The Betrayal of East Pakistan

by Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi

In December 1971, one of Pakistan's most decorated offficers, Lt.-Gen. A.A.K. Niazi, laid down arms before the invading Indian army, leading to the dismemberment of Pakistan. Was `Tiger' Niazi a coward, a hero, or the victim of an unjust fate? In this candid account General Niazi breaks 26
years of silence and volunteers his own version of the events of that fateful year.

Genres: History, War, Nonfiction, Pakistan, Biography, Bangladesh, Military Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Nu Jahat Jabin · Rating 1 out of 5]

মিথ্যা নিয়ে এক কৌতুক আছে। কিন্তু মিথ্যা আসলে ৪ প্রকার। মিথ্যা, ডাহা মিথ্যা, পরিসংখ্যান এর সাথে অনায়াসে যোগ করতে পারেন পাকিস্তানিদের লিখিত মুক্তিযুদ্ধের ইতিহাস।
ইতিহাস সব সময় বিজয়ীদের কথা বলে একমাত্র ব্যতিক্রম বোধহয় বাংলাদেশের বিজয়টা যেখানে খুনী আর আর খুনির পক্ষে সাফাই গাওয়া লোকের মানুষের কোন অভাব নাই।
আহারে বাংলাদেশ।

এক কথায় রিভিউ দিব? নির্জলা মিথ্যাচার, চোরের মায়ের বড় গলা।
একটু বিস্তারিত গেলে বলতে হয়
বইটার প্রথম দিকে আছে আমাদের নিয়াজী সাহেব কত সম্ভ্রান্ত পরিবারের সন্তান, কিভাবে উনি সেরা আর্মি অফিসার হয়ে উঠলেন ব্লা ব্লা ব্লা।
নিজের ঢোল নিজে পিটাতে চাইলে সাবধানে পিটাতে হয়!!
বইয়ের এক জায়গায় লিখা অমুক ব্রিগেডিয়ার ৭১ এর স্মৃতিচারণ লিখছে পাকিস্তান সরকারের নির্দেশে। অথচ সেই ব্রিগেডিয়ার নাকি যুদ্ধের সব নিয়াজি সাহেবের এক সামান্য মেজর ছিল সে কিনা যুদ্ধের কিছুই জানতেন না। নিয়াজি সাহেবের ভাষায় উক্ত আর্মি অফিসার না জানে যুদ্ধ না জানে ডিফেন্সের অন্য কিছু 😂 হায়রে তথাকথিত পাকিস্তান সেরা ডিফেন্স ফোর্সের মেজর নাকি কিছুই জানে না আবার প্রোমোশন পাইতে পাইতে ব্রিগেডিয়ার ও হয়ে যায়। 😂😂
পুরা বই জুড়ে ছিদ কাঁদুনে, ক্যামনে পারে মানুষ এত কাপুরুষ হইতে?!!

আমি কিছু করি নাই।
বাংগালীরা স্বাধীনতা ইন্ডিয়া না আইলে পাইত না
বাংলাদেশে পানি বেশি, ঠিক মত যুদ্ধই করতে পারি না
আমরা তেমন কাউরে মারি নাই
আমারে ঠিক মত ফোর্স দেওয়া হয় নাই
সব টিক্কার দোষ
পুরা বই জুড়ে হামবড়া দেমাগ, কাপুরুষতা, আর বাচ্চা মেয়ের মত ছিঁচকাঁদুনী।

সিরিয়াসলি পাকিস্তান নামের দেশটায় টাইগার উপাধী পাওয়া ব্যাটা মানুষ এমনে শিশুতে মত কান্নাকাটি করতে পারে বই খানা না পড়লে জানতুম না।
বইটার ঊৎসর্গ করেছেন উনি রাজাকারদের যারা অখণ্ড পাকিস্তান রক্ষার অক্লান্ত পরিশ্রম করেছে, হতাশা ব্যক্ত করেছেন কেন এদের সংখ্যা এত কম ছিল।
জানি না এই কাপুরুষ এখন ও বেঁচে আছে কিনা তবে বেঁচে থাকলে বর্তমানে আফসোস করবেন কেন যুদ্ধটা ৭১ এ হল কেন এই সময় না। তাহলে অন্তত কয়েকগুন বেশি অখণ্ড পাকিস্তান প্রেমী পেতেন।
সবার জন্যই আফসোস দেশটার জন্য নিয়াজি নামের চুড়ি পড়া জেনারেলটার জন্য ও.

