 6 December, the Indian government extended diplomatic recognition to Bangladesh.[33] This eventually led Governor Abdul Motaleb to resign from his post and he took refuge with his entire cabinet at the Red Cross shelter at the Inter-Continental Dacca on 14 December.[14]

Niazi eventually took control of the civilian government and received a telegram on 16 December 1971 from President Yahya Khan: "You have fought a heroic battle against overwhelming odds. The nation is proud of you ... You have now reached a stage where further resistance is no longer humanly possible nor will it serve any useful purpose ... You should now take all necessary measures to stop the fighting and preserve the lives of armed forces personnel, all those from West Pakistan and all loyal elements".[2]

During this time, the Special Branch of the East Pakistan Police notified Niazi of the joint Indo-Bengali siege of Dhaka as the Eastern Command led by Lieutenant-General Jagjit Singh Aurora began encircling Dhaka.[34] Niazi then appealed for a conditional ceasefire to Lieutenant-General Jagjit Singh Aurora which called for transferring power to the elected government, but without the surrender of the Eastern Command led by Niazi.[34] This offer was rejected by Indian Army's Chief of Army Staff General Sam Manekshaw and he set a deadline for surrender, President Yahya Khan considered it as "illegitimate.[34] Niazi then once again appealed for a cease-fire, but Manekshaw set a deadline for surrender, failing which Dhaka would come under siege.

Subsequently, the Indian Army began encircling Dhaka and Lieutenant-General Jagjit Singh Aurora sent a message through Major-General Rafael Jacob that issued an ultimatum to surrender in a "30-minutes" time window on 16 December 1971.[35] Niazi agreed to surrender and sent a message to Manekshaw despite many army officers declined to obey, although they were legally bound.[36] The Indian Army commanders, Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, Lieutenant General J.S. Aurora, and Major-General Rafael Farj Jacob arrived at Dhaka via helicopter with the surrender documents.[35]

The surrender took place at Ramna Race Course, in Dhaka at local time 16:31 on 16 December 1971. Niazi signed the Instrument of Surrender and handed over his personal weapon to J. S. Aurora in the presence of Indian and Bangladesh force commanders. With Niazi, nearly 90,000 personnel of the Eastern Command surrendered to the joint Indian and Bangladesh Army.[citation needed]

Niazi's Revolver

Niazi's personal weapon was gifted by J. S. Aurora to the Indian Military Academy for its golden jubilee celebration and preserved at National Museum in New Delhi.[37] The revolver was reportedly stolen from the National Museum in 2003.[38] Although it would come to light that the firearm stolen was not the real "pistol" handed over by Eastern Wing Commander A.A.K. Niazi, the real .38 Bore Revolver is currently in the safekeeping of the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun.[39]

War prisoner, repatriation, and politics

Niazi, who was repatriated to Pakistan, was handed over to Lieutenant-General Abdul Hameed, then corps commander of the IV Corps, by Indian Army from the Wagha checkpoint in Lahore District, Punjab, in April 1974, in a symbolic gesture of the last war prisoner held by India.[4] Upon arriving in Lahore, he refrained from speaking to news media correspondents, and was taken under the custody of the Pakistan Army's Military Police (MP) who shifted him via helicopter to Lahore Cantonment where he was detained despite his strong protests.[2] He was dismissed from his military commission and his war honours were withdrawn.[40]

Subsequently, he was placed in solitary confinement for sometime, though he was later released.[41] Being the last to return supported his reputation as a "soldier's general", but did not shield him from the scorn he faced in Pakistan, where he was blamed for the surrender. Bhutto discharged Niazi after stripping him of his military rank, the pension usually accorded to retired soldiers, and his military decorations.[citation needed] He was dismissed from the service in July 1975.[23]

He was also denied his military pension and medical benefits, though he lodged a strong complaint against the revoking of his pension.[40] In the 1980s, the Ministry of Defence quietly changed the status of "dismissal" to "retirement" but did not restore his rank.[42] The change of order allowed Niazi to seek a pension and the medical assistance benefits enjoyed by retired military personnel.[42]

Niazi remained active in national politics in the 1970s. He was a leader of the Pakistan National Alliance[43] and supported their Islamist Nizam-e-Mustafa movement against the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party.[1] In April 1977, on the grounds that he had made objectionable speeches, he was arrested hours before Bhutto imposed martial law in the major cities of Karachi, Lahore and Hyderabad.[43]

War Enquiry Commission

In 1982, Niazi was summoned and confessed to the War Enquiry Commission led by Chief Justice Hamoodur Rahman and the Supreme Court of Pakistan on the events involving the secession of East Pakistan in April 1975.[44] The War Commission leveled accusations against him of several kinds of ethical misconduct during his tenure in East Pakistan. It confirmed that the General was indulging in paan smuggling from East to West Pakistan.[45][46]

