Commander of the Eastern Command (Pakistan)

Commander of the Eastern Command
چیف آف اسٹاف পাকিস্তানের পূর্বাঞ্চলীয় কমান্ডার
Flag of the Pakistan Army
Ministry of Defence
Abbreviation	CEC
Member of	General Headquarters GHQ Army Eastern Command
Residence	Dacca Cantonment, East Pakistan, Pakistan (now Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Nominator	C-in-C Chief of the Army Staff (Pakistan)
Appointer	President of Pakistan
Term length	Not fixed
Constituting instrument	Article
Precursor	Commander of III Corps
Formation	23 August 1969;55 years ago (1969-08-23)
First holder	Sahabzada Yaqub Khan
Final holder	A.A.K. Niazi
Abolished	16 December 1971;53 years ago (1971-12-16)
Succession	Army Chief of Bangladesh
Deputy	Chief Martial Law Admin Chief of the General Staff

The Commander of the Eastern Command was a senior military position in the Pakistan Army, the post was given to a lieutenant General who was head of the Eastern Command of the Pakistan Army and responsible for overseeing the military operations and administration in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). This role existed from 1969 to 1971, during the Military Dictatorship of Yahya Khan with the position gaining prominence during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The office of the Commander of Eastern Command was abolished following the defeat and surrender of Pakistan's military forces in East Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 on 16 December 1971.

Background

The position was created in 1969 under General Yahya Khan, who came to power after the 1968–69 Pakistan revolution in which Field Marshal Ayub Khan was forced to resign. ^[1]

The decade-long regime of Ayub Khan had caused tensions to grow in East Pakistan. This led to increasing demands for autonomy by the Bengali population. ^[2]

In 1971, the role became central to the military's strategy to suppress the growing insurgency and political unrest following the 1970 Pakistani general election, in which the All-Pakistan Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a landslide victory. ^[3]

The final Commander of Eastern Command, Lieutenant-General A.A.K. Niazi, surrendered to the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini forces on 16 December 1971, marking the end of the Bangladesh Liberation War and the creation of an Independent Bangladesh.

Role and Responsibilities

The Commander of Eastern Command served as the chief military officer in East Pakistan, tasked with maintaining law and order, managing counter-insurgency operations, and overseeing the defense of the region. ^[4] During the 1971 crisis, the role expanded to include coordination of military operations against the Mukti Bahini (the Bengali nationalist forces) and managing relations with the civilian administration of East Pakistan. ^[5]

The Commander reported directly to the Chief of Staff, General Hamid Khan, in Rawalpindi and worked closely with the President of Pakistan, General Yahya Khan and the central government. ^[6] During martial law, the Commander of Eastern Command often held significant political authority in addition to their military role. ^[7]

List of Commanders

No.	Portrait	Commander Eastern Command	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Notable Facts
01		Khan, YaqubLieutenant General Yaqub Khan (1920–2016)	1 September 1969	7 March 1971	1 year, 187 days	Resigned from his post in March 1971 due to his opposition to the military crackdown in East Pakistan.
02		Khan, TikkaLieutenant General Tikka Khan (1915–2002)	7 March 1971	10 April 1971	34 days	Known as “Butcher of Bengal” for initiating Operation Searchlight to suppress dissent.
03		Niazi, A.A.K.Lieutenant General A.A.K. Niazi (1915–2004)	10 April 1971	16 December 1971	250 days	Commander during insurgency, Signed the instrument of surrender, marking the end of East Pakistan.

Notable events

• Operation Searchlight (March 1971): Initiated by Lieutenant General Tikka Khan, this military operation aimed to suppress the Bengali nationalist movement but resulted in widespread atrocities and increased resistance from the Mukti Bahini. ^[8]
• Bangladesh Liberation War (April – December 1971): The Eastern Command, under Lieutenant General A. A. K. Niazi, faced a full-scale insurgency supported by India, leading to a decisive defeat and the surrender of 93,000 Pakistani troops in December 1971.

References

1. "Desert Sun 25 March 1969 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
2. Sohail, Aamir; Shah, Dr Jamal; Abdullah, Hamid (2 June 2021). "An Inquiry in to the Causes of the Fall of Ayub Khan". Pakistan Review of Social Sciences (PRSS). 2 (1): 70–89. ISSN   2708-0951.
3. "Election 1970: Rise of democracy and fall of Dhaka". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
4. Riza, Shaukat (1977). Pakistan Army 1966-71. Natraj Publishers. ISBN   978-81-85019-61-1.
5. Nawaz, Shuja (2008). Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-547660-6.
6. Niazi, Amir Abdullah Khan (1998). The Betrayal of East Pakistan. Manohar. ISBN   978-81-7304-256-0.
7. Ṣiddīqī, ʻAbdurraḥmān (1996). The Military in Pakistan, Image and Reality. Vanguard. ISBN   978-969-402-282-6.
8. "Military Digest | An eyewitness account of Pakistan Army's Operation Searchlight in 1971". The Indian Express. 1 December 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2025.