A ship packed with POWs
AFTER the defeat of Pakistan in the 1971 war and the surrender of its army at Dhaka, around 95,000 Pakistani soldiers were taken as prisoners of war (POWs). Before and during the war, the Pakistani army had treated the people of newly-born Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan) ruthlessly. The safety of the POWs was a matter of concern as they could be harmed by angry Bangladeshis. So, many Indian Merchant Navy ships, including the one on which I was posted as the chief engineer, were deployed to relocate these POWs out of Bangladesh.
Among the POWs who were to be brought from the Chittagong Port to Calcutta by our ship, there were some Pakistani officers, most of them Punjabis. Many Pakistani soldiers were carrying fans, radio transistors and other items they had looted from shops in Dhaka. But we had to advise the crew that these items were not to be snatched from them.
Arrangements were made for them on the deck and the officers among the POWs were allotted cabins. They were allowed to keep pistols for their safety. Many of the Pakistani personnel were from West Punjab; they used to discuss their problems with me. Though the transit time was not very long, many formalities were required to be completed. Their sleeping arrangements were made on the deck, but there was a problem with meals, because some religious-minded POWs wanted halal meat. As the supply of halal meat took some time, our ship was delayed in Chittagong, and it could sail only the next day.
Though the POWs were disciplined, some of them were always complaining. However, thanks to my brief bonhomie with Pakistan’s Punjabi officers, the problems were resolved to quite an extent. We had to keep in mind that even though these POWs were ready to kill our Army personnel during the war, they were — now vanquished — no longer our enemy. They had rights and had to be humanely treated as per the Geneva Convention. It was our duty to address their legitimate demands.
This was well explained to us by Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora who, as GOC, had got the Instrument of Surrender signed by Pakistan’s Lt Gen AAK Niazi at Dhaka.
After the arrival of our ship, the POWs’ custody was taken by the Indian Army for further detainment in designated camps. While leaving the ship, the Pakistani officers thanked me for treating them in a dignified way.
