| Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi | |
|---|---|
Lieutenant-General A. A. Niazi, PA. |
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| Birth name | Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi |
| Nickname | Tiger |
| Born | 1915 Lahore, Punjab Province, British India |
| Died | 2 February 2004 (aged 89) Lahore, Punjab province |
| Allegiance | Pakistan British India |
| Service/branch | Pakistan Army British Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1934-1972 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General (stripped off from his rank) |
| Service number | (PA –477) |
| Unit | 5th Airborne, Punjab Regiment |
| Commands held | Eastern Military High Command Martial-Law Administrator East-Pakistan 5th Airborne, Punjab Regiment 14th Paratrooper Brigade Unified MLA of Karachi and Lahore 52nd Mechanized Division 50th Airborne Division, Pakistan Army |
| Battles/wars | Burma Campaign of 1944 Battle of Imphal Battle of Chawinda Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Operation Searchlight Pakistan war in Bangladesh |
| Awards | Hilal-i-Jurat (military) (stripped off and withdraw) Military Cross |
| Other work | Author |
Lieutenant-General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi HJ, MC,(Urdu: امیر عبداللہ خان نیازی); c. 1915 - 2 February 2004), was a former three-star general in the Pakistan Army who was the last unified commander of Pakistan Armed Forces's Eastern Military High Command in East-Pakistan. General Niazi, in 1971, was in charge of Eastern contingent of the Pakistan Armed Forces during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War and Bangladesh Liberation War, alongside with Vice-Admiral Mohammad Shariff, Commander of Eastern Naval Command.
Niazi, a lieutenant-general, surrendered his forces of nearly 93,000 men to the Indian Armed Forces and the guerrilla armed resistance force, the Mukti Bahini. General Niazi stated that he had acted according to the orders of the West-Pakistan Military High Command, under General Yahya Khan. Following the war, other parties viewed him as personally responsible for the surrender. He was also accused of being involved in Pakistan's human rights violations in Bangladesh.[1] General Niazi was personally indicted of smuggling and rape by the Hamoodur Rehman commission, led by Chief Justice Hamoodur Rahman. He was subsequently relieved of his position in the Army by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Throughout the remainder of his life, Niazi had sought court-martial to prove his innocence, but was never charged. Filed petitions, through his military lawyers in both civilian Supreme Court and the prestigious JAG Branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Before his death, he authored the book "The Betrayal of East Pakistan".
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Niazi was born in 1915 to a Ghilzai Pashtun family in the Punjab British State, British Indian Empire.[2] In 1932, he enlisted in the British Indian Army as a junior non-commission officer and was sent to Indian Military Academy where he gained B.Sc. in Military science.[2] Niazi also did a paratrooper course while his stay at the Academy.[2] Upon completing his training and studies, Niazi gained officiate (Second Lieutenant) commissioned in 5th Paratrooper of the Punjab Regiment in 1937.[2] He served well Pacific Theatre of World War II.[2]
On June 11 of 1942, Niazi was sent to the Kekrima area of the Assam-Burma front.[2] That spring, he was part of the 14th Army Offensive Group of the British Army, commanded by General William Joseph Slim.[2] During this period, the 14th Army Group had halted the offense against the Japanese Imperial Army at the Battle of Imphal and elsewhere in bitterly fought battles along the Burma front.[2] General Slim described his gallantry as his action completely surprised the enemy [2] and wrote a lengthy report to the General Headquarters, India about his judgment of the best course of action. They agreed that his skill in taking the enemy completely by surprise, as well as his personal leadership of his men, coolness under fire, ability to change tactics, create diversions, extricate his wounded and withdraw his men were the best course of action.[2] At the Burmese front, Niazi impressed his commanding officers when, as Lieutenant, he commanded a platoon that initiated an offense against the Japanese Imperial Army at the Bauthi-Daung tunnels.[2]
His gallantry had impressed the GHQ India who wanted to decorated him with prestigious Distinguished Service Order, however, Niazi was not at the rank to receive such decoration.[2] During the front, Niazi gained the title "Tiger" which was given him by Brigadier D.F.W. Warren, Commanding officer of the 161st Infantry Division of the British Army, after he took final participation in a ferocious fight with the Japanese.[2] After the conflict, the young Lieutenant Niazi was decorated with a Military Cross by the British Government. 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.[2]
The British Government honoured Niazi for "personal leadership, bravery and complete disregard for his own personal safety".[3] On 15 December 1944, the Viceroy Lord Wavell flew to Imphal and, in the presence of Lord Mountbatten, knighted Slim and his corps commanders Stopford, Scoones, and Christison.[3] Only two Indian officers were chosen to be decorated by the Viceroy at that ceremony — ‘Tiger’ Niazi was one of them and the other being Lieutenant Sam Manekshaw.[3]
Niazi opted the Pakistan's citizenship and joined the newly-formed Pakistan Army after the Indian partition in 1947. Niazi quickly rose through the ranks, earning various awards including the Hilal-i-Jurat twice.
