ABSTRACT
In Dhaka, on December 16, 1971, under clear skies, and in front of a restless crowd of nearly a million Bengalis, Lieutenant General Niazi surrendered ‘first his pistol, then his sword, and then half his country’ to Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora of the Indian Army. Niazi considered himself the most decorated officer in the Pakistan army prior to his appointment in Dacca. Niazi displayed a consistent pattern of blindly following orders coming from the General Headquarters in the West. Niazi rightfully contends that Yahya disappeared from East Pakistan after launching the infamous Operation Searchlight in East Pakistan. Niazi does not accept any blame for the loss of East Pakistan. He says he challenged the Pakistan Army to court-martial him, but they refused. Ironically, it is likely that such proceedings would have implicated not only the top army brass but also Niazi a fortiori.
