The Pakistani Instrument of Surrender () was a legal document signed between

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

(alongside the

Provisional Government of Bangladesh The Provisional Government of Bangladesh (), popularly known as the Mujibnagar Government (); also known as the Bangladeshi government-in-exile, was the first and founding government of Bangladesh that was established following the proclamatio ...

) and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

to end the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

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 Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world and among the most densely populated with a population of over 171 million within an area of . Bangl ...

over the territory of

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

. The document was signed by India's Lt. Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora and Pakistan's A. A. K. Niazi, and led to the surrender of 93,000 Pakistanis — the world's largest surrender in terms of number of personnel since

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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 The Bangladesh genocide was the ethnic cleansing of Bengalis residing in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the Bangladesh Liberation War, perpetrated by the Pakistan Army and the Razakar (Pakistan), Razakars. It began on 25 March 1971, as ...

, perpetrated by Pakistan during the conflict. Bangladesh and the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...

celebrate Pakistan's 1971 defeat and surrender on an annual basis, observing 16 December as

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

Surrender ceremony

The surrender ceremony took place at the

Ramna Race Course Suhrawardy Udyan () is a national memorial and public space located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Originally known as Ramna Race Course, it holds significant historical importance due to its association with key events in the country's history. The sit ...

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

), on 16 December 1971: A. A. K. Niazi of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

formally surrendered to Jagjit Singh Aurora, an

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

officer and joint commander of the

Bangladesh Forces The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Bang ...

. A. K. Khandker, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Forces, represented the

at the ceremony. Also present from the Pakistani Eastern Command were Mohammad Shariff of the

Pakistan Navy The Pakistan Navy (PN) (; ''romanized'': Pākistān Bahrí'a; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of the Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Com ...

and Patrick Desmond Callaghan of the

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

, both of whom signed the agreement alongside Niazi.

Sagat Singh Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, PVSM (14 July 1919 – 26 September 2001) was a General Officer in the Indian Army, notable for his participation in the liberation of Goa and later for his operational maneuver in crossing Meghna river and capt ...

, Commander of the Indian IV Corps;

Hari Chand Dewan Air Marshal Hari Chand Dewan, (20 September 1921 – 22 August 2017) was an Indian Air Force officer. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilia ...

, 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

. 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 A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

in the Indian capital of

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. 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

External links

* * {{1971 Indo-Pakistan War Dhaka in the Bangladesh Liberation War Military history of Bangladesh Liberation War Bangladeshi documents Indian documents Government documents of Pakistan Peace treaties of Bangladesh Peace treaties of Pakistan India–Pakistan military relations 1971 documents 1971 in Dhaka 1971 in India 1971 in Pakistan Peace treaties of India Treaties concluded in 1971 Treaties entered into force in 1971 Instrument of Surrender India–Pakistan treaties December 1971 in Bangladesh Trilateral relations