Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi

Who was Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi?

Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, was a former lieutenant-general in the Pakistan Army, served as the last governor and martial law administrator of East Pakistan and the last unified commander of the Eastern Military High Command of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Presided over East Pakistan for only two days, Niazi was responsible for the eastern contingent of the Pakistan Armed Forces during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War and the Bangladesh Liberation War, jointly with Vice-Admiral Mohammad Shariff, Commander of Eastern Naval Command. General Niazi is still remembered as the "Jackal of Bengal" in Pakistan due to his surrender in East Pakistan. His awards were withdrawn and he was stripped of his honors.

Niazi got commission in the Indian Army in 1934 and took part in combat operations in the Burma Campaign, most notably in the Imphal operation, for which he became famous. After the establishment of Pakistan he joined the Pakistan Army. He commanded Operation Chavinda in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 and was ordered to command the Pakistan Armed Forces in East Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War. In 1971 war, Niazi surrendered his forces of almost 45,000 men to the Indian Armed Forces and the Mukti Bahini guerrilla armed resistance force. He stated that he had acted on the orders of the West Pakistan Military High Command under General Yahya Khan. After the war, other parties like Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto framed him as personally responsible for the surrender, and he was accused of being involved in Pakistan's alleged human rights violations in Bangladesh.