[W]

General Niazi's name remains etched in my memory.As the 1971 war raged on during my childhood,anthems played on radio,"Tiger Niazi roars in the battle fields of the East."

He was then the man most vilified for the fall of Dacca,for laying down arms as commander of the Eastern Command.If I remember correctly,he was the last of the prisoners of war to be repatriated.He was even stripped of his pension.

Later on,though,he made an unsuccessful attempt to enter politics.Towards the end of his life,he also wrote this book to present his side of the story.

He was the last general to be posted to Dacca.Before him Lt. Gen. Yakub Khan,sensing the gravity of the situation,had bailed out.The decision paid off handsomely for Yakub,he didn't get any blame.Instead he had a long stint as Pakistan's Foreign Minister under General Zia.Niazi resents that all the blame was laid at his door and Yakub Khan got away scot free.

Before Niazi's arrival,General Tikka Khan had already launched Operation Searchlight,and the disturbances had intensified.President Yahya Khan was no longer happy with Tikka Khan and decided to promote Niazi to Lt.General and send him to East Pakistan.

As Niazi put it bitterly,"they needed a mujahid to hang the noose around his neck and I am that mujahid."

Contemporary accounts of Niazi are not flattering,he liked dirty jokes,he liked Bengali women,he was full of bravado and he didn't do much planning.

But one also has to consider the hopeless situation in which he was placed.1,000 miles away from home base,no air force,no reinforcements,no heavy weapons,limited ammunition and a huge invading Indian force.Add to that a hostile local population and rebelling Bengali troops.

There was no international support and back in Pakistan,President Yahya Khan was preoccupied with his drinking and his women,leaving Eastern Command to fend for itself.There was a sense of inevitability to the East Pakistan debacle.

I read this book many years ago,I haven't found it since,or on the internet.

[Zunaed · Rating 1 out of 5]

পড়তে পড়তে কেবল দুটো প্রবাদ আমার মনে পড়ছিল, নিজের ঢোল নিজে পেটানো আর চোরের মার বড় গলা।

বাংলাদেশের পক্ষ থেকে তো বটেই, মুক্তিযুদ্ধে পরাজয়ের পাকিস্তান সরকার তাদের পরাজয়ের কারণ বের করতে যে হামদুর রহমান কমিশন গঠন করে, তারাও নিয়াজীর লাম্পট্য, নিষ্ঠুরতা আর চোরাকারবারির সাথে জড়িত থাকার ব্যাপারে প্রমাণ পাওয়ার কথা উল্লেখ করেছে। কিন্তু একজন পাকা লোক হিসেবে নিয়াজী সব অস্বীকার করেছেন অবলীলায়, সবকিছুর দোষ চাপিয়েছেন অন্য কারো ঘাড়ে।

সে এক-তৃতীয়াংশ পড়েছি, তাতে কেবল নিয়াজী কতটা দুধে ধোয়া তুলসীপাতা আর বাকিরা কতটা সাক্ষাৎ শয়তান তার ব্যাখ্যাই পেয়েছি। এসবের পরেও বিরক্ত হয়ে পড়া বন্ধ করার আগ পর্যন্ত বাঙালিদের সম্পর্কে পাকিস্তানি সেনা কর্মকর্তাদের মনোভাব আর নিয়াজীর নিজের গুণকীর্তন ছাড়া বাকিদের সম্পর্কে যা বলেছেন, তাতে আমাদের মুক্তিযুদ্ধের নিষ্ঠুরতার ইতিহাস যা শুনেছি, তাকে অতিরঞ্জিত বলার অসারতাই প্রকাশ পায়।