The Commission indicted him for corruption and moral turpitude while noting his bullying of junior officers who opposed his orders.[47] Niazi tried placing the blame on the Yahya administration, his military adviser Maj. Gen. Farman Ali, Admiral S.M. Ahsan, Lieutenant-General Yakob Ali, and the military establishment. The Commission partially accepted his claims by critically noting that General Niazi was the Supreme Commander of the Eastern Command, and that he was responsible for everything that happened in the East.[citation needed] Though he showed no regrets, Niazi refused to accept responsibility for the Breakup of East Pakistan and squarely blamed President Yahya.[48] The Commission endorsed his claims that Yahya was to blame, but noted that Niazi was the Commander who lost the East.[48]

The Commission recommended a court-martial be held by the Judge Advocate General that would indict Niazi for serious breaches of military discipline and the military code.[30] No such court-martial took place,[49] but nonetheless, he was politically maligned and indicted with the war crimes that took place in East Pakistan. Niazi did not accept the Commission's inquiries and fact-findings, believing that the Commission had no understanding of military matters.[50] Niazi claimed that a court-martial would have besmirched the names of those who later rose to great heights, and that he was being used as a scapegoat.[50]

In 1998, he authored a book, The Betrayal of East Pakistan, which describes his view of the events that led to 16 December 1971.[1]

Death and legacy

Niazi died on 1 February 2004 in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.[1]

Political commentators described Niazi's legacy as a mixture of the foolhardy, and the ruthless.[46]

A.R. Siddiqui wrote in Dawn newspaper: "When I last met him on 30 September 1971, at his force headquarters in Kurmitola, he was full of beans".[1]

From the mass of evidence coming before the War Enquiry Commission from witnesses, both civil and military, there is little doubt that Niazi came to acquire a bad reputation in sex matters, and this reputation has been consistent during his postings in Sialkot, Lahore and East Pakistan.[51] The allegations regarding his indulgence in the export of Pan by using or abusing his position in the Eastern Command and as Commander of his command also prima facie appear to be well-founded.[52]

Niazi in his book revealed that he was very depressed at the time of surrender and that he signed the instrument of surrender with a "very heavy heart".

Awards and decorations

   
       
       
       
       
Hilal-e-Jurat & Bar[a]

(Crescent of Courage)

1. 1965 War

2. 1971 War

Sitara-e-Pakistan

(Star of Pakistan)

(SPk)

Sitara-e-Khidmat

(Star of Service)

(SK)

Tamgha-e-Diffa

(General Service Medal)

1. 1965 War Clasp

2. 1971 War Clasp

Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War

(War Star 1965)

Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War

(War Star 1971)

Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War

(War Medal 1965)

Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War

(War Medal 1971)

Pakistan Tamgha

(Pakistan Medal)

Tamgha-e-Jamhuria

(Republic Commemoration Medal)

1956

Military Cross (MC)[12][53]
(awarded for GALLANTRY

in Kohima 1944)

1939-1945 Star Africa Star Burma Star
War Medal 1939-1945

(with MiD oak leaf)

awarded in Java 1945

India Service Medal

1939–1945

General Service Medal

(awarded in Java 1946)

Queen Elizabeth II

Coronation Medal

(1953)

Foreign Decorations

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d "Bar" refers to a second award of the same honour.

References

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  38. ^ "Pistol symbolising Pak defeat stolen". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  39. ^ Times of India Niazi's revolver safe at IMA: Jacob R.Singh, 2003
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  52. ^ . Archived from the original on 4 December 2007. Retrieved 9 March 2007.
  53. ^ a b Recommendation for Award for Amir Abdullah Khan Rank: Lieutenant Service No:... 1944.

External links

  • Lt. Gen A.A.K. Niazi
Military offices
Preceded by
Lieutenant General Tikka Khan
Commander of Eastern Command
7 April 1971 – 16 December 1971
Succeeded by
Office abolished
Political offices
Preceded by
Abdul Motaleb Malik
Governor of East Pakistan
14 December 1971 – 16 December 1971
Succeeded by
Office abolished


