• Source: Operation Searchlight order of battle: Pakistan

The Pakistani plan for a military action which commenced on 25 March 1971, in the then East Pakistan was code-named Operation Searchlight. This is the Operation Searchlight order of battle which was outlined on 19 March 1971, by Major General Khadim Hussain Raja, GOC 14th infantry division, and Major General Rao Farman Ali in the GHQ of Pakistan Army in Dhaka, (then) East Pakistan.




Pakistani Forces






= MLA Headquarters and Eastern Command in Dhaka

=
Lt. General Tikka Khan Governor and Chief Martial Law Administrator
Major General Iftekhar Janjua – Advisor
Major General Shawkat Riza – Advisor
Brigadier Gulam Jilani – Chief of Staff MLA HQ
Brigadier Nessar Ahmed – Director General EPR

14th Infantry Division:
Major General Khadim Hussain Raja – GOC 14th Infantry Division and OC East Pakistan
Colonel Staff: Col. Saadullah
G.S.O -1 (Operations): Lt. Col Taj Khan
G.S.O -1 (Intelligence): Lt. Col Minwari
Attached Units:

29th Cavalry - Lt.Col. Sagir Hussain Syeed (detached to Rangpur)
43rd Light Ack Ack – Lt. Col. Shaffat Ali - Dhaka Airport
19th Signal Regiment – Lt. Col. Iftekhar Hussain – Dhaka Cantonment
Company 3rd Commando Battalion – Lt. Col. Z.A. Khan
Army Aviation Squadron #4: 8 Helicopters (4 Mi-4 and 4 Alouette III)
Pakistan Air Force:
CO: Air Commodore Inam Ul Haq Khan

14th Squadron: 20 F-86 Sabres
3 T-33 and 2 Helicopters
Temporary attachment: 4 C-130 Hercules planes and PIA Fokker Friendship Aircraft.
Pakistan Navy:
Rear Admiral Sharif

PNS Jessore (Gunboat) (detached to Khulna)
PNS Comilla (Gunboat)
PNS Sylhet (Gunboat)



Dhaka

Major General Rao Farman Ali: Officer Commanding Dhaka Area

57th Infantry Brigade: Brigadier General M. Jahanzeb Arbab
22nd Baluch Regiment: Pilkhana Dhaka
18th Punjab Regiment
32nd Punjab Regiment – Lt. Col. Taj
31st Field Artillery Regiment – Lt. Col. Zahed Hassan
13th Frontier Force Regiment – Reserve and Cantonment Security



Comilla

53rd Infantