Some more thoughts by Colonel (R) Nazir Ahmed on 'debunking the 90,000 POW figure' !
So here goes :
Order of Battle
Location of Pakistani units in East Pakistan on 03 December 1971.
Pakistan army started to work on a plan of defence against a possible Indian attack from July 1971. At that time, 3 infantry divisions held responsibility for the province: the 9th (CO: Maj. Gen.M H Ansari, HQ Jessore) looking after the area south of the Padma River, the 16th (Maj. Gen. Nazar Hussain Shah, HQ Natore) responsible for the area north of Padma and west of Jamuna rivers and the 14th (CO: Maj. Gen.Abdul Majid Qazi, HQ: Dhaka) looking after the rest of the province. The original plan was based on a series of exercises, known as Titumeer, which were held during 1970–1971. It was revised several times and approved in October 1971. General Niazi had created 4 ad hoc infantry brigades and 2 ad hoc infantry divisions regrouping the available troops before final order of battle was devised.
The final order of battle prior to December 3, 1971 was:
Eastern Command Headquarters Dhaka
- GOC: Lt. General A. A. K. Niazi
- COS: Brigadier Baqir Siddiqi
- Commander Artillery: Brig. S. S. A. Kashim
- Commander Armor: Col. Bakhtier
- Commander Engineers: Brig. Iqbal Sharif
- Commander Signals: Brig. Areef Reza
- Commander Medical Service: Brig. Fahim Ahmed Khan
- Advisor: Maj. Gen. Rao Farman Ali
Units under HQ Control:
- 6th Engineer Regiment
- 10th Engineer Regiment – detached to various locations
- 11th Engineer Regiment - Lt. Col Sarwar
- 43rd Light Ack Ack – Lt. Col. Mohammad Afzal
- 19th Signal Regiment
- 3rd Commando Battalion (less elements)
- Army Aviation Squadron #4 – Lt. Col. Liakat Bokhari
Dhaka Defense Scheme (adhoc) :
- Brig. Kashim (North): Dhaka Cantonment & Tongi atea
- Brig. Mansoor (East): Munshiganj & Narayanganj
- Brig. Bashir: Dhaka city proper
EPCAF HQ and Sector units:
- Police and Razakars
Pakistan Air Force CO: Air Commodore Enamul Huq
- No. 14 Squadron ‘’Tail-choppers’’: 20 F-86 Sabers
- Training unit: 3 T-33
Pakistan Navy CO: Rear Admiral Mohammad Sharif
- 4 Gunboats: PNS Rajshahi, Comilla, Sylhet and Jessore
- 1 Patrol Boat: PNS Balaghat
- 17 armed boats
- Naval Marines – Captain Zamir
36 Ad hoc Infantry Division:
CO: Maj. Gen. M. Jamshed Khan HQ Dhaka
Area of Operation: Dhaka, Tangail and Mymensingh districts
- 93 Infantry Brigade: Brig Abdul Qadir Khan HQ Mymensingh
- 83 Independent. Mortar battery
- 31 Baluch – Jamalpur
- 33 Punjab – Mymensingh
- 71 Wing WPR – Kishorganj
- 70 Wing WPR – Bijaipur
14 Infantry Division
OC: Major General Abdul Majid Qazi, HQ Brahmanbaria
Area of Operation: Sylhet and Northern Comilla districts
- 31st Field Artillery – Ashuganj – Brahmanbaria - Shamshernagar
- 88 Independent Mortar Battery – Sylhet
- 171 Independent Mortar Battery – Comilla
Sylhet
202 Adhoc Brigade: Brig. Salimullah
- 31 Punjab – Sylhet
- 91 Mujahid Battalion – Sunamganj
- 12 Azad Kashmir – Sylhet
Also: Wings of Tochi, Thal and Khyber scouts
Maulavibazar
- 313 infantry Brigade: Brig. Iftikar Rana
- 22 Baluch – Kalaura
- 30 Frontier Force – Shahshernagar
- 91 Mujahid (minus elements) & Tochi Scouts – Sherpur
Brahmanbaria
- 27th Infantry Brigade: Brig. Saadullah
- 33rd Baluch – Kasba
- 12th Frontier Force – Akhaura
- 2 Troops of M-24 Chaffee – Akhaura
- 1x Anti Tank Platoon 34 Punjab (R&S)
39 Ad hoc Division
OC: Maj. Gen. Rahim Khan – Chandpur
Area of Operation: Comilla, Feni and Northern Chittagong
- 53rd Field Artillery – Comilla
Comilla
- 117th Infantry Brigade: Brig. Sheikh M.H. Atif
- 30 Punjab – Saldanadi
- 25th Frontier Force – Mainamati
- 12th Azad Kashmir – Comilla
Feni
- 53rde Infantry Brigade: Brig. Aslam Niazi
- 15th Baluch – Belonia
- 39th Baluch – Laksham
- 23rd Punjab – Mean Bazar
- 21 Azad Kashmir - Laksham
Ramgarh
- 91st Ad hoc Brigade: Brig. Mian Taskeenuddin HQ Chittagong
- 24th Frontier Force – Ramgarh
- Chakma and Mizo troops
- EPCAF 11th and 14th Wings
Chittagong
- 97th Independent Brigade: Brig. Ata Mohd. Khan Malik
- 48th Baluch – Chittagong
- 2 SSg Commando - Rangamati
- 60th Wing Rangers – Ramgarh
- 61st Wing Rangers – Cox’s Bazar
- Naval Contingent
- 46th Light Ack Ack Battery
16th Infantry Division
CO: Maj. Gen. Nazar Hussain Shah HQ: Bogra, then Natore
Area of Operation: Rajshahi, Bogra, Dinajpur, Rangpur and Pabna