niazi, lieutenant, general, amir, abdullah, khan, niazi, 1915, february, 2004, pakistani, military, officer, during, bangladesh, liberation, indo, pakistani, 1971, commanded, pakistani, eastern, command, east, pakistan, bangladesh, signed, instrument, surrende. Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi HJ amp Bar SPk SK MC 1915 1 February 2004 was a Pakistani military officer During the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo Pakistani War of 1971 he commanded the Pakistani Eastern Command in East Pakistan now Bangladesh he signed the instrument of surrender as in 16 Dec 71 his forces had to surrender to the Indian Army s Eastern Command s commander Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora by the order of the then President of Pakistan Yahya Khan 1 Lieutenant GeneralAmir Abdullah Khan NiaziHilal e Jurat amp Bar a HJ amp BAR a SPk SK MCامیر عبداللہ خان نیازیNiazi s official military portrait as Lieutenant General 1971 Governor of East PakistanIn office 14 December 1971 16 December 1971PresidentYahya KhanPrime MinisterNurul AminPreceded byAbdul Motaleb MalikSucceeded byPosition abolishedSheikh Mujibur Rahman as President of BangladeshCommander Army Eastern CommandIn office 4 April 1971 16 December 1971Preceded byLt Gen Tikka KhanSucceeded byPosition abolishedPersonal detailsBorn1915Mianwali Punjab Province British India now Pakistan Died1 February 2004 aged 88 89 Lahore Punjab PakistanResting placeMilitary Cemetery Lahore citation needed NationalityPakistaniAlma materOfficers Training School BangaloreCommand and Staff College QuettaSignatureMilitary serviceAllegiance British India PakistanBranch service British Indian Army Pakistan ArmyYears of service1942 1975RankLieutenant General S No PA 477 Unit 4th Battalion 7th Rajput RegimentCommandsGOC 10th Infantry DivisionGOC 8th Infantry Division14th Para Brigade citation needed Battles warsWorld War II Burma campaign Battle of Imphal Indo Pakistani War of 1965 Battle of Chawinda War in East Pakistan Indo Pakistani War of 1971AwardsHilal e Jurat amp Bar a Sitara e Pakistan Sitara e Kidmat Military Cross Niazi s area of responsibility comprised the defense of East Pakistan from India during the war in 1971 and authors and critics within the Pakistani military held him morally responsible for his decision to unilaterally surrender the Pakistani Eastern Command which resulted in the war s end in a decisive Indian victory as well as the independence of Bangladesh 2 self published source 3 After being taken and held as a prisoner of war by the Indian military he was repatriated to Pakistan on 30 April 1975 as part of the Delhi Agreement He was dishonourably discharged from his military service at the War Enquiry Commission led by Hamoodur Rahman 4 The Commission leveled accusations against him for human rights violations in East Pakistan and the supervision of smuggling efforts during the Bangladesh Liberation War he was held responsible for Pakistan s military failure during the course of the conflict 5 6 7 Niazi however rejected these allegations and sought a military court martial while insisting that he had acted according to the orders of the Pakistan Army GHQ in Rawalpindi the court martial was never granted 6 After the war he remained active in Pakistani politics and supported an ultra conservative agenda under the Pakistan National Alliance against the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the 1970s 1 In 1998 he authored the book The Betrayal of East Pakistan Niazi died in Lahore Punjab Pakistan on 1 February 2004 8 Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early life and British Indian Army career 1 2 World War II and Burma campaigns 1 3 Pakistan Army from major to lieutenant general 2 East Pakistan 2 1 Eastern Command in 1971 war 2 2 Surrendering of Eastern Command 2 2 1 Niazi s Revolver 3 War prisoner repatriation and politics 4 War Enquiry Commission 5 Death and legacy 6 Awards and decorations 6 1 Foreign Decorations 7 Notes 8 References 9 External linksBiographyEarly life and British Indian Army career Khan was born in Mianwali British India in 1915 into a mixed Punjabi and Pathan family of the Niazi tribe His village Balo Khel is located on the eastern bank of the Indus River 2 9 10 After matriculating from a local high school in Mianwali he joined the British Indian Army as a Y cadet in 1941 as he was selected for an emergency commission in the army before it he was an ordinary soldier 2 He received training in Officers Training School Bangalore and Fatehgarh s Rajput Regiment s training centre he was commissioned as an Emergency Commissioned Officer ECO in the rank of second lieutenant during the World War II on 8 March 1942 following a 6 months training into the 4 7 Rajput Regiment 4th Battalion of the 7th Rajput Regiment which was then a part of the 161st Indian Infantry Brigade led by Brigadier D F W Warren 2 11 World War II and Burma campaigns Main articles Burma Campaign 1944 1945 and Battle of Imphal On 11 June 1942 Lt Niazi was stationed in the Kekrim Hills located in regions of Assam Manipur to participate in the Burma front 9 That spring he was part of the 14th Army of the British Indian Army commanded by General William