1971, the War as I Saw It

Introduction

I joined the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, Abbottabad, as a cadet in November 1967 and passed out from there as a Regular Commissioned Officer in October 1969. My first posting as a Second Lieutenant (2Lt) was in 1st East Bengal Regiment, a highly regarded and decorated infantry battalion, popularly known as the Senior Tigers. At that time, the unit was located in Jessore (now Joshor) in the then EastPakistan. My stay in this unit was, however, relatively short-lived as I was transferred to Chittagong (now Chottogram) in August 1970 to help raise the 8th East Bengal Regiment as a Lieutenant (Lt). It has always been a matter of great pride and joy for any Bengali army officer to serve in the East Bengal Regiment and those days, it was more so. For me, the
added prize was having the opportunity to start my career with the eldest member of the Tiger family and move on to help raise the youngest