The Punjab The Punjab The Punjab (pronounced or ; Punjabi: ਪੰਜਾਬ, The Punjab (pronounced or ; [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]: [[Gurmukhī script|ਪੰਜਾਬ]], The Punjab (pronounced or ; [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]: [[Gurmukhī script|ਪੰਜਾਬ]], [[Shahmukhi script|, ), also spelled Panjab ' onMouseout='HidePop("374")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/India">India
India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, Niazi enlisted in the
Indian ArmyThe Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to ensure the national security and defense of the Republic of India from external aggression and threats, and maintaining peace and security within its borders...
as a junior officer, and fought well during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During this conflict, the young Niazi would win a
Military CrossThe Military Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
and be given the nickname "Tiger" by his superior officer due to his prowess in battle against
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese forces. His Military Cross was earned for actions along the border with Burma, in which he showed great leadership, judgement, quick-thinking, and calmness under pressure.
He joined the newly-formed Pakistani Army after the
partition of IndiaThe Partition of India was the partition of British India that led to the creation, on August 14, 1947 and August 15, 1947, respectively, of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India...
in 1947 and quickly rose through the ranks, earning various awards including the
Hilal-i-JuratHilal-i-Jurat is the second highest military award of Pakistan. It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a Republic, however, it was instituted retrospectively back to 1947. Only officers serving in the Pakistani armed forces are eligible for the award and it is conferred for acts of...
twice. He commanded 5 Punjab during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between India and Pakistan. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
, 14 Para Brigade during operations in
KashmirKashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent...
and
SialkotSialkot is a city situated in the north-east of the Punjab province in Pakistan at the feet of the snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District and, formerly, it has been the winter-capital of the State of Kashmir...
, and
martial lawMartial law is the system of rules that takes effect when the military takes control of the normal administration of justice.Martial law is sometimes imposed during wars or occupations in the absence of any other civil government. Examples of this form of military rule include Germany and Japan...
administrator of
Karachiis the largest city, main seaport and the financial capital of Pakistan, and the capital of the province of Sindh. It is the 3rd largest city in the world by population and 20th largest city of the world, in terms of metropolitan population. It is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, and...
and
LahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi. Historically the main city of the undivided Punjab, it is often called the Garden of Mughals because of its rich Mughal heritage...
. By 1971 he had reached the rank of Lieutenant-General.
East Pakistan
He was sent in that year to
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
in April following a Pakistani military crackdown on Bengali intellectuals. Niazi himself volunteered for the job of military commander of Bangladesh, when many other officers of Pakistan Army were cautious on the posting. The army leader in Bangladesh at that time,
Tikka KhanGeneral Tikka Khan, HJ, HQA, SPk, was Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff from 3 March, 1972 to 1 March, 1976....
, was thought to be behind the implementation of the crackdown. Despite this, the situation in Bangladesh was difficult, as Bengali forces in the Pakistani Army had gone into
mutinyMutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly-situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an existing authority...
, large segments of the population were hostile, and an independence movement was gaining steam among the Bengalis. Despite this, Niazi was able to reaffirm Pakistani control over wide parts of East Pakistani territory, opening the window for a political solution to the turmoil - this would not come to fruition.
General Niazi was one of the generals who led the occupation of Bangladesh (then,
East PakistanEast Pakistan was a former province of Pakistan which existed between 1947 and 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal Province based on a plebiscite in what was then British India in 1947. Eastern Bengal chose to join the Dominion of Pakistan and became a province of Pakistan by the name East...
). There is no evidence that Niazi really condemned the crackdown of 25 March 1971, dubbed
Operation SearchlightOperation Searchlight was a planned military extermination carried out by the Pakistan Army to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in erstwhile East Pakistan in March 1971. Ordered by the government in West Pakistan, this was seen as the sequel to "Operation Blitz" which had been launched in...
ordered by Tikka Khan. It was only after returning to Pakistan as empty-handed prisoner of war did Niazi criticize Tikka and Rao Farman. Niazi himself admitted that he raised the
RazakarRazakar is a Persian word which means volunteer. Razakar may refer to:*Razakars : Islamist East Pakistani militia that aided the Pakistan Army against the Mukti Bahini during the Bangladesh Liberation War....
forces, who were employed against the
Mukti BahiniMukti Bahini , also termed as the "Freedom Fighters", collectively refers to the armed organizations who fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was dynamically formed by Bengali regulars and civilians after the proclamation of Bangladesh's independence on March...
(guerilla forces) and were used to kill, terrorize people and destroy rural villages. His vows against the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini were notorious. The crackdown against the Bengalis had gone too far, and the result saw Pakistani forces involved in a
guerrilla warGuerrilla warfare is the irregular warfare warfare and combat in which a small group of combatants use mobile military tactics in the form of ambushes and raids to combat a larger and less mobile formal army....
with the Bengali
Mukti BahiniMukti Bahini , also termed as the "Freedom Fighters", collectively refers to the armed organizations who fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was dynamically formed by Bengali regulars and civilians after the proclamation of Bangladesh's independence on March...
, who were aided by
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
. This would lead to later Indian involvement in the conflict, and a full-scale invasion of East Pakistan by India, resulting in isolation for Niazi's forces, and with the absence of external aid, eventual surrender.
Surrender
On 16 December 1971, General Niazi surrendered the Pakistani forces in East Pakistan to General
Jagjit Singh AuroraLieutenant General Jagjit Singh Arora was the commander of the Indian army in the Eastern front in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 which led to the creation of Bangladesh...