In 1965, as Colonel and commanding officer of the 5th Paratrooper, Punjab Regiment, activily participated in Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. During the conflict, Niazi was promoted one-star general and as Brigadier-General, Niazi commanded the 14th Paratrooper Brigade, 50th Airborne Division during operations in Kashmir and Sialkot. The 14th Paratrooper Brigade and General Niazi gained international fame after the success of the Chawinda counter-offense. The counter offense resulted in ultimate success and halted the Indian Army troop rotation further inside Pakistan. After the war, General Niazi was made Martial Law Administrator of both Karachi and Lahore.[4] In 1968, Niazi was promoted to two-star Major-General and was made GOC of the 52nd Mechanized Division based in Karachi during this period. In 1970, Niazi commanded the 50th Airborne Division and by 1971, Niazi had reached the rank of three-star rank of Lieutenant-General in the Pakistan Army.
In 1971, a period of political turmoil in Pakistan, Lieutenant-General Niazi was the highly decorated and most honored officer in the Pakistan Army.[3] In April 1971, Lieutenant-General Amir Abdullah Khan Nazi was sent to East-Pakistan, following a Pakistani military crackdown on Bengali intellectuals.[3] On March 25, Searchlight, planned and enforced by Lieutenant-General Tikka Khan and Major-General Rao Farman Ali, had turned the East Pakistan population completely hostile against the Pakistan Armed Forces and Pakistan was condemned by the International community for taking the military action.[3] There is no public evidence that General Niazi publicly condemned the military operation on March 25, 1971. However, during the meeting, General Niazi only comdemn the operation after its outcomes surfaced with mild words.[3] Therefore, Niazi prevented to criticize Pakistan Army's brutal action in East-Pakistan. On April 1971, General Niazi assumed the Command of Pakistan Army, as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, as he replaced General Tikka Khan, the Butcher of Bengal. Throughout this period, Niazi supervised and headed the military actions and operations led by the Pakistan Army in the East-Pakistan.[1][3] On November 31 of 1971, General Niazi received a message from General Abdul Hamid Khan, Chief of Generals Staff, with Hamid stating, "The whole nation is proud of you and you have their full support."[3] On December 3, the Pakistan Air Force launched Chengiz Khan without even notifying the Eastern Military High Command.[3]
Following the resignation of Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan on 7 March 1971, as the Unified Commander of Eastern Military High Command and Martial Law Administrator, the General Yahya Khan's military government was unable to find an active duty officer who was willing to take this task. During this 9 month period, several officers assumed the command but was repeatedly removed as they were brutally failed to restore the order. And, many other high and senior officers of Pakistan Armed Forces were cautious on the posting and none of the senior officers were willing to take the charge of the East Pakistan. Meanwhile, on December 14, General Niazi himself volunteered for the job of Martial Law Administrator of East Pakistan. General Yahya Khan immediately made him as the Martial Law Administrator of East Pakistan and the Unified Commander of the Eastern Military High Command. General Yahya Khan sent him a telegram message stating, "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".
