<!--QuoteBegin-Viren+Dec 15 2008, 08:11 PM-->QUOTE(Viren @ Dec 15 2008, 08:11 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><img src='http://www.pictureworldbd.com/images/Liberation_War/war71%20(32).jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
[right][snapback]91851[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Thanks Virenji for the images.
In the picture you posted, the only lady visible, peeping from behind the shoulders of an admiral is the wife of General JS Aurora.
Standing on the right most edge of the photograph (with a pipe he smoked?) is the Bengali Jewish officer in smile, architect of 1971 military strategy - General J F R Jacob. Jacob became well recognized in the establishment of Israel after the 1971 war. He is also known as an important actor in establishing government level Indo-Israel ties generally, but more particularly during NDA regime, when he joined BJP and headed its National Security panel as its adviser and visited Israel many times as representative. He was appointed the governor to Goa as well as Punjab during NDA rule.
<b>December 16, 1971:
The Public Surrender of 93,000 Pakistani Soldiers to India </b>
This surrender is unique, the only public surrender in history where a ceasefire was converted into a surrender, unheard of in the modern military history. A very interesting account of that historic day in words of Gen. Jacob when he was tasked to get a surrender of Pakistani force before the ceasefire would take effect:
(read in full at link below)
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->On the morning of December 16, Manekshaw phoned me and said: "Go and get a surrender."
"On what terms?" I asked. "I have already send you a draft surrender document. Do I negotiate on that?"
"You know what to do, just go!" he replied.
Then I made a mistake. I told him that when I was talking to Niazi, he had invited me for lunch, and I forgot about it.
I was changing helicopters at Jessore to get to Dhaka, when a man came running to me with a signal from Army HQ. I opened it, thinking good, now I have some orders.
I was unarmed, and carrying the document which I had typed (image of which Viren had posted above) and sent to Delhi. A staff officer was with me, that's all. I opened the letter, and it said: "The government of India has approved of General Jacob having lunch with Niazi."
Who wanted their permission?
Anyway, I landed at Dhaka still carrying this paper which I had sent to Delhi. On my arrival, I was met by the UN representatives who said we are coming with you to arrange the withdrawal of the Pakistani army and the takeover of the government. <b>I said thank you very much, I don't need your help. </b>
The Time magazine reporter who was there said I threatened to shoot them.
I didn't have a weapon to shoot them with!!!
I arrived at Niazi's headquarters, where I had the draft surrender document read out to him.
This is an unconditional surrender, he said. "You have only come here to discuss the ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Pakistani army."
"General," I replied, "this is not unconditional, I have worked on this for some time. I had put in it that we would protect ethnic minorities, that we would ensure the safety of them and their families, that they would be treated with dignity as officers and men according to the Geneva Convention. So it is not unconditional. Where would you find all these conditions laid down?"
But he said no.
I had thought he had 25,000 troops in Dhaka. He told me had 30,000.
I listened to the arguments for some time. His aides like Farman Ali were advising him not to surrender.
Finally, I told him, "Look general, you surrender, I will ensure your safety, the safety of your families, ethnic minorities, everyone. You will be treated with respect. If you don't I am afraid I can take no responsibility for what happens to you or your families. What is more, we will have no other option but to order the immediate resumption of hostilities.
I give you 30 minutes."
I walked out.
The Hamidur Rehman report says 'there was General Jacob, calmly puffing his pipe pacing up and down.'
And I was thinking, suppose he doesn't surrender, what do I do? He has 30,000 troops, we have 3,000, (in Dhaka) he can fight for three weeks at least!
The Hamidur Rehman report also says when they asked him why did you surrender, Niazi told them 'General Jacob blackmailed me! He threatened to hand us over to the Bahini, and that they would bayonet us.'
I did put pressure on him, but I didn't say I would hand him over to the Mukti Bahini for them to massacre. I said I would not be responsible.
Anyway, I was wondering what was going to happen as I walked back after half an hour. The paper I gave him was lying on the table.
"General, do you accept this paper?" I asked.
He kept quiet, he didn't answer. I asked him three times.
So I picked it up, and held it high, and said, "I take it that it is accepted."
There were tears in his eyes.
What came to be signed had to be re-signed in Calcutta two weeks later. The signed document was wrong.
I will surrender in my office, Niazi said.
<b>I said no, I have already given instructions that you will surrender at the race course, in front of the people of Dhaka. </b>
"I won't," he said.
<b>"You will," I said. "You will also provide a guard of honour."</b>
I made my own modalities for the surrender.
This surrender is unique, the only public surrender in history where a ceasefire was converted into surrender and signed in four hours. Niazi had the capacity to fight on for two to three weeks, and the UN was in session.
