General Amir Abdullah Niazi: A General Who Surrendered to India or a ‘Brave Son of the Soil’

In April 1975, Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi (A.K. Niazi) was the last war prisoner handed over by the Indian Army to the Pakistan Army at the Wagah border in Lahore.

General Niazi’s nephew, Sher Afghan Khan Niazi, was present at Wagah when the last war prisoner was returned by Indian authorities to Pakistan.

At that time, Sher Afghan Niazi had just passed the entrance exam to join the Pakistan Army. He later served in the military, rising to the rank of Brigadier before retiring.

Sher Afghan Niazi then traveled directly from Lahore to the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul, where his training was set to begin.

Retired Brigadier Sher Afghan says that his main inspiration for joining the Pakistan Army was his uncle, General Niazi.

Retired Brigadier Sher Afghan recalled that in February 1971, his father was in Lahore when they received news that General Niazi had been appointed as the commanding officer of East Pakistan.

Sher Afghan recalls, “I went to Lahore with my father, where we were told that General Niazi had been appointed as the commanding officer in East Pakistan. That evening, before his departure, we met him for the last time.”

“We bid him farewell in a cheerful manner, and as he was leaving, he asked us to pray for him.”

In a newspaper column published in February 2004 following General Niazi’s death, Brigadier A.R. Siddiqui, then head of the Army’s Public Relations Department (ISPR), wrote:

“Famous for his bravery, General Niazi accepted the appointment in East Pakistan at a time when Lieutenant General Bahadur Sher, who had also received the British Military Cross like Niazi, refused the posting.”

“Two or more generals also declined the appointment in East Pakistan. Without fully considering the risks involved and the necessary countermeasures, General Niazi agreed.”

“As commander of land, naval, and air forces, he would not tolerate interference from day one, nor did he heed the advice of his predecessor and senior, General Tikka Khan.”

“The two generals stationed in the same place with the same responsibility of maintaining peace in East Pakistan developed tensions.”

Retired Brigadier Sher Afghan stated that the Niazi clan in Mianwali and their extended family firmly believe that General Niazi was a brave son of the soil.

General Niazi closely observed Brigadier Afghan’s professional career as an army officer.

The retired Brigadier recalled, “Once, General Niazi visited me at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul. His arrival created a stir at the academy. I was a cadet then, and he stayed with me for almost twenty minutes.”

Between his release from Indian captivity in April 1975 and his passing on February 1, 2004, retired Brigadier Sher Afghan had many intellectual discussions with his uncle.

Sher Afghan stated, “We frequently discussed the defensive strategies used for East Pakistan’s defense. General Niazi repeatedly emphasized the concept of localized and decentralized defense, which he had implemented in East Pakistan.”

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According to Sher Afghan, these discussions often transitioned from East Pakistan’s defense strategies to the broader history of military conflicts worldwide. In his later years, General Niazi spent most of his time studying military history.

This is how General Niazi’s family remembers an army general whom the judges and government officials investigating the East Pakistan tragedy described as morally and financially corrupt.

General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi was the commanding officer of the armed forces stationed in East Pakistan when the Indian Army took control of Pakistan’s eastern province.

On December 16, 1971, the Pakistani armed forces surrendered to the Indian Army in Dhaka.

Following this defeat, General Niazi’s name became synonymous with disgrace.

In 1982, the War Inquiry Commission led by Chief Justice Hamoodur Rahman summoned him and forced him to testify.

The War Commission accused him of multiple instances of moral misconduct during his tenure in East Pakistan.

He charged his subordinates with corruption, moral decline, and mistreatment when they opposed his orders.

On the other hand, General Niazi blamed the military defeat on the Yahya Khan administration.

The commission acknowledged some of his claims but criticized him, stating that as the supreme commander of Eastern Command, he was responsible for everything that happened in East Pakistan.

General Niazi passed away on February 1, 2004, in Lahore and was laid to rest in the city’s military cemetery.

After spending four years in captivity in India, he did not resume military service upon his return and lived a retired life in his hometown.

However, his next generation continued to serve in the army. One of his sons and his nephew became army officers, as General Niazi mentioned in his book.

Upon his return from India, he wrote a book titled Betrayal of East Pakistan.

Retired Brigadier Sher Afghan stated, “There was a general sentiment in the army that General Niazi should not have surrendered to the Indians and should have fought to the last breath.”

He said, “In the army, we used to discuss this, and I told fellow officers that General Yahya ordered General Niazi to surrender to ensure the security of West Pakistan.”

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Sher Afghan replied that the army holds no negative sentiments about General Niazi when reminded of the common phrase in army barracks: “He who died is a martyr, he who survived is a warrior, and he who fled is a Niazi.”

Retired Brigadier Sher Afghan claimed that India propagated this saying, not the army barracks.

“All India Radio spread this phrase to defame General Niazi. He was one of the most decorated officers in the Pakistan Army.”

Sher Afghan expressed deep resentment toward politicians who mock General Niazi in their parliamentary speeches.

Sher Afghan recalled that General Niazi was a kind and composed person within his family.

“After his release as a war prisoner, when he returned, we did not notice any change in his personality.”

Notably, both of General Niazi’s sons have recently passed away, while his three daughters are still alive.