The situation in East-Pakistan was extremely difficult, as Bengali forces in the Pakistani Army had gone into mutiny, large segments of the population were hostile, and an independence movement was gaining steam among the Bengalis.[3] Despite this, Niazi and Mohammad Shariff were able to reaffirm Pakistan's control over wide parts of East Pakistan territory, opening the window for a political solution to the turmoil - this would not come to fruition.[3]
However, on December 16 of 1971, East-Pakistan Intelligence Directorate (EPID) learned the Indo-Bengali siege of Dhaka.[3] Niazi appealed for a cease-fire but Sam Manekshaw set the deadline for the surrender. Failing to surrender on time, a siege on Dhaka will take place.[3] Not wanting to deterioration of the city, General Niazi signed an instrument of surrender with his counterpart Lieutenant-General Jagjit Singh Aurora, General Officer Commanding-in-chief of Eastern Command of the Indian Army. The meeting was set at Ramna Race Course in Dhaka at 16:31 IST on 16 December 1971, and General Niazi surrendered the Eastern Military High Command's nearly 93,000 personnel to the hands of India.[3]
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 Razakar forces, who were employed against the Mukti Bahini (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 Pakistan Combatant forces involved in a guerrilla war with the Bengali Mukti Bahini, under C-in-C General Osmany, Bangladesh Forces.[5] The Pakistan Combatant Forces were unprepared and untrained for such warfare. After a preemptive strike on the Indian territories in the western front, a full-scale invasion of East Pakistan by India resulted in isolation for Niazi's and Shariff's forces being ambushed by the Mukti Bahini, and with the absence of external aid, eventual surrender.
On 16 December 1971, General Niazi surrendered the 93,000 Pakistan Armed Forces personnel in East Pakistan to his counterpart Lieutenant-General Jagjit Singh Aurora, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces and the Mukti Bahini Allied Forces just after 1,300 casualties from the Pakistani side. General Niazi signed the instrument of surrender resulting in his surrender along with a sizable number of Pakistan Armed Forces personnel and intelligence civilians officers who were taken prisoners (upwards of 93,000 including about 34000 regular army soldiers). This was the largest number of POWs since World War II and included some senior government officials. Most would remain in captivity for more than three years after the conflict ended as they were to be tried for crimes such as rape and murder of the Bengali populace. General Niazi was symbolically the last prisoner of war to cross back to Pakistan, after Prime minister Bhutto signed a treaty with his counter-part Indira Gandhi, Indian Premier. 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 blamed for the surrender. Upon his return, Bhutto stripped Niazi's military rank, and the pension usually accorded to retired soldiers. Bhutto also stripped his military decorations and discharged him.
The Commission, led and investigated by Chief Justice Hamoodur Rahman of Supreme Court — reportedly revealed that Niazi was guilty of several misconducts during his tenure as Martial Law Administrator in East Pakistan. It said that the General was indulging in paan (chewing tobacco) smuggling from East to West-Pakistan and sexual excesses, including, possibly rape as stated by witnesses.[6] In order to clear his name, Niazi sought a court martial from JAG Branch, but it was never granted by Bhutto and General Tikka Khan who was the current Chief of Army Staff. The former general would try to take up politics in order to clear himself, but he was jailed in order to quell such actions by General Zia-ul-Haq, the Chief Martial Law Administrator of Pakistan. In 1998, he released The Betrayal of East Pakistan, where he blamed General Yahya Khan, General Rao Farman Ali, General Tikka Khan and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto for the separation of East Pakistan. Niazi did not accept Hamoodur Rahman Commission 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. As others have made similar claims in relation to the disgraceful treatment to the scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan. Niazi lived out his life in Lahore, his wife predeceasing him.
Niazi’s reputation as a “soldier’s general” lasted to the end. Niazi died in Lahore with only few to attend his funeral.
He was also noted for making audacious statements like "Dacca will fall only over my dead body".[1] 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 Delhi and thus link up with Pakistan."[2] 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".[7] In a fantasy plan that he presented to the central government in June 1971, he stated in an immatured manner in his own words that "I would capture Agartala and a big chunk of Assam, 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 raid on Calcutta would set a sea of humanity in motion to get out of Calcutta”.[7][8]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by VAdm Mohammad Shariff |
Unified Commander of Eastern Military High Command 14 December 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 |
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