পাকিস্তানিদের পয়েন্ট ভিউ থেকে মুক্তিযুদ্ধকে দেখার আর আমাদের ভিউয়ের সাথে তুলনা করার খায়েশ হয়েছিল। যে পরিমাণ বিরক্ত হচ্ছিক্স তাতে খায়েশ পায়েস হয়ে পেটে চলে যাবে বলেই মনে হচ্ছে :-(

[Amit · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.25 ⭐

GENRE - NON FICTION / WAR

PAGES - 321

I have read quite a few books on the 1971 war of India - Pakistan and Bangladesh. THE BLOOD TELEGRAM by GARRY J BASS which was a non biased account of an American diplomat in than East Pakistan Dakha along with that I have read Ian Cardozo's 1971 which is an Indian account of the War. I wanted to read a Pakistani perspective of the 1971 War and so I chose to read this book.

A.A.K. NIAZI was the Pakistani General who signed the instrument of surrender in December 1971 which was the biggest ever surrender after World War 2.

NIAZI in his book has described his perspective of the entire fiasco where he was blamed and made a scapegoat for losing half of his country. In the entire book he has described how weak the Indian armed forces were and how their every strategy and operation was a failure.
He puts all the blame on the Politics of the country and the Military High Command present in West Pakistan.
I had a feeling that this book would be singing praise of Islam and how Islamic fighters are better soldiers than the non muslim fighters in this case "Hindus" and how Allah is going to help the Pakistanis win the war, but I wanted to know a Pakistani perspective to the entire debacle and I definitely wasn't left dissatisfied.

NIAZI has blown his trumpet throughout the book and according to him he was the perfect general and a few others along with him were good but the reason Pakistan lost the war was because of Yahya Khan, Tikka Khan and Zulfiqar Bhutto and all the other generals in the Military.

A must read if you want to know and understand how propaganda is created by the Pakistani Military.

Thank you 🙏😊 🎺

[Asif · Rating 3 out of 5]

How strong human desire is to absolve himself from the chaos that cause suffering to other human beings. How strong that desire is to come clean out of everything and be seen as victorious by coming generations. I have read, A. R. Siddiqui, Siddiq Salik, Z. A. Bhutto and now A. K. Niazi on the subject that has long been forgotten in Pakistan. How easy it is, for everyone to reflect about this misfortune in isolation.

No one talks about the treatment of Bengalis since 1947. Grievances that were caused – both political and economic. Everyone starts the episode from the elections of 1970. Bhutto would blame failure of military regime, politically and operationally for secession of Decca. Siddiq Salik would put this blame conveniently on Niazi for the atrocities committed during the civil war and the message accepting the surrender. Niazi puts his blame outright on Yahya and Bhutto for their political views and the way tried to alter the historic narrative by favoring other generals.

This book is Niazi’s effort to come out clean from the allegations that were surfaced. He conveniently does not talk about the allegations of rape, plunder, massacre and brutal punishments that were inflicted by Pakistan’s army on pro-Bangladesh. He only talks about how he was clean, and how and why Bhutto and Yahya had already planned to divorce East Pakistan without any successor Government.

It is interesting part of the history where everyone thinks he was clean and was deceived by other persons. This cannot be read is isolation but the complete episode should be viewed in its entirety from 1947 till a decade after secession to see who were the actual beneficiaries.

But no one in Pakistan is willing to go at that length, because it will then be a blasphemy – a political blasphemy.

[ahmad afridi · Rating 2 out of 5]

this has the same theme, blame every one else and praise your gallantry and moral uprightness when all you have done is a massacre. he is not even consistent in his blames shifting them regularly from politicians to military brass. one can agree with him when he say that surrender was decision of high command and he has to save his troops as well as east Pakistani civilians but then i recalled an interview (present on AP archives) when he proudly said that Indian tanks would have to pass over his dead body to enter Dhaka and we will fight or die .when the reporter asked "but a lot of men might die" he replied " that's the price of freedom " and the next day he was on table to give his freedom to gen Arora to avoid captured and tried by Mukti bahni for war crimes . If you stress so much on chain of commands then why make claims which is beyond your power.

