East Pakistan Crisis Was Not Military But Political Failure: Pakistan's Outgoing Army Chief

General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the outgoing Chief of Army Staff (COAS) said on Wednesday by claiming that only 34,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered to India during the 1971 war.

As Chief Guest at the Defence and Martyrs Day ceremony, the army chief said that the East Pakistan crisis was a political failure, not a military one. The number of fighting soldiers was only 34,000, with the rest coming from various government departments “on the 1971 Dhaka debacle.”

According to Pakistan Today, the COAS said that these 34,000 people faced 2,50,000 Indian Army soldiers and 200,000 trained Mukti Bahini but fought valiantly despite the odds. Lt Gen Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, the Chief Martial Law Administrator of East Pakistan and Commander of Pakistan Army forces stationed in East Pakistan, signed the Instrument of Surrender on 16 December 1971.

Exactly 50 years ago, the largest military surrender since WWII occurred when 93,000 soldiers from the Pakistan Army surrendered in front of Indian forces, liberating and giving birth to a new nation, Bangladesh.

According to Pakistan Today, Bajwa said that the nation has not properly recognised the sacrifices of these brave Ghazis (war veterans) and martyrs.

Meanwhile, Bajwa warned against unfair criticism of Pakistan's army, saying that it has limits.

Addressing the Defence and Martyrs Day ceremony as Chief Guest, the army chief said that a false narrative was created to defame the senior leadership of the Pakistan army and derogatory language was used to defame the army, but the army leadership, despite having resources and options, exercised restraint, which has limits.

Without naming anyone, COAS said that a false narrative was created in order to cause instability in the country and that efforts are now being made to get away with this false narrative.

“Senior military leaders were chastised. Let me state unequivocally that army leadership would never compromise on national security. Do you believe that armed forces would remain idle in the face of a foreign conspiracy? This is impossible, rather, it is a major sin. Those who intend to cause a schism between the army and the people will fail,” he said.

He also said that they should be extremely cautious on this count, despite the fact that the people have the right to a positive analysis. Some people chose a fake and false narrative to create chaos and they were now backing down from that dubious position.

According to Pakistan Today, he said that the Army leadership had many options and resources to counter this narrative. Still, the Army exercised restraint in the larger interest of the country and refrained from making any negative statements.

“This restraint has a limit, which must be understood. I want to forgive this inappropriate and aggressive stance taken against me and the Army and move on because Pakistan is the supreme power for all of us. Political parties and individuals may come and go, but the country will always exist,” Pakistan's army chief said.

According to Pakistan Today, the Army had begun its catharsis and hoped that political parties would follow suit. "It is also true that every institution, political party, and civil society has made mistakes. We must learn from our mistakes and move forward.