Slim 9 During this period the 14th Army had halted the offense against the Imperial Japanese Army at the Battle of Imphal and elsewhere in bitterly fought battles along the Burma front 9 His valor of actions were commendable and General Slim described his gallantry in a lengthy report to General Headquarters India about his judgment of the best course of action 9 They agreed on Niazi s skill in completely surprising the enemy his leadership coolness under fire and his ability to change tactics create diversions extricate his wounded men 9 At the Burma front in 1944 Lt Niazi impressed his superior officers when he commanded a platoon that initiated an offence against the Imperial Japanese Army at the Bauthi Daung tunnels 9 Lt Niazi s gallantry had impressed his British commanders in the GHQ India and they wanted to award him the Distinguished Service Order but his rank was not high enough for such a decoration 9 During the campaign Brigadier D F W Warren commander of the 161st Indian Infantry Brigade of the British Army gave Niazi the soubriquet Tiger for his part in a ferocious fight with the Japanese 9 After the conflict the British Government decorated Lt Niazi with the Military Cross for leadership judgement quick thinking and calmness under pressure in action along the border with Burma 12 9 2 After the end of World War II in 1945 from an Emergency Commissioned Officer Niazi was granted a regular commission of the British Indian Army and he got his service number as IC0 906 Indian Commissioned Officer 906 2 he was promoted to captain and sent to attend the Command and Staff College in Quetta which he graduated with a staff course degree under then Lt Col Yahya Khan 2 Pakistan Army from major to lieutenant general Main articles Battle of Chawinda and Indo Pakistani war of 1965 nbsp Pakistani soldiers during the Battle of Chawinda Brigadier A A K Niazi 3rd from right observing a map In 1947 the United Kingdom through the Indian Independence Act 1947 announced their intention of partitioning British India amid the failure of the 1946 Cabinet Mission to India After the creation of Pakistan in August 1947 Major Niazi decided to opt for Pakistani citizenship and joined the newly established Pakistan Army where his S No was redesigned as PA 477 by the Ministry of Defence of Pakistan and he joined the Punjab Regiment 2 He continued serving at the Command and Staff College in Quetta and briefly completed his tenure as an instructor 13 His career in the army progressed well In the rank of Lt Col he served as commanding officer of two battalions in West Pakistan and one in East Pakistan 14 In 1961 he was promoted as Brigadier and offered discussion on infiltration tactics at the Command and Staff College 11 Subsequently he published an article on infiltration and promoted talks on military supported local rebellion against the enemy 11 He served as the commander of 51st Infantry Brigade in Karachi and was decorated with the Sitara i Khidmat lit Service Star for his contributions and service with the army His leadership credentials had led him to be appointed martial law administrator of both Karachi and Lahore to maintain control of law in the cities of West Pakistan during this time 15 Shortly after he was appointed as the commandant of School of Infantry and Tactics in Quetta Brigadier Niazi went on to participate in the Indo Pakistani War of 1965 the second war with India 16 He was appointed as the commander of 14th Paratroopers Brigade under 7th Infantry Division then commanded by Maj Gen Yahya Khan which later became part of the 12th Infantry Division under Maj Gen Akhtar Hussain Malik Niazi commanded the 1st Infantry Brigade in Azad Kashmir for a brief period but later was reappointed as the commander of 14th Para Brigade in Zafarwal sector he gained public notability when he participated in the famous Battle of Chawinda tank battle against the Indian Army which halted the Indians troops rotation 17 His role in a tank battle led him to be decorated with the Hilal e Jurat by the President of Pakistan 17 After the war he was again took command of the School of Infantry and Tactics On 18 October 1966 he was promoted as Major General and made General Officer Commanding GOC of the 8th Infantry Division stationed in Sialkot Punjab Pakistan 18 On 22 June 1969 Major General Niazi was made GOC of 10th Infantry Division stationed in Lahore Punjab Pakistan On 2 April 1971 he was promoted to Lieutenant General and he was to take command of the Eastern Command in East Pakistan East PakistanEastern Command in 1971 war Main articles Operation Searchlight Bangladesh Liberation War 1971 Bangladesh genocide Indo Pakistani War of 1971 and Evolution of Pakistan Eastern Command plan nbsp Niazi s strategy of defending the India East Pakistan border by deploying the troops at the border Lieutenant General Niazi volunteered for transfer to East Pakistan when Lieutenant General Bahadur Sher declined the post 1 There were two other generals who had also refused postings in the East However Niazi said yes without necessarily realizing the risks involved and how to counter them 1 After General Tikka Khan had initiated the Operation Searchlight military crackdown in March 