[Farrukh Pitafi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is compulsory reading and a total surprise. If you have not read it you don't know half the story of East Pakistan. Read it with a pinch of salt if you want.

[Shakil Mahmud · Rating 1 out of 5]

এয়সা বাকওয়াস কিতাব ম্যয়নে পুরি জিন্দেগীমে নেহি পাড়হা। মারো ...মুঝে মারো । অর মারো । জোরসে মারো ।

[Md. Islam · Rating 2 out of 5]

বইটা ১০০ পৃষ্ঠায় শেষ করা যেত, হুদাই একই জিনিস বারবার লিখে ৩৫০ পৃষ্ঠা বানাইছে।
বইয়ে নিজের প্রশংসা আর অন্যদের সমালোচনা ছাড়া আর কিছু নাই।
তার সমালোচনায় পাকিস্তানী জেনারেলদের স্বার্থপরতা, ক্ষমতায় আরোহণের ষড়যন্ত্র, পুর্ব পাকিস্তানের প্রতি প্রভাবশালী
আমলা ও রাজনীতিবিদদের দৃষ্টিভঙ্গি কিছুটা উঠে এসেছে।

[Shadab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lopsided writing as expected from the defeated general. Have to be read with a pinch of salt. But reveals interesting stories that happened behind the curtains.

[Saad Din · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book and a very well written too who ever has been hired to written this piece has done this beautifully if Gen Niazi has himself done this then its a really remarkable job but I have doubt on this, keeping aside the id of real author this book is a must read for all Pakistanis and for all those who have any bit of interest in this subject.

Gen A AK Niazi was the protagonist of this drama which unfolded 50 years ago and left the ever lasting mark not only on the psychology of Pakistani nation but that that of Bangladesh and India too. Author has focused mainly on the ground situation in the war zone he stressed on the acute deficiency of resources and the role played by the high command of Pakistan Army during the crisis; he has defended his policy of forward defense which has been criticized by most of the analysts till now, he has supported his arguments by presenting references for all his arguments he has also countered the theories on military tactics adopted by his command and control many myths have been broken in this work.

I myself has now been convinced to shun the preconceived theories on this tragic event; in the hind sight we could safely say that the creation of Bangladesh thru a bloody military conflict was not an accident but this was a pre decided by the world powers along with the military junta and local political forces namely PPP and Al or in other words Yahya and co along with Bhutto and Mujib while blaming Gen Niazi for the debacle.

One thing that is not being done in detail by the author is the issue of human right violation by the Pakistan Army personnel however he has mentioned the indiscipline in the ranks and officers ( in passing ) and blamed Gen Tikka for all the mess.

In the nutshell we could say that East Pakistan tragedy was incurred by the people who were there to defend it
but failed to share the details of the hsehe as held Gen Tika responsible for the wrong doings

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Betrayal of East Pakistan- Amir Abudullah Khan Niazi-Lt Gen and Commander of East Pakistan Army-The Books tells the story of fall of East Pakistan in the hands of Mukti Bahini and Indian Armed Forces on 16 December, 1971 at Dhaka. It is interesting to note that after independence Pakistan has not done much to develop infrastructure and industry in East Pakistan. The whole country is covered with rivers and means of transport is partly rail and local Boat/small ships. Not much finance and planning was done for development of local Industry, education. Mass killing of university graduates by Lt Gen Tikka khan had made the local population against the Military Rule. Fort scheme of protection of borders of East Pakistan was followed with the approval of GOC Pakistan. Initial scheme before posting of Niazi was that he should protect the border of East Pakistan while West Pakistan will attack India for which support will be provided by USA and China but all this did not happen. War was declared by West Pakistan was Indian army retaliated. East Pakistan was cordoned and was without support from West Pakistan. Though the Army strength was about 45000 men and equal number of para- military forces but lack of local support, GoC Pakistan passed instructions for unilateral surrender and ceasefire. On 16-12-1971 ultimate historical surrender was effected with Indian Lt Gen J S Aurora. Bangla Desh was formed. The Book is worth reading before reading the account by Indian authors.

