A. A. K. Niazi
Commander of Pakistan's Eastern Command during the Bangladesh Liberation War
Lieutenant General A. A. K. Niazi commanded Pakistan's Eastern Command in East Pakistan during the decisive months of 1971. He signed the surrender document in Dhaka on 16 December, ending Pakistan's military rule in the territory and marking the creation of Bangladesh.
Niazi took over the Eastern Command in April 1971, after Pakistan's military crackdown had begun and the Bengali independence movement had developed into a prolonged war. By December, Mukti Bahini operations, Indian military intervention, and the loss of communications and territory left the command increasingly isolated around Dhaka. His theatre-level responsibility should be distinguished from the wider political and military chain of command, as well as from the many units and auxiliary forces involved in abuses.
On 16 December 1971, Niazi signed the Instrument of Surrender at Dhaka's Ramna Racecourse, accepting the surrender of Pakistani forces to the joint Bangladesh–India command represented by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora. The act ended the war in East Pakistan; Niazi and other Pakistani personnel were then held as prisoners of war until their repatriation in 1973.