1971 many officers had declined to be stationed in the East and Niazi arrived in Dhaka on 4 April 1971 to assume the Eastern Command from Tikka Khan 19 Furthermore the mass killing of Bengali intellectuals in 1971 at the University of Dhaka had made the East Pakistani people hostile towards the Pakistani military which made it hard for Niazi to overcome the situation 20 On 10 11 April 1971 he headed a meeting of his senior commanders to assess the situation but according to eyewitnesses he used abusive language aimed at the Bengali rebels 19 From May through August 1971 the Indian Army trained Mukti Bahini led Operation Jackpot a series of counter guerrilla campaigns against the Eastern Command and Niazi began taking countermeasures against the Bengali rebellion 21 By June 1971 he sent reports on the rebellion and noted that 30 000 insurgents were hurriedly trained by India at the India East Pakistan border 21 In August 1971 Niazi formulated a plan to defend the borders from the advancing Indian Army based on a fortress concept which mean converting the border towns and villages into a stronghold 22 By September 1971 he was appointed the martial law administrator in order to provide his support to Governor Abdul Motaleb Malik who appointed a civilian cabinet 23 On the issue of the 1971 East Pakistan genocide Niazi had reportedly told his public relations officer and press secretary Major Siddique Salik that we will have to account every single rape and killing when back in West Pakistan God never spares the Tyrant 24 25 The Government of East Pakistan appointed Niazi as commander of the Eastern Command and Major General Rao Farman Ali as their military adviser for the East Pakistan Rifles and Pakistan Marines 23 In October 1971 he created and deployed two ad hoc divisions to strengthen the defence of the East from further infiltration 22 In November 1971 General Abdul Hamid Khan the Chief of Staff of the army warned him of an imminent Indian attack on the East and advised him to redeploy the Eastern Command on a tactical and political base ground but this was not implemented due to shortage of time 26 In a public message Niazi was praised by Abdul Hamid Khan saying The whole nation is proud of you and you have their full support 27 No further orders or clarification was issued in regards to the orders as Niazi had been caught unawares when the Indian Army planned to launch a full assault on East Pakistan 26 On 3 December 1971 the Pakistan Air Force PAF launched Operation Chengiz Khan the pre emptive PAF air strikes on Indian Air Force bases that officially led to start of the Indo Pakistani War of 1971 the third war with India 26 According to Krishna Chandra Sagar Niazi was surprisingly not aware of the attack and had no prior knowledge of the attack 26 Credibility of this claim is given by Niazi s press secretary and public relations officer then Major Siddique Salik who wrote in Witness to Surrender that Niazi s chief of staff Brigadier Baqir Siddiqi reportedly scolded him of not notifying Niazi and his staff of an aerial attack on India 28 Surrendering of Eastern Command Main articles Instrument of Surrender 1971 and Indo Pakistani War of 1971 Prisoners of War Investigation nbsp Lieutenant General Niazi signing the Instrument of Surrender under the gaze of Indian Army s Eastern Command s commander Lt Gen J S Aurora sitting beside Niazi on 16 December 1971 in Dhaka When Indian Army soldiers crossed the borders and charged towards Dhaka General Niazi panicked when he came to realise the real nature of the Indian strategy and became frantically nervous when the Indian Army successfully penetrated the defence of the East 26 Niazi s military staff further regretted not heeding the intelligence warnings issued 20 years earlier in the 1952 Cable 1971 report compiled by Major K M Arif the military intelligence official on Niazi s staff 29 According to the testimonies provided by Major General Farman Ali in the War Enquiry Commission Niazi s morale collapsed as early as 7 December and he cried frantically over the progress report presented to Governor Abdul Motaleb 30 Niazi ultimately blamed Lieutenant General Tikka Khan for the army s oppressive strategy 31 Major accusations were also directed toward Lieutenant General Yakob Ali Khan Admiral S M Ahsan and Major General Ali for aggravating the crisis but Niazi had to bear most responsibility for all that happened in the East citation needed The Pakistani military combat units found themselves involved in a guerrilla war with the Mukti Bahini under Atul Osmani and were unprepared and untrained for such warfare 32 On 6 December the Indian government extended diplomatic recognition to Bangladesh 33 This eventually led Governor Abdul Motaleb to resign from his post and he took refuge with his entire cabinet at the Red Cross shelter at the Inter Continental Dacca on 14 December 14 Niazi eventually took control of the civilian government and received a telegram on 16 December 1971 from President Yahya Khan You have fought a heroic battle against overwhelming odds The nation is proud of you You have now reached a stage where further resistance is no longer humanly possible nor will it serve any useful purpose