[Raja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite immense self praising, exaggeration and annoying repetition this book has successfully brought up what others couldn’t; the ground facts. Interesting thing the General has given is the progressive update of all the battles. He although boasted about many things and pointed out the mistakes of the Indian Commanders yet couldn’t give the answers of his own mistakes. He has beautifully explained the circumstances in which Pakistan Army was fighting, he discussed all the possible solutions he had and convinces the reader that he opted for the only best strategy but at the end puts all the blame on Gen Yahya while quoting his message in which he actually didn’t force him to surrender. Which suggests he lost the will to fight.... the book leaves many questions unanswered like if General was a coward why didn’t he run away in the last helicopters he sent to Burma? How a bold commander suddenly became indecisive and despite having a huge army in hands opted to surrender? Anyhow he gives quite shocking facts regarding unavailability of ordinance stores, heavy weapons and ammunition which reminds FM Mankekshaw’s famous interview in which he says Pakistan Army fought gallantly but they didn’t have any options.

[Fakhre Alam]

All are lame excuses. Niazi and other army men were busy in womanizing there. He had more than 50000 fighting troops who could defend Dhaka for next 6 months. Niazi proved to be an extremely timid person and deliberately separated East Pakistan.

[Vineeth Nair · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average read. Covers Niazi's version of how things culminated in surrender at Dhaka.

[মাহাদী হাসান রাতুল · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just a guy trying to hide his tears and prove himself the best of his army. Such a dumb try, Lol.

[Rudro · Rating 1 out of 5]

The books is called :The Betrayal of East Pakistan' but throughout the whole book he talks about how he was betrayed by West Pakistan, which is ironic.
The book depicts perfectly about the vanity and narcissism of the author who kept repeating the same thing over and over.. the book could have been finished within 110 pages if he wasn’t so obsessed with saying the same thing three times in three different chapters.
He blamed everyone else except himself, which was not surprising because the whole point of the book was to justify himself.

[Abbas Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the story from someone who was one of the important players in the arena shed light on the story from another angle.
The writer looks very convincing in asserting that it was not a military debacle on the Eastern front, but it had been the political decisions taken by the political leaders backed by the military top brass in the West-Pakistsn which left the military leadership in the East Pakistan with out proper space and resources to manoeuvre.

[Moeen Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An account by the General who served as commander East Pakistan.
Gives a perspective from someone in war, 1st sub conventional and then with India.
Answers his side of the controversies and decision making.
Clarifies some misconceptions, mainly regarding strength of POWs and how the war actually unfolded.

[Adnan Chowdhury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of Niazi's self-conceit and Vanity.. He completely ignored the brave participation of bengali Freedom fighters and also ignored the heinous war crimes of his own soldier... Yet the book is good for a different perspective. At least he acknowledged that whatever the did in 25th march (or those 24 years) were hateful and injustice.. also his thoughts were enlightening .

[Muhammad Umad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is outstanding book I want to add my class

[James Das · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Betrayal of East Pakistan (লেখক: লেফটেন্যান্ট জেনারেল এ.এ.কে. নিয়াজি) বইটি মূলত একটি আত্মপক্ষসমর্থনমূলক বিবরণ। এটি ইতিহাস বিশ্লেষণের চেয়ে লেখকের ব্যক্তিগত দায় এড়ানোর প্রচেষ্টাই বেশি প্রকাশ করে। পুরো বইজুড়ে নিজেকে নির্দোষ ��্রমাণ করার তাগিদ স্পষ্ট, যেখানে সামরিক ও রাজনৈতিক ব্যর্থতার দায় ধারাবাহিকভাবে অন্যদের—রাজনৈতিক নেতৃত্ব, আমলাতন্ত্র, এমনকি অধস্তন অফিসারদের ওপর চাপানো হয়েছে।

