With that I came out. Half an hour later, I saw that the surrender document was on the table. I ask Niazi, ‘General, have you accepted it?’
He remained silent without any answer. I asked him the same thing three times. I didn’t get any answer. Then I took the paper from the table and lifted it up and said, ‘Then I assume you have agreed to it.’
Then I saw tears in Niazi’s eyes. The eyes of other Pakistani generals and admirals were burning with rage.
“I will surrender to my office,” Niazi said.
I said, ‘No. I have already instructed you to surrender at the racecourse ground, in front of the people of Dhaka. ‘
He said, ‘I will not do that.’
‘Do’ – I said, ‘You will also provide a guard of honor.’
Then when we were going to the airport in Niazi’s car, the members of Mukti Bahini stopped our car and jumped on him. Luckily my staff officer Khara was a Sikh, he took out his turbaned head and shouted at the freedom fighters. Going to the airport, I saw a few of our soldiers coming from all over. In a jeep I saw two paramilitaries and took them with me. Arriving at the airport, Tiger Siddiqui appeared with a truck of freedom fighters. I don’t know what he meant, but I guess he wanted to shoot Niazi. If Niazi had been killed at the airport, the surrender would not have happened. I told the two paramilitaries to surround Niazi, point a rifle at him, and in that case remove him from the airfield. Then (Kader) walked to Siddiqui.
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