You should now take all necessary measures to stop the fighting and preserve the lives of armed forces personnel all those from West Pakistan and all loyal elements 2 During this time the Special Branch of the East Pakistan Police notified Niazi of the joint Indo Bengali siege of Dhaka as the Eastern Command led by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora began encircling Dhaka 34 Niazi then appealed for a conditional ceasefire to Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora which called for transferring power to the elected government but without the surrender of the Eastern Command led by Niazi 34 This offer was rejected by Indian Army s Chief of Army Staff General Sam Manekshaw and he set a deadline for surrender President Yahya Khan considered it as illegitimate 34 Niazi then once again appealed for a cease fire but Manekshaw set a deadline for surrender failing which Dhaka would come under siege Subsequently the Indian Army began encircling Dhaka and Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora sent a message through Major General Rafael Jacob that issued an ultimatum to surrender in a 30 minutes time window on 16 December 1971 35 Niazi agreed to surrender and sent a message to Manekshaw despite many army officers declined to obey although they were legally bound 36 The Indian Army commanders Lieutenant General Sagat Singh Lieutenant General J S Aurora and Major General Rafael Farj Jacob arrived at Dhaka via helicopter with the surrender documents 35 The surrender took place at Ramna Race Course in Dhaka at local time 16 31 on 16 December 1971 Niazi signed the Instrument of Surrender and handed over his personal weapon to J S Aurora in the presence of Indian and Bangladesh force commanders With Niazi nearly 90 000 personnel of the Eastern Command surrendered to the joint Indian and Bangladesh Army citation needed Niazi s Revolver Niazi s personal weapon was gifted by J S Aurora to the Indian Military Academy for its golden jubilee celebration and preserved at National Museum in New Delhi 37 The revolver was reportedly stolen from the National Museum in 2003 38 Although it would come to light that the firearm stolen was not the real pistol handed over by Eastern Wing Commander A A K Niazi the real 38 Bore Revolver is currently in the safekeeping of the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun 39 War prisoner repatriation and politicsMain article Transfer of Population Under the Terms of the Delhi Agreement Niazi who was repatriated to Pakistan was handed over to Lieutenant General Abdul Hameed then corps commander of the IV Corps by Indian Army from the Wagha checkpoint in Lahore District Punjab in April 1974 in a symbolic gesture of the last war prisoner held by India 4 Upon arriving in Lahore he refrained from speaking to news media correspondents and was taken under the custody of the Pakistan Army s Military Police MP who shifted him via helicopter to Lahore Cantonment where he was detained despite his strong protests 2 He was dismissed from his military commission and his war honours were withdrawn 40 Subsequently he was placed in solitary confinement for sometime though he was later released 41 Being the last to return supported his reputation as a soldier s general but did not shield him from the scorn he faced in Pakistan where he was blamed for the surrender Bhutto discharged Niazi after stripping him of his military rank the pension usually accorded to retired soldiers and his military decorations citation needed He was dismissed from the service in July 1975 23 He was also denied his military pension and medical benefits though he lodged a strong complaint against the revoking of his pension 40 In the 1980s the Ministry of Defence quietly changed the status of dismissal to retirement but did not restore his rank 42 The change of order allowed Niazi to seek a pension and the medical assistance benefits enjoyed by retired military personnel 42 Niazi remained active in national politics in the 1970s He was a leader of the Pakistan National Alliance 43 and supported their Islamist Nizam e Mustafa movement against the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party 1 In April 1977 on the grounds that he had made objectionable speeches he was arrested hours before Bhutto imposed martial law in the major cities of Karachi Lahore and Hyderabad 43 War Enquiry CommissionIn 1982 Niazi was summoned and confessed to the War Enquiry Commission led by Chief Justice Hamoodur Rahman and the Supreme Court of Pakistan on the events involving the secession of East Pakistan in April 1975 44 The War Commission leveled accusations against him of several kinds of ethical misconduct during his tenure in East Pakistan It confirmed that the General was indulging in paan smuggling from East to West Pakistan 45 46 The Commission indicted him for corruption and moral turpitude while noting his bullying of junior officers who opposed his orders 47 Niazi tried placing the blame on the Yahya administration his military adviser Maj Gen Farman Ali Admiral S M Ahsan Lieutenant General Yakob Ali and the military establishment The Commission partially accepted his claims by critically noting that General Niazi