The Betrayal of East Pakistan : -Lt. Gen. A. A. K. Niazi

Brigadier Qadir was ordered to withdraw to Dhaka on the night 9/10 December. 31 Baluch, which was holding Jamalpur and Kamalpur, was successful in containing the enemy advance for twenty?one days. They were besieged but they bayoneted their way through the enemy encirclement. 33 Punjab, under Lt.?Col. Razzak, also fought extremely well and kept the enemy at bay in this sector. They had engaged in some tough battles, and survived poison gas, which was used against them. They too successfully carried out the withdrawal to Dhaka.
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93 Brigade reached Dhaka in good shape but the Brigade HQ and its escort got entangled with the enemy paratroops in area Kaluarkar. This small force under Brigadier Qadir delayed the advance of enemy paratroops for four days. Later, when they were exhausted due to hunger and lack of rest, and their ammunition was completely finished, Brigadier Qadir was taken POW.
Brigadier Saadullah's brigade reached Bhairab Bazar from Ashuganj before the arrival of the Indians and firmed in. The aerial bridging capability was Arora's trump card. By withdrawing 93 Brigade from mymensingh to Dhaka and Saadullah's brigade from Ashuganj to Bhairab Bazar, we blunted the enemy move. We beat them to the draw. The enemy failed to block the move of both brigades.
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Naik Sarwar of 24 Cavalry in Bogra Sector of 16 Division.
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The Navy contingent consisted of only four gunboats under the command of Admiral Mohammad Sharif. In spite of the enemy's superiority both at sea and in the rivers, our naval personnel showed guts, initiative, and efficiency in the movement of troops. They helped the army in some operations as well. In Belonia operations, their contribution was praiseworthy. They were ably led by Captain Zamir, a brave, capable, and conscientious naval officer who was always willing and ready to do the job and was never afraid of taking risks.
The air contingent in East Pakistan consisted only of one squadron of old F?86 aircraft, located at Dhaka. The way Air Commodore Inam?ul?Haq handled his brave and excellent team was admirable. Every day they flew out and took a heavy toll o£ the numerically superior enemy aircraft.
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The news of the air bridging of the Meghna River was given to me by Air Commodore Inam, who had spotted it on his shortrange radar. On receipt of this timely news we moved Saadullah's brigade from Ashuganj to Bhairab Bazar, behind the enemy helilanded troops, who were thus sandwiched between Dhaka position and the forward position. It is a pity that Dhaka airfield got damaged so badly that our aircraft could not take off after 6 December, for this meant that the Indian aircraft had a free run over the whole of East Pakistan. We sent our pilots to West Pakistan before the surrender, and the remaining Air Force personnel were deployed for the ground defence of Dhaka.
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The armoured troops under Col. Bukhari proved their mettle bN their mobile offensive actions against enemy tanks and in support of our own infantry. Though always out?numbered and outgunned, they faced the enemy's far superior tanks courageously and by superior tactics kept the enemy armour at bay.
Artillery Brigadier S.S.A. Q,asim was my Artillery Commander. He was a capable gunner who always accompanied me to the forward troops. Although we did not have complete artillery formations or units because the troops were brought in by air, he made the best possible use of the available guns. The divisions and brigades were almost independent, but he co?ordinated and finalized their fire plans. Their accuracy and effectiveness was proved during the war.
This regiment was commanded by Lt.?Col. Mohammad Afzal, a brave and courageous officer. Qasim was always around whenever the Indians air?attacked Dhaka. The regiment remained under constant enemy air?attacks throughout the war but our brave gunners engaged the enemy aircraft with undaunted spirit.
I was in one of the gun pits during the air raids. There were six enemy aircraft which attacked our three gunposts. The gunners put up a bold and determined fight. The fight lasted for about ten minutes. The enemy lost two aircraft, then vanished.
The regiment brought down its last Indian aircraft, a bomber, on 16 December. This regiment performed splendidly, bringing down more than thirty enemy aircraft. The credit for all this goes to Afzal and Qasim who set a personal example and kept the enemy away from Dhaka Cantonment.
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Our engineers did a magnificent job throughout the East Pakistan crisis.
Brigadier Iqbal Sharif, was a brave and willing worker who handled his troops efficiently at the most difficult places and under enemy attack. He repaired the airfield in the shortest possible time with no thought for the risk to his life. He personally supervised engineer operations and was an extraordinary example of gallantry, resourcefulness, and improvisation. His efficiency in the most difficult task of restoring communications, bridges, and roads was simply superb. He was given a sector in Dhaka defences to command, and he organized its defences most satisfactorily.
Our signals performance was very good throughout. They kept us in communication with forward units as well as GHQ, till the end. The credit goes to Brigadier Arif Raza, whose job was very difficult and whose resources were inadequate, but who solved the knotty problems of communications very efficiently, particularly by providing signals equipment, facilities, and manpower for newly?raised ad hoc formations. It is to his credit that all units, formations, and GHQ, remained in communication until we shut down when the Indians came.
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Our helicopters were under the command of Lt. Col. Liaquat Bukhari. He was efficient, intelligent, and a courageous commander. The helicopters were used for reconnaissance, supplies, and evacuation of casualties. There were no night vision or night navigation devices fixed in our helicopters.
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