General-Officer-Commanding In-Chief of the Indian and Mukti Bahini Allied Forces. Niazi signed the
instrument of surrenderThe Instrument of Surrender was signed at Ramna Race Course in Dhaka at 16.31 IST on December 16, 1971, by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, General Officer Commanding in Chief of Eastern Command of the Indian Army and Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, Commander of Pakistani...
resulting in his surrender along with a sizeable number of Pakistani soldiers and civilians who were taken prisoners (upwards of 93,000 including about 34000 regular army soldiers). This was the largest number of POWs since
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and included some government officials. Most would remain in captivity against international norms for more than three years after the conflict ended. Niazi was symbolically the last prisoner of war to cross back to Pakistan. Such actions symbolized his reputation as a "soldier's general" but did not shield him from the scorn he faced upon his return to Pakistan, where he was made a
scapegoatThe scapegoat was a goat that was driven off into the wilderness as part of the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement, in Judaism during the times of the Temple in Jerusalem...
for the surrender. Niazi was stripped of his military rank, and the
pensionIn general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. It is a tax deferred savings vehicle that allows for the tax-free accumulation of a fund for later use as a retirement income...
usually accorded to retired soldiers.
The
Hamoodur RahmanHamoodur Rahman was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University. Justice Hamoodur Rahman was born in Patna, India. He obtained his graduation from the St...
Commission report revealed that Niazi was guilty of several misconducts during his tenure as martial law administrator in East Pakistan. It confirmed that the General was indulging in
paanPaan, from the word pan in Urdu, , and Hindi, पान, is a South, East and South East Asian tradition which consists of chewing Betel leaf combined with the areca nut. There are many regional variations....
(chewing
tobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and in the form of nicotine tartrate it is used in some medicines. In consumption it most commonly appears in the forms of smoking, chewing, snuffing, or...
) smuggling from East to West Pakistan and sexual excesses, including, possibly
rapeRape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or without sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
as stated by witnesses. In order to clear his name, Niazi sought a court martial, but it was never granted. The former general would try to take up politics in order to clear himself, but he was jailed in order to quell such actions. In 1998 he released
The Betrayal of East Pakistan where he blamed
Yahya KhanAgha Muhammad Yahya Khan, H.Pk, HJ, S.Pk, psc was the President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971, following the resignation of Ayub Khan. He has one son, Ali Yahya and one daughter, Yasmeen Khan.-Early life:...
and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto for the separation of East Pakistan. Niazi did not accept Hamoodur Rahman report as he believed that it was prepared by one of the guilty parties (Bhutto) and that it was no alternative to a court-martial, where accused persons are allowed to defend themselves, bring in witnesses, cross examine etc. Niazi claimed that a court-martial would have brought out the names of those who later rose to unthinkable heights, as it is easier to find one scapegoat who would help spare dozens (just as others have made similar claims in relation to the treatment of Dr. A.Q. Khan.) Niazi lived out his life in
LahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi. Historically the main city of the undivided Punjab, it is often called the Garden of Mughals because of its rich Mughal heritage...
, his wife predeceasing him.
Legacy
Niazi was a mixture of the bold and pragmatic. He was also noted for making audacious statements like
"Dacca will fall only over my dead body".
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/1971/Dec12/index.html According to Pakistani author, Akbar S. Ahmed, he had even hatched a far-fetched plan to
"cross into India and march up the Ganges and capture DelhiDelhi, known locally as Dilli , and also by the official name National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest metropolis by population in India...
and thus link up with Pakistan."http://www.pakistan-facts.com/staticpages/index.php?page=20030403171005709 This he called the "Niazi corridor theory" explaining "It was a corridor that the Quaid-e-Azam demanded and I will obtain it by force of arms". In a plan he presented to the central government in June 1971, he stated in his own words that "
I would capture AgartalaAgartala is the capital of the Indian state of Tripura. It lies on the Haora River and is located 2 km from Bangladesh. It has several temples and palaces...
and a big chunk of AssamAssam ) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur located in the Guwahati city. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra and the Barak river valleys and the Karbi Anglong and the North Cachar Hills with an area of 30,285 square miles...
, and develop multiple thrusts into Indian Bengal. We would cripple the economy of Calcutta by blowing up bridges and sinking boats and ships in Hooghly River and create panic amongst the civilians. One air raidAn air strike is a military strike by air forces or other military aviation assets against either a suspected or a confirmed enemy ground position. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as bombers, ground attack aircraft, strike fighters, and Attack helicopters. Weapons used in an...
on Calcutta would set a sea of humanity in motion to get out of Calcutta”. A journalist from
DawnDawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon...
had observed him thus: When I last met him on 30 September 1971, at his force headquarters in Kurmitola, he was full of beans. .
From the mass of evidence coming before the Hamoodur-Rehman Commission from witnesses, both civil and military, there is little doubt that Gen. Niazi unfortunately came to acquire a bad reputation in sex matters, and this reputation has been consistent during his postings in Sialkot, Lahore and East Pakistan. The allegations regarding his indulgence in the export of Pan by using or abusing his position in the Eastern Command and as Zonal Martial Law Administrator also prima facie appear to be well-founded, although it was not our function to hold a detailed inquiry into the matter. It is for the Government to decide whether these matters should also form the subject of any inquiry or trial which may have to be ultimately held against this officer .
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