Writer: Major Mumtaz Hussain Shah, retired

Captain Bairam Khan Niazi was commissioned from PMA (12 War Course) in October 1967, and retired in 1985. He participated in 1971 War with15 FF in Jessore Sector. After the Fall of Dacca, he was imprisoned with the author, in Bareilly (UP) Camp No 58. He is leading a retired life. I called on him in May 2024, to refresh memories of his most daring escape attempt.

It was a wet day in August 1973 and a heavy downpour had just stopped. I had scarcely spread my rug for Maghrib prayers, when the chattering sound of light machine gun fire, along with rifle shots, broke the silent ambience of our POW (prisoner of war) camp. The alarm was sounded, and Indian soldiers ran helter-skelter to occupy their trenches around the camp. It signalled an emergency. Some anxious officers rushed out of their barracks, to gain first-hand information about the firing. The news that came was disturbing—Captain Bairam Khan Niazi was injured in a shoot out, in an attempt to escape.

Captain Niazi was one of 200 inmates1 of POW Camp No 58, Bareilly, UP India. He was one of 30 captive officers residing in the same barrack which was starting point of the tunnel.2 The leakage of information to the Indians, unearthing the tunnel and leading to its abandonment, was a rude shock to Niazi, and those who were actively involved in its planning and gruelling execution.

Ebullient Niazi, being an active member of the tunnel project, got a shock difficult to digest for a daredevil like him. He openly lamented the attitude of those camp-mates who had not supported the digging of this tunnel; ostensibly being an unviable project. Things were further compounded when Niazi and his tunneling companions repeatedly faced sarcastic remarks and looks from those fellows who had opposed the project.

The Indians tried to cultivate a well planned anti-escape lobby. To deter the prospective escapees, they propagated the tight security of the POW camp, laced with perfectly elaborate arrangements. Also, the Indians f loated the notion of glass is half empty rather than the glass is half full, to discourage likely escapees.

Thus, the camp was polarised into distinct groups. The first propounded that at that point of time, when hostilities had ceased, it was unnecessary, and thus not incumbent on POWs to escape. The second view was opposite to it; harboured by the Niazi-type exuberant youngsters, who asserted that cessation of hostilities should not hold back escape, which is incumbent upon all, except sick and wounded prisoners. The third group which accounted for more than the 50 % of camp strength, was neutral and thus remained nonaligned.

It was enough to cast a pall of gloom upon all prisoners, and cause utter frustration to a person like Niazi. Embarrassed and frustrated, Niazi was then set to spring a surprise. Since the failure of the tunnel project, Niazi was determined to escape, even if he had to wade through wire concertina fences, at an opportune time. It was a mission impossible, fraught with fatal consequences.

Let us glance through the elaborate security system of the POW camp. It had three impenetrable layers of wire concertina fence, around the camp. The fences were made of 8 feet tall, 6x6 inches thick concrete pillars, with concertina wire running horizontally and vertically, creating a squarish mesh, that even deterred pie-dogs and stray animals from intruding. To discourage scaling of the fence, the inner pillars were curved inwards at 60-degrees angle to further strengthen the web, the coils of concertina wire were pegged to the ground, running throughout the inner length of the camp. The outer gap (between second and third fence) was patrolled at night by armed sentries with sniffer dogs.3

The camp had multiple lighting systems, which virtually turned night into day. The barbed wire fences were lit from dusk to dawn, by powerful floodlights. 20 foot tall observatory towers were erected at regular intervals, overlooking the camp, which were manned round the clock. Besides floodlights and revolving flashlights at the tower, the fence lighting system was supplemented by generators. In case of power outage, it would automatically start the generators; those would light up the area all around the camp within seconds. Further, army Shaktiman trucks were deployed along the outer perimeter, and in case of failure of above-mentioned lighting arrangements, the truck headlights were to be switched on, to illuminate dark patches.

The watchtowers were equipped with automatic weapons and alarms. To plug the gaps between watch towers, there were equally spaced rifleman trenches. These were to be manned in case of electricity breakdown, or on activation of the alarm. It was practiced daily at dawn and dusk4, and occasionally at random hours, by creating a mock emergency.

Foolproof security arrangements precluded any chance of escape through the perimeter fence. The Indians had thought over every possible contingency to deal with power breakdown, but never imagined what a person like Niazi was up to. Every day he was seen moving restlessly around the camp, in a bid to find weak spots. His stroll in the camp earned him the title of astronaut (rover), albeit sarcastically.