was the Supreme Commander of the Eastern Command and that he was responsible for everything that happened in the East citation needed Though he showed no regrets Niazi refused to accept responsibility for the Breakup of East Pakistan and squarely blamed President Yahya 48 The Commission endorsed his claims that Yahya was to blame but noted that Niazi was the Commander who lost the East 48 The Commission recommended a court martial be held by the Judge Advocate General that would indict Niazi for serious breaches of military discipline and the military code 30 No such court martial took place 49 but nonetheless he was politically maligned and indicted with the war crimes that took place in East Pakistan Niazi did not accept the Commission s inquiries and fact findings believing that the Commission had no understanding of military matters 50 Niazi claimed that a court martial would have besmirched the names of those who later rose to great heights and that he was being used as a scapegoat 50 In 1998 he authored a book The Betrayal of East Pakistan which describes his view of the events that led to 16 December 1971 1 Death and legacyNiazi died on 1 February 2004 in Lahore Punjab Pakistan 1 Political commentators described Niazi s legacy as a mixture of the foolhardy and the ruthless 46 A R Siddiqui wrote in Dawn newspaper When I last met him on 30 September 1971 at his force headquarters in Kurmitola he was full of beans 1 From the mass of evidence coming before the War Enquiry Commission from witnesses both civil and military there is little doubt that Niazi came to acquire a bad reputation in sex matters and this reputation has been consistent during his postings in Sialkot Lahore and East Pakistan 51 The allegations regarding his indulgence in the export of Pan by using or abusing his position in the Eastern Command and as Commander of his command also prima facie appear to be well founded 52 Niazi in his book revealed that he was very depressed at the time of surrender and that he signed the instrument of surrender with a very heavy heart Awards and decorations nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Hilal e Jurat amp Bar a Crescent of Courage 1 1965 War2 1971 War Sitara e Pakistan Star of Pakistan SPk Sitara e Khidmat Star of Service SK Tamgha e Diffa General Service Medal 1 1965 War Clasp2 1971 War Clasp Sitara e Harb 1965 War War Star 1965 Sitara e Harb 1971 War War Star 1971 Tamgha e Jang 1965 War War Medal 1965 Tamgha e Jang 1971 War War Medal 1971 Pakistan Tamgha Pakistan Medal Tamgha e Jamhuria Republic Commemoration Medal 1956 Military Cross MC 12 53 awarded for GALLANTRY in Kohima 1944 1939 1945 Star Africa Star Burma Star War Medal 1939 1945 with MiD oak leaf awarded in Java 1945 India Service Medal 1939 1945 General Service Medal awarded in Java 1946 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1953 Foreign Decorations Foreign Awards nbsp UK Military Cross MC 12 53 nbsp 1939 1945 Star nbsp Africa Star nbsp Burma Star nbsp War Medal 1939 1945 with MiD oak leaf nbsp India Service Medal 1939 1945 nbsp General Service Medal nbsp Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal nbsp Notes a b c d Bar refers to a second award of the same honour References a b c d e f g h Siddiqi PA Brigadier A R 13 February 2004 Gen A A K Tiger Niazi an appraisal Dawn Islamabad Retrieved 8 January 2017 a b c d e f g h i j Bhattacharya Brigadier Samir 2014 NOTHING BUT India Partridge Publishing ISBN 9781482817201 Retrieved 8 January 2017 Tucker Spencer C ed 2010 The Cold War and the Nuclear Age 1945 2008 A Global Chronology of Conflict From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East 6 volumes From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East Denver CO ABC CLIO p 2475 ISBN 978 1 85109 672 5 a b News Review on South Asia and Indian Ocean Institute for Defence Studies amp Analyses 1983 p 620 Gendercide Watch Gendercide org Retrieved 10 November 2011 a b Mir Hamid 16 December 2014 Forty three years of denial The Indian Express Opinion Noida India Retrieved 8 January 2017 Ahmed Khalid 7 July 2012 Genetic engineering in East Pakistan The Express Tribune Islamabad Pakistan Retrieved 8 January 2017 Jaffor Ullah A H 6 February 2004 On General Niazi s departure The Daily Star Dhaka Retrieved 8 January 2017 a b c d e f g h i j Lieutenant General A A K Niazi The Times London 11 March 2004 Archived from the original on 14 May 2009 Retrieved 9 July 2011 General A A K Niazi www mianwalionline com Retrieved 8 January 2017 a b c Fair C Christine 2014 Fighting to the End The Pakistan Army s Way of War Oxford University Press pp 230 231 ISBN 978 0 19 989270 9 a b c Page 4570 Supplement 36730 3 October 1944 London Gazette The Gazette www thegazette co uk Sehgal Ikram ul Majeed 2002 Unknown Defence Journal 6 24 a b BD Government BD Government BANGABHABAN The President House of Bangladesh bangabhaban gov bd BD Government Archived from the original on 7 December 2016 Retrieved 8 January 2017 The Rediff Interview with Lt Gen A A Khan Niazi Rediff 2 February 2004 Singh Lt Gen Harbakhsh 1991 War Despatches Indo Pak Conflict 1965 Lancer Publishers LLC p 2 ISBN 978 1 935501 59 6 a b Asia Week A A K Niazi The Man who Lost East