Page 190 - Leadership in the Indian Army

informed Niazi that he was ordering cessation of air action over Dacca.
Niazi later requested an extension of the deadline for surrender, from 9 a.m.
to 3 p.m., which Sam accepted. Around midnight, on December 15, Niazi

sent a message to all his formation commanders to contact their Indian
counterparts and negotiate a ceasefire. The war was over.
The formal surrender ceremony took place at Dacca on 16 December. In
front of a large crowd, General Niazi handed over his pistol to Lieutenant
General Aurora, the Army Commander, and signed the Instrument of
Surrender at 1655 Hours. Along with Niazi, about 93,000 Pakistani soldiers
became prisoners of war. On 10 January 1972, Sheikh Mujib returned to

Dacca in triumph and took over the reins of the Government of Bangladesh.
In March 1972, Indian troops began to withdraw along with civil servants
who handed over charge to their counterparts in Bangladesh.
Before the Indian troops went into East Pakistan, Sam had wanted to
make sure that they did not resort to the traditional occupations of a
victorious Army—loot and rape. He therefore gave strict orders that anyone

found looting was to be courtmartialled. As regards the second problem, he
thought he should talk to the men directly. Wherever he went, he stressed
on the need for Indian troops to be on their best behaviour and stay away
from women. Finally, he broadcast a message to the troops just before they
went into action. ‘When you see a Begum, keep your hands in your pockets,
and think of Sam,’ he said. As a result, cases of loot and rape were
negligible and the Indian Army came out with flying colours, not only for

its feat of arms but the behaviour of its soldiers.
As the war progressed, battle casualties began trickling in. Sam’s wife,
Silloo, made it a point to receive all casualties personally and went to the
Military Hospital everyday to visit them. During one of her visits, she was
told that a wounded Pakistani officer had also arrived. He had been kept
under guard in a separate room. Mrs Manekshaw went to visit him. The

officer did not reply when she asked him how he was feeling. This was
repeated on the next two days. After she left, on the third day, the Pakistani
officer asked one of the nurses about the lady in slacks who came to visit
him daily. When he was told that she was the Chief’s wife, he was aghast.
The next day, when Mrs Manekshaw went to visit him, the officer
apologised profusely for his rude behaviour. He could not stop his tears,
saying that he had not been able to recognise her as this sort of thing did not

happen in his own country.