As the days wore on, frustration of the POWs grew. Niazi was no exception. He decided to put his escape plan into action; caring less for the possible dangerous consequences. He was fully cognisant of the fact, that he had a remote chance of success.5

His relentless prowling showed to him a faint ray of hope. He decided to capitalise upon it. As a matter of routine, the Indians used to bring Pakistani soldiers (other ranks) for manual labour in the camps.6 The labouring troops7 were rotated regularly. One day it was the turn of Niazi’s 15 FF. The fatigue party (FP) under a havildar was assigned trimming and removal of grass between the fences, to clear the observation of watchtowers, and ground sentries patrolling the lanes. Niazi indicated a pre-selected spot to the FP, to create an innocuous wedge in the fence; enough for him to crawl through.

Niazi’s boys did a wonderful job, stealthily created a wedge in the inner and middle fences, and camouflaged it to evade the eyes of Indian soldiers patrolling in between the fences. Niazi was sure that, though patrolling soldiers usually kept watchful eyes on the activities inside the camp, in all probability any such random change in the outer lanes would go unnoticed surely, for a few days. Now his main concern was the outer lane, for which he had no answer, but had to leave it to fate.

On that day it rained heavily. Observation from the watchtower was blurred by the rain, accompanied by a mild wind blowing head on to the sentries perched on the watchtower. Niazi decided to avail the opportunity. He removed his clothes with the marking of POW, and put on shorts and a vest8 which he had kept hidden, with Indian currency sewed in the pocket. Our uniform, casual wear, even bedsheets, were marked with a cross (X) and POW in bold letters, with indelible ink, so as not to be able to conceal identity in case of escape. He then confided with his senior battalion colleague, Major Aitzaz Janjua9, who had been working in tandem with him, to guard his rear. Janjua was to follow only if Niazi succeeded in crossing the rubicon.

Niazi had no problem with the first two fences, he stealthily crawled through the inner and middle ones. Now the last fence stood in his path to freedom. He had no option but to climb, and after assailing the top, jump out of the camp. Here luck deserted him;

قسمت تو ٹوٹتی ہے جا کر کہاں کمند

کچھ دور اپنے ہاتھ سے جب بام رہ گیا

First the rain stopped. That cleared the observation of the watchtower overlooking the spot. Secondly, climbing over the barbed wire fence, and jumping on the road outside the camp, created a thud and vibrating sound, that alerted the ground sentries. The watchtower sentry was alerted and saw a sole figure moving on the road.10 In confusion he opened fire. A stray bullet ricochetted and passed through Niazi’s left hand, injuring his palm (the scars of which still adorned his left hand). In a clever move, Niazi pretended to be fatally injured, held his belly with both hands, and fell flat on the ground, crying and groaning. The sentry got near him and wanted to shoot him from close quarters. Niazi was alert, pounced upon the sentry, and got hold of his gun from the muzzle end. The alarm was sounded, and other Indians joined the sentry to overpower the injured Niazi. The ground troops went into stand to, by occupying their dugouts around the camp, as per their standard operating procedure (SOPs).

The Indians apprehended the injured Niazi. The guard commander discovered that Niazi was feigning serious injury. He ordered a soldier to take him to a dark spot, and kill him. By then the camp inmates who were already alerted by firing, came out from their barracks.

Major Hazoor Hasnain, SJ,11 led the outcry, and raised enough hullabaloo to deter the Indians from such an extreme action. The guard battalion duty officer and camp commandant12 arrived at the scene, and whisked Niazi away for interrogation. Later he was given 28 days solitary confinement. Niazi’s catwalk through the fences created ripples in the Indian POW command hierarchy. It hurt their vanity and tarnished their claim of foolproof security. The Indian local command initiated an inquiry, as to how Niazi successfully breached their impregnable security system.

The Indians were surprised by Niazi’s resolve, when he was asked as to the need to endanger his life, when repatriation was just round the corner. Niazi rebuffed it, and asserted that even if his repatriation date was announced, and he found an opportunity, he would have not hesitated to avail it. It was his earnest desire to go back home as a free soldier, rather than with a prisoner’s tag. The Indians initially took it as a mere brag by a young, overambitious Pakistani POW. Soon they realised that Niazi was made of different material, and really meant what he professed.

Niazi’s activities never wilted. His restlessness prowling created yet another alarm for the Indians, and they realised that makeshift hospital security was not as elaborate as that of the POW camp. Therefore, his solitary confinement was cut short, and he moved back to the POW camp, after about two weeks. On his return to camp, he was set again for yet another identical effort.

It was only peer pressure that quietened and kept him in check. The Indians kept their fingers crossed, lest Niazi causes them yet another embarrassment. In November 1973, the camp management heaved a sigh of relief as Niazi’s name was added to the first ever train of prisoners, leaving Bareilly for Pakistan.

Niazi was happy to return home much ahead of his colleagues. He definitely carried a stigmatised remorse of entering his homeland with the tag of a prisoner of war.