Then there was that lunch described as the Surrender Lunch, with all the silverware laid out. we didn't touch anything, not even a drop of water.
After that ... we were going to the airport in Niazi's car.Â
Near the airport, I saw a few of our troops trickling in. I saw two para boys in a jeep and I took them with me.
When I got to the airport, Tiger Siddiqi turned up with a truckload of Mukti Bahini. I don't know why, but I felt he wanted to shoot Niazi. If Niazi was killed at the airport, there would be no surrender.
I told the two para boys to point their rifles at him -- and ordered him off the airfield.
Then Aurora and his entourage, including his wife, landed. I was supposed to travel with Niazi and Aurora, but I was told to make way for Mrs Aurora. She was more important. Since everyone else had gone, and this was the last car, I hitched a ride in a truck.
After the signing, the crowd was wanting to lynch Niazi. We had very few troops there. So we had put a cordon around Niazi, put him in an army jeep which whisked him away. We took 93,000 prisoners.
Due credit must go to Indira Gandhi who displayed courage and determination throughout the crisis. She stood up to US President Richard M Nixon and the UN, and led the country to its greatest victory.
We lost 1,400 men; 4,000 were wounded. The credit for our victory should go to the officers and men who fought gallantly against stiff resistance by the Pakistanis. The rifle and bayonet at the Amar Jawan memorial in New Delhi belongs to an unknown soldier who gave his life in the Jessore sector.
Let us not forget their sacrifice.
-- General J F R Jacob, Chief of Staff, Eastern Army Command.
How Pakistan surrendered in 1971
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
UPA wants to of course have nothing to do with either historic victory of 1971 or its Heroes. The other Hero, of course the Parsi General from Punjab, Sam Manekshaw, the Chief of Army Staff during the 1971, was insulted in death when neither any cabinet minister nor any service chiefs paid visit to his funeral a few months back.
<img src='http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/apr/03spec1.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<img src='http://im.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/19war.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
(Niazi, Brigadiers Sant Singh and Shubeg Singh and Jacob just before the signing of the instrument of surrender.)
==
<b>December 16, 1773:</b>
This event is inderectly linked to India:
The Boston Tea Party was an act of direct action protest by the American colonists against the British Government in which they destroyed many crates of tea belonging to the British East India Company and dumped it in Boston Harbor. The incident, which took place on Thursday, December 16, 1773, has been seen as helping to spark the American Revolution and remains to this day one of the most iconic events in American history.
[right][snapback]91851[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Thanks Virenji for the images.
In the picture you posted, the only lady visible, peeping from behind the shoulders of an admiral is the wife of General JS Aurora.
Standing on the right most edge of the photograph (with a pipe he smoked?) is the Bengali Jewish officer in smile, architect of 1971 military strategy - General J F R Jacob. Jacob became well recognized in the establishment of Israel after the 1971 war. He is also known as an important actor in establishing government level Indo-Israel ties generally, but more particularly during NDA regime, when he joined BJP and headed its National Security panel as its adviser and visited Israel many times as representative. He was appointed the governor to Goa as well as Punjab during NDA rule.
<b>December 16, 1971:
The Public Surrender of 93,000 Pakistani Soldiers to India </b>
This surrender is unique, the only public surrender in history where a ceasefire was converted into a surrender, unheard of in the modern military history. A very interesting account of that historic day in words of Gen. Jacob when he was tasked to get a surrender of Pakistani force before the ceasefire would take effect:
(read in full at link below)
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->On the morning of December 16, Manekshaw phoned me and said: "Go and get a surrender."
"On what terms?" I asked. "I have already send you a draft surrender document. Do I negotiate on that?"
"You know what to do, just go!" he replied.
Then I made a mistake. I told him that when I was talking to Niazi, he had invited me for lunch, and I forgot about it.
I was changing helicopters at Jessore to get to Dhaka, when a man came running to me with a signal from Army HQ. I opened it, thinking good, now I have some orders.
I was unarmed, and carrying the document which I had typed (image of which Viren had posted above) and sent to Delhi. A staff officer was with me, that's all. I opened the letter, and it said: "The government of India has approved of General Jacob having lunch with Niazi."
Who wanted their permission?
Anyway, I landed at Dhaka still carrying this paper which I had sent to Delhi. On my arrival, I was met by the UN representatives who said we are coming with you to arrange the withdrawal of the Pakistani army and the takeover of the government. <b>I said thank you very much, I don't need your help. </b>
The Time magazine reporter who was there said I threatened to shoot them.
I didn't have a weapon to shoot them with!!!
I arrived at Niazi's headquarters, where I had the draft surrender document read out to him.
