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Meeting a vanquished general

There may just be a few instances in the recent history where one of the almost equally strong opposing forces surrendered due to sheer psychological despondency.

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Col Mahesh Chadha  

There may just be a few instances in the recent history where one of the almost equally strong opposing forces surrendered due to sheer psychological despondency. The foremost in our context is the India-Pak war 1971, in which I had participated, when the Indian armed forces prevailed upon the Pakistan forces in the erstwhile East Pakistan to surrender within 13 days of intense battle. 

They were surrounded from all directions and there was no point in escalating bloodshed any further. Yet, no endeavour was made to break through like Marshal Foch says (quoted by armies world over), “My centre is giving way, my right is retreating, situation excellent, I attack”.  And then Lt Gen AAK Niazi, the butcher of East Pakistan, was no Foch, and indulged in rape, loot, plunder and genocide of helpless Bengalis. So, it was given to the Indian armed forces to make him pay for his sins. 

Approximately 93,000 soldiers, including one Lt General, four Major Generals and 12 Brigadiers, laid down their arms at the historic race course in Dacca (now Dhaka) on December 16, 1971, in broad daylight to the happiness of the freed Bangladeshis and to utter lifelong humiliation of all Pakistanis.

Fulfilling the Simla agreement, Prisoners of War (POWs) were repatriated in 1974-75 by trains passing through a camp established by our unit at Jhakhal to provide them food, water and medicines, etc. Each train had a few officers, JCOs and about 600-700 ORs, some of whom did not mince words to say, “Humein toh generals ne marwa diya” (We have been got butchered and ashamed by our generals). One day, we were informed that the former Martial Law administrator of East Pakistan travelling in the next train, arising an all-pervasive curiosity to meet the vanquished general.

As I entered a dilapidated first class compartment, my image of a well-built stocky general was shattered when I saw a frail, forlorn person sitting in his pyjamas. Men accompanying me brought in some meals (halal) for him, he respectfully thanked them and kept the meals on a side table. After shaking hands, I asked him, “General, how was your stay in my country?” Not accustomed to such a question from a young Captain, he sheepishly bowed his head, looked at me, then outside the window and muttered, “What could it be for a POW)?”  To me, it was both a moment of pride and pity for him. “What kind of a general who despite having such a large force of three divisions supported by the Pakistan air force and navy — added to this the US 7th Fleet floating in the Indian Ocean to their rescue, unconditionally surrendered to their sworn enemy, indeed a coward to be a POW than to die in action,” I wondered.

On reaching his country, Niazi was tried by a war inquiry commission, which withdrew his decoration of Hilali Zurrat, in any case he had been already cashiered by our Lt General JS Aurora. Dishonoured, he authored ‘Betrayal of East Pakistan’ in 1999 and died in 2004. 

During the World War-II in 1943, the German army’s blitzkrieg against Russia was contained by Marshal Zhukov on the outskirts of Stalingrad when snow came pouring, killing more with cold than Russian counter stroke. Hitler promoted his General Von Paulus, a Field Marshal, thinking that he would not surrender yet he ashamed himself, spent rest of his life as a POW in East Germany. 

The WW-II ended with the destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima by US nuclear bombs, compelling Emperor Hirohoto to order his foreign minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijiro Umezu to sign the instrument of surrender. Many military thinkers have called this an act of most heinous crime by the super power US against humanity to which any nation how so ever strong willed it may be would have no option but to lay down arms in order to save their civilisation and culture.

It is intriguing to note that during the WW-I (1914-18 ) and the WW-II (1939-45) when India had not been partitioned both the future Indian and Pakistani troops fought  shoulder to shoulder far away from their shores to die at Festubert, Galipolli, Al Alamine, Arakans and at many other battlefields but never surrendered. That some of the same stock would lose it's vigour, wilt under pressure, fall like pins indeed proves failure of their Generals — Yahya Khan and Niazi and not of men who only know how to obey orders — for glory or shame.

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