Eastern Military High Command
See also: Evolution of Pakistan Eastern Command plan and Instrument of Surrender (1971)Following the resignation on 7 March 1971 of Vice Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan as the Unified Commander of the Eastern Military High Command and Martial Law Administrator, Yahya Khan's military government could not find an active-duty officer willing to take this position. Several officers assumed the command over a nine-month period, but each was removed after failing to restore order. Many other senior Pakistani officers were reluctant to take charge of East Pakistan, until Niazi volunteered for the job of East Pakistani Martial Law Administrator on 14 December. Yahya Khan immediately appointed him and made him Unified Commander of the Eastern Military High Command at the same time, sending him a telegram message saying, "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 critical, as Bengali forces in the Pakistani Army had gone into mutiny, large segments of the population were hostile, and an independence movement was gaining momentum among Bengalis. Despite this, Niazi and Mohammad Shariff managed to reassert Pakistan's control over large parts of East Pakistan, opening the window for a political solution to the turmoil. No such solution came about, however.
On 16 December 1971, the East Pakistan Intelligence Directorate (EPID) learned of the Indo-Bengali siege of Dhaka. Niazi appealed for a cease-fire, but Manekshaw set a deadline for surrender, failing which Dhaka would come under siege. To save the city, Niazi signed an instrument of surrender with his counterpart, Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, commander-in-chief of Eastern Command of the Indian Army. The meeting took place at Ramna Race Course in Dhaka at 16:31 IST on 16 December 1971, and Niazi surrendered nearly 93,000 personnel of the Eastern Military High Command to India.
Read more about this topic: Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi
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