This is an unconditional surrender, he said. "You have only come here to discuss the ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Pakistani army."
"General," I replied, "this is not unconditional, I have worked on this for some time. I had put in it that we would protect ethnic minorities, that we would ensure the safety of them and their families, that they would be treated with dignity as officers and men according to the Geneva Convention. So it is not unconditional. Where would you find all these conditions laid down?"
But he said no.
I had thought he had 25,000 troops in Dhaka. He told me had 30,000.
I listened to the arguments for some time. His aides like Farman Ali were advising him not to surrender.
Finally, I told him, "Look general, you surrender, I will ensure your safety, the safety of your families, ethnic minorities, everyone. You will be treated with respect. If you don't I am afraid I can take no responsibility for what happens to you or your families. What is more, we will have no other option but to order the immediate resumption of hostilities.
I give you 30 minutes."
I walked out.
The Hamidur Rehman report says 'there was General Jacob, calmly puffing his pipe pacing up and down.'
And I was thinking, suppose he doesn't surrender, what do I do? He has 30,000 troops, we have 3,000, (in Dhaka) he can fight for three weeks at least!
The Hamidur Rehman report also says when they asked him why did you surrender, Niazi told them 'General Jacob blackmailed me! He threatened to hand us over to the Bahini, and that they would bayonet us.'
I did put pressure on him, but I didn't say I would hand him over to the Mukti Bahini for them to massacre. I said I would not be responsible.
Anyway, I was wondering what was going to happen as I walked back after half an hour. The paper I gave him was lying on the table.
"General, do you accept this paper?" I asked.
He kept quiet, he didn't answer. I asked him three times.
So I picked it up, and held it high, and said, "I take it that it is accepted."
There were tears in his eyes.
What came to be signed had to be re-signed in Calcutta two weeks later. The signed document was wrong.
I will surrender in my office, Niazi said.
<b>I said no, I have already given instructions that you will surrender at the race course, in front of the people of Dhaka. </b>
"I won't," he said.
<b>"You will," I said. "You will also provide a guard of honour."</b>
I made my own modalities for the surrender.
This surrender is unique, the only public surrender in history where a ceasefire was converted into surrender and signed in four hours. Niazi had the capacity to fight on for two to three weeks, and the UN was in session.
Then there was that lunch described as the Surrender Lunch, with all the silverware laid out. we didn't touch anything, not even a drop of water.
After that ... we were going to the airport in Niazi's car.Â
Near the airport, I saw a few of our troops trickling in. I saw two para boys in a jeep and I took them with me.
When I got to the airport, Tiger Siddiqi turned up with a truckload of Mukti Bahini. I don't know why, but I felt he wanted to shoot Niazi. If Niazi was killed at the airport, there would be no surrender.
I told the two para boys to point their rifles at him -- and ordered him off the airfield.
Then Aurora and his entourage, including his wife, landed. I was supposed to travel with Niazi and Aurora, but I was told to make way for Mrs Aurora. She was more important. Since everyone else had gone, and this was the last car, I hitched a ride in a truck.
After the signing, the crowd was wanting to lynch Niazi. We had very few troops there. So we had put a cordon around Niazi, put him in an army jeep which whisked him away. We took 93,000 prisoners.
Due credit must go to Indira Gandhi who displayed courage and determination throughout the crisis. She stood up to US President Richard M Nixon and the UN, and led the country to its greatest victory.
We lost 1,400 men; 4,000 were wounded. The credit for our victory should go to the officers and men who fought gallantly against stiff resistance by the Pakistanis. The rifle and bayonet at the Amar Jawan memorial in New Delhi belongs to an unknown soldier who gave his life in the Jessore sector.
Let us not forget their sacrifice.
-- General J F R Jacob, Chief of Staff, Eastern Army Command.
How Pakistan surrendered in 1971
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
UPA wants to of course have nothing to do with either historic victory of 1971 or its Heroes. The other Hero, of course the Parsi General from Punjab, Sam Manekshaw, the Chief of Army Staff during the 1971, was insulted in death when neither any cabinet minister nor any service chiefs paid visit to his funeral a few months back.
<img src='http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/apr/03spec1.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<img src='http://im.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/19war.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
(Niazi, Brigadiers Sant Singh and Shubeg Singh and Jacob just before the signing of the instrument of surrender.)
==
<b>December 16, 1773:</b>
This event is inderectly linked to India:
The Boston Tea Party was an act of direct action protest by the American colonists against the British Government in which they destroyed many crates of tea belonging to the British East India Company and dumped it in Boston Harbor. The incident, which took place on Thursday, December 16, 1773, has been seen as helping to spark the American Revolution and remains to this day one of the most iconic events in American history.