Pakistan Asiaweek 1982 pp 6 7 Wahab A T M Abdul 2015 First published 2004 Mukti Bahini wins victory Pak military oligarchy divides Pakistan in 1971 3rd ed Pan Pacific Venture p 96 ISBN 9789847130446 Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi who assumed the command of Eastern Command on April 11 1971 whom I met as my GOC 8 Division in Sialkot in 1968 a b Cardozo Ian 2016 In Quest of Freedom The War of 1971 Personal Accounts by Soldiers from India and Bangladesh Bloomsbury Publishing p xxx ISBN 9789386141668 De Sibopada 2005 Illegal migrations and the North East a study of migrants from Bangladesh New Delhi Published for Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies by Anamika Publishers amp Distributors pp 35 40 ISBN 978 8179750902 a b Gates Scott Roy Kaushik 2016 Unconventional Warfare in South Asia Shadow Warriors and Counterinsurgency Routledge p xxxi ISBN 978 1 317 00540 7 a b Barua Pradeep 2013 The Military Effectiveness of Post Colonial States BRILL p 108 ISBN 978 90 04 24911 0 a b c Rizvi H 2000 Military State and Society in Pakistan Springer pp 138 139 ISBN 978 0 230 59904 8 Salik PA Brigadier Ṣiddiq 1979 Witness To Surrender Oxford University Press p 167 ISBN 9788170621089 Sinh Ramdhir 2013 A Talent for War The Military Biography of Lt Gen Sagat Singh Vij Books India Pvt Ltd p content ISBN 9789382573739 a b c d e Sagar Krishna Chandra 1997 The War of the Twins Northern Book Centre ISBN 9788172110826 Sisson Richard Rose Leo E 1990 War and Secession Pakistan India and the Creation of Bangladesh University of California Press p 229 ISBN 978 0 520 07665 5 Salik Saddique 1986 Judgement Day In Jaffrey Major Syed Zamir Azim Fazl eds Witness of Surrender Urdu Version in Urdu 2nd ed Karachi Urdu Publishing Co pp 139 140 Salik Saddique 1979 Preface In Jaffry Major Syed Zamir Azim Fazl eds Witness of Surrender Urdu Version in Urdu Rawalpindi Urdu Books Publishing co pp 194 200 a b Jones Owen Bennett 2002 Pakistan Eye of the Storm Yale University Press p 183 ISBN 978 0 300 10147 8 Gerlach Christian 2010 Extremely Violent Societies Mass Violence in the Twentieth Century World Cambridge University Press p 142 ISBN 978 1 139 49351 2 Raja Dewan Mohammad Tasawwar 2010 O General My General Life and Works of General M A G Osmany The Osmany Memorial Trust pp 35 109 ISBN 978 984 8866 18 4 Preston Ian 2005 First published 2001 A Political Chronology of Central South and East Asia Psychology Press p 16 ISBN 978 1 85743 114 8 a b c Kapur Paul 2016 Jihad as Grand Strategy Islamist Militancy National Security and the Pakistani State Oxford University Press p 64 ISBN 978 0 19 061182 8 a b Sengupta Ramananda 1971 War I will give you 30 minutes Sify Archived from the original on 15 December 2014 Retrieved 24 December 2016 Fall of Dhaka 1971 Story Of Pakistan 4 June 2002 Retrieved 8 January 2017 Niazi s weapon safe at IMA museum officer www rediff com Retrieved 13 July 2023 Pistol symbolising Pak defeat stolen www rediff com Retrieved 13 July 2023 Times of India Niazi s revolver safe at IMA Jacob R Singh 2003 a b Sehgal Ikram ul Majeed 2002 Unknown Defence Journal 7 8 49 Retrieved 9 January 2017 Kortenaar Neil Ten 2005 Self Nation Text in Salman Rushdie s Midnight s Children McGill Queen s Press MQUP p 285 ISBN 978 0 7735 2621 1 a b News Review on South Asia and Indian Ocean Institute for Defence Studies amp Analyses 1980 p 620 a b Kak B L 1979 Z A Bhutto Notes from the Death Cell New Delhi Radha Krishna Prakashan p 58 OCLC 5896988 Retrieved 9 January 2017 D Costa Bina 2011 Nationbuilding Gender and Crimes in South Asia Routledge p 79 ISBN 978 0 415 56566 0 Abbas Hassan 2015 Pakistan s Drift into Extremism Allah the Army and America s War on Terror Allah the Army and America s War on Terror Routledge p xcx ISBN 978 1 317 46327 6 a b Sattar Babar 23 December 2013 Bigoted and smug Dawn Retrieved 9 January 2017 Singh Maj Gen retd Randhir 1999 A Talent for War The Military Biography of Lt Gen Gandu Singh New Delhi Vij Books India Pvt Ltd p contents ISBN 9789382652236 a b Cloughley Brian 2016 A History of the Army Wars and Insurrections Skyhorse Publishing Inc p contents ISBN 978 1 63144 039 7 Tripathi Salil 2016 The Colonel Who Would Not Repent The Bangladesh War and Its Unquiet Legacy Yale University Press p 179 ISBN 978 0 300 22102 2 a b Faruqui Ahmad 2003 Rethinking the National Security The Price of Strategic Hyopia Ashgate pp 68 70 ISBN 978 0 7546 1497 5 Mookherjee Nayanika 2015 The Spectral Wound Sexual Violence Public Memories and the Bangladesh War of 1971 Duke University Press p 131 ISBN 978 0 8223 7522 7 Commission Report Archived from the original on 4 December 2007 Retrieved 9 March 2007 a b Recommendation for Award for Amir Abdullah Khan Rank Lieutenant Service No 1944 External linksPakistan Independence and Military Succession Video of Surrender By General Niazi A A K Lt Gen A A K Niazi Military offices Preceded byLieutenant General Tikka Khan Commander of Eastern Command7 April 1971 16 December 1971 Succeeded byOffice abolished Political offices Preceded byAbdul Motaleb Malik Governor of East Pakistan14 December 1971 16 December 1971 Succeeded byOffice abolished Retrieved from https en 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