বইটির ভাষা ও কাঠামোতে অস্বাভাবিক রকমের পুনরুক্তি লক্ষ করা যায়। একই যুক্তি ও অভিযোগ বারবার ঘুরিয়ে ফিরিয়ে বলা হয়েছে, যার ফলে বইটি অপ্রয়োজনীয়ভাবে দীর্ঘ হয়েছে, কিন্তু গভীরতা বাড়েনি। এটি একটি সচেতন কৌশল বলেই মন�� হয়—আবেগ ও অভিযোগের ভারে পাঠককে ক্লান্ত করে বাস্তব দায়বদ্ধতার প্রশ্ন এড়িয়ে যাওয়া।

সবচেয়ে সমস্যাজনক দিক হলো, ১৯৭১ সালে বাংলাদেশের ভেতরে পাকিস্তানি শাসনের সহযোগী শক্তিগুলোর (collaborators) ভূমিকা নিয়ে বইটির নীরবতা বা পরোক্ষ সাফাই। স্থানীয় সহযোগীদের নৈতিক ও রাজনৈতিক দায় স্বীকার না করে বরং তাদের কার্যক্রমকে পরিস্থিতির চাপ হিসেবে দেখানোর চেষ্টা করা হয়েছে, যা ইতিহাস বিকৃতির শামিল।

সব মিলিয়ে, The Betrayal of East Pakistan ইতিহাসের একটি নিরপেক্ষ দলিল নয়; বরং এটি পরাজয়ের পর একজন সেনানায়কের আত্মরক্ষামূলক বয়ান, যেখানে আত্মসমালোচনা অনুপস্থিত এবং দায় স্বীকারের বদলে দায় স্থানান্তরই মুখ্য।

The Betrayal of East Pakistan by Lt. Gen. A. A. K. Niazi reads less like a serious historical account and more like a prolonged exercise in self-justification. Rather than critically examining the military and moral failures of 1971, the book consistently attempts to absolve the author of responsibility by shifting blame onto politicians, civil administrators, and even subordinate officers.

A major weakness of the book is its repetitive nature. The same arguments and grievances are reiterated throughout, making the text unnecessarily long without adding analytical depth. This repetition appears deliberate, serving to drown critical questions of accountability under layers of complaint and grievance.

Most troubling is the book’s approach to Pakistani collaborators in East Pakistan. Instead of acknowledging their political and ethical responsibility in sustaining an oppressive system, the narrative either downplays their role or frames their actions as unavoidable consequences of circumstance. This selective treatment weakens the book’s credibility as a historical source.

Ultimately, The Betrayal of East Pakistan is not an objective history of 1971. It is a defensive memoir of a defeated general—marked by blame-shifting, selective memory, and a notable absence of genuine self-criticism.

[Shakil Akther]

A book full of i did this and that. All successes are mine, and faults are Rao Forman Ali, Bhutto, and Yahya. The muktibahini and Indian generals know nothing about war though they were the victors. He should lead the conspiracy theorists like the Flat Earthers Society. A one-star is more than it deserves

[Sssss]

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[Bilal Hussain · Rating 2 out of 5]

1971 Untold Stories. Mr. Niazi wrote many things which are not acceptable because there was another opponent who had a completely different narrative.

[MH · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never read the book.
I want to read it.

[Souhardo Islam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Exaggerated and many information without proper sources.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helps clear up a lot of propoganda surrounding the war and how the Eastern Garrison was used as a scapegoat.

[Fuad Saifullah · Rating 4 out of 5]

General Niazi puts forward his own perspective of losing the war of 1971, which is termed as Liberation war of 1971 in Bangladesh, resulting in the birth of the nation, Bangladesh. History is always written by the winners, however, to understand history we must listen to the story from both sides.
I would suggest this book to everyone interested in the Liberation War of 1971, especially to all Bangladeshis.

[Prottoy Hasan · Rating 3 out of 5]

im still reading.........the man was definitely very angry with 'bangals'............i dont understand.......why does he blame the western generals for his faults?.......those generals couldn't feed him the victory.........any ways........may be, i may further read the book n then say more bout the book.