Pakistani Instrument of Surrender
The Pakistani Instrument of Surrender () was a legal document signed between India (alongside the Provisional Government of Bangladesh) and Pakistan to end the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Per the trilateral agreement, the Pakistani government surrendered the Armed Forces Eastern Command, thereby enabling the establishment of the People's Republic of Bangladesh over the territory of East Pakistan. The document was signed by India's Jagjit Singh Aurora and Pakistan's A. A. K. Niazi, who corroborated the surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers to India — the world's largest surrender in terms of number of personnel since World War II. Despite the agreement, Pakistan did not formally recognize Bangladeshi sovereignty until February 1974. The ratification of the agreement by all sides also marked the end of the Bangladesh genocide, perpetrated by Pakistan during the conflict. Bangladesh and the Indian Armed Forces celebrate Pakistan's 1971 defeat and surrender on an annual basis, observing 16 December as Victory Day. Surrender ceremony The surrender ceremony took place at the Ramna Race Course in Dacca, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), on 16 December 1971: A. A. K. Niazi of the Pakistan Army formally surrendered to Jagjit Singh Aurora, an Indian Army officer and joint commander of the Bangladesh Forces. A. K. Khandker, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Forces, represented the Provisional Government of Bangladesh at the ceremony. Also present from the Pakistani Eastern Command were Mohammad Shariff of the Pakistan Navy and Patrick Desmond Callaghan of the Pakistan Air Force, both of whom signed the agreement alongside Niazi. Sagat Singh, Commander of the Indian IV Corps; Hari Chand Dewan, Commander of the Indian Eastern Air Command; and J. F. R. Jacob, Chief of Staff of the Indian Eastern Command; all acted as witnesses on behalf of India. Niazi accepted the surrender while the crowd on the race course promptly erupted in celebrations. Text of the instrument The document is now public property under the governments of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, and can be seen on display at the National Museum in the Indian capital of New Delhi. The text of the Instrument of Surrender is as follows: Sources "Instrument of Surrender of Pakistani forces in Dacca", Hosted by Ministry of External Affairs, India "The Separation of East Pakistan" References Bangladesh Liberation War Bangladeshi documents Indian documents Government documents of Pakistan Peace treaties of Bangladesh Peace treaties of Pakistan India–Pakistan military relations 1971 in Bangladesh 1971 in India 1971 in Pakistan Peace treaties of India Treaties concluded in 1971 Treaties entered into force in 1971 Surrenders India–Pakistan treaties December 1971 events in Asia