Districts
- 29th Cavalry less elements –Rangpur
- 48th Field Regiment – Thakurgaon
- 80th Field Regiment – Hili
- 117th Mortar Battery – Kurigram
Saidpur
- 23rd Infantry Brigade: Brig. Iqbal Shaffi
- 25th Punjab – Lalmanirhut
- 26th Frontier Force – Dinajpur
- 48th Punjab – Nilphamari
- 8 Punjab – Rangpur
- 34th Punjab – (less one company and one anti tank platoon) Thakurgaon
- 86th Mujahid – Gaibandha
Bogra
- 205th Infantry Brigade: Brig. Tajammul Hussain Malik HQ: Bogra (Tac HQ – Chatni in 4 FF area)
- 32nd Baluch – Ghoraghat
- 4 Frontier Force – Hilli
- 8 Baluch – Jaipurhut
- C Coy 34 Punjab (R&S) at Hilli/Panjbibi
Nator
- 34th Infantry Brigade: Brig. Mir Abdul Nayeem
- 32nd Punjab – Nawabganj
- 13th Frontier Force – Sapahar
Rajshahi
- Rajshahi Ad hoc Brigade[8]
9th Infantry Division
CO: Maj. Gen HM. H. Ansari HQ Jessore
Area of Operation: Khulna, Jessore, Kushtia, Faridpur, Barisal and Patuakhali districts
- 3rd Ind. Armored Squadron – Jessore
- 55th Field Artillery – Satkhira and Chaugacha
- 49th Field Artillery – Chuadanga
- 211th Independent Mortar Battery – Chaugacha
Jhenida
- 57th Infantry Brigade: Brig. Manzoor H Atif
- 18th Punjab – Darshana
- 50th Punjab – Jhenida
- 29th Baluch – Kushtia
- Squadron 29th Cavalry – Kushtia
Jessore
- 107th Infantry Brigade: Brig. M Hayat Khan
- 22nd Frontier Force – Benapole
- 38th Frontier Force – Afra
- 6th Punjab – Jessore
- 21st Punjab – Satkhira
- 15th Frontier Force – Jessore
- 12th Punjab – Jessore
Khulna
- 314th Ad Hoc Brigade: Col. Fazle Hamid
Total number of units of the different arms/services
Above details have been taken from the Wikipedia and summarised below by Colonel (retd) Nazir Ahmed, OC ‘C’ company 34 Punjab (R&S) during the counter insurgency operations and the 1971 war in erstwhile East Pakistan.
Armour Regiment - 1
Infantry Battalions -34 (31xregular Infantry battalions and three R&S battalions)
Artillery
- Field regiments – 6
- Mortar Batteries – 7
- Engineer Battalions – 3
Signal battalions – 1
Para military forces
East Pakistan Civil Armed Force (EPCAF) raised in place of East Pakistan Rifles (EPR) – Approximately 12000 local persons. These people being locals, joined their families as the war ended. They did not become prisoners of war.
Scouts – 3 Wings
Rangers – 4 Wings
Mujahids – 2 battalions (mainly local persons)
Navy – 4xGunboats, 17x armed boats and some marine personnel
PAF – One Squadern
The Number of Prisoners of War
The much exaggerated figure of 93000 prisoners of war is absolutely false. Actual number of prisoners could not be more than forty thousands; a likely figure of 39000 inverted to 93000 which have stuck. Considering the authorised strength of the units which is never complete and about 15% attrition, the approximate breakdown is:
Army – 32000 (authorised strength of a regular infantry battalion was 798 and that of R&S battalion 686. Considering that authorised strength is never complete and taking out people away from units on extra regimental employment and an average of 15% casualties which could not be made up, a regular infantry battalion was left with about 650 people on the average and R&S battalions left with about 550 persons. The strength of artillery and armour units is almost half of the infantry battalions)
Navy and PAF – 1500
Rangers, Scouts, Mujahids and West Pakistani Policemen – 4000
(EPCAF persons being local, did not surrender having joined their families)
Civilians – 1500
Total – 39000 (thirty nine thousands) approximate number of prisoners.
The Indians took two weeks (01 Jan to 15 Jan 1972) to pick up the prisoners from different parts of East Pakistan and placed them in various camps in Bihar, Uttar Pardesh and Madhia Pardesh, a very vast expanse of land. While starting their move from respective locations, the prisoners were told that they were in transit and would be moving to Pakistan. After keeping them for over two years in Indian camps, the prisoner were repatriated in small numbers spreading the process for about eight months starting Sep 1973 and ending by last week of April 1974. It was arranged in a manner that the men from fighting units do not get together. When the units were re raised after one year of the completion of repatriation process i.e. by mid 1975, very few of their original manpower could come back to the units.