Remembering Lt Gen JFR Jacob, architect of Pakistan's 1971 surrender

The painting of Pakistan Army's Lt Gen AAK Niazi's surrender at Dhaka occupies the pride of place perhaps in every Army mess across the country.

In the pre-cable television era entertainment for us, as fauji brats, would also be a quiz competition to name as many officers as we could in that famous painting. There were bonus points for those who knew what initials JFR stood for in Lt Gen JFR Jacob's name. "Jacob Farj Rafael Jacob", we would chant for an additional cola drink as prize.

So it was treat to meet Lt Gen JFR Jacob in Delhi's Som Vihar in 1996, the silver jubilee of the 1971 victory over Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh. I was reporting for the Indian Express and our editor Shekhar Gupta sent me to interview Lt Gen Jacob after I had had a rendezvous with Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, the hero of the 1971 victory. 

The interview was to last 30 minutes but it carried on for over three hours! Given my interest in the subject, the general delved into intriguing details.

How there was a major disconnect in his game plan and the directions that came from the Army headquarters. He pulled out an old musty map of then East Pakistan and explained how the Army headquarters had wanted him to take control of the Chittagong and Khulna ports and how he thought that was a total waste of time and effort.

"My plan was to bypass all towns and garrisons and hit Dhaka", he said. 

And then he elaborated. "Sam and I were friends. We had professional differences but he knew if someone in the Eastern Command could deliver, it was me", he told me.

Clearly, modesty was not his strong point but as a young journalist, I was too much in awe to even care.

"Tactics may win battles but it is strategy that wins wars. Aim has to be very clear. And my aim was to win Dhaka", he added. 

Lt Gen JFR Jacob spoke highly of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw's ability to stand up to political and bureaucratic pressure but insisted Manekshaw did not have an eye for detail.

"He would say 'Jake, sweety, you handle it. Just ensure we win'" he told me in the course of that interview.

Jacob, however, didn't think very highly of his Army commander Lt Gen JS Aurora, or so it appeared. In all his stories - he himself was the main architect of victory and the man who virtually forced Lt Gen AAK Niazi to surrender at Dhaka. 

The stories were fascinating.

"The Army's strategy since the world war, and I know since I fought in the Second World War, is to move along the roads. My strategy was to avoid roads, bypass all garrisons and well fortified towns and defences and head straight to Dhaka. That is what we did," he said proudly. 

Almost in whispers he also confided how he played a crucial role in training the Mukti Yodhas (freedom fighters) of Mukti Bahini.

"The Bengali people were very committed fighters. They were so angry after Pakistan army unleashed the worst form of torture, rape and murder that they went after their supply lines with a vengeance. They didn't let the Pakistan army come out of their garrisons to fight. This made our advance to Dhaka easier," he roared.

He also mentioned that the "Butcher of Bangladesh" - Lt Gen Tika Khan - was briefly his student. 

With lines of communication having been snapped, Pakistan army couldn't believe that the Indian military contingents had already reached the outskirts of Dhaka.

"Niazi still had over 30,000 troops and we had less than 3,000 with depleting ammunition. Yet, when my helicopter landed in Dhaka - with just one staff officer, I marched into his office and told him he had 30 minutes to surrender and only then I could ensure his safety. He wanted a ceasefire but I insisted on a public surrender at the Race Course in Dhaka," he said.

 Lt Gen Jacob said Lt Gen AAK Niazi had tears in his eyes as he agreed to sign the surrender document. "Those were anxious 30 minutes for me as I paced outside his office. Gen Niazi later said I had blackmailed him into surrendering, saying he will be lynched or bayoneted by the Mukti Bahini. But I said no such thing," he added laughing.

He got 93,000 Pakistani prisoners of war (PoWs) to surrender, helped the birth of Bangladesh. A great patriot, Lt Gen JFR Jacob, will always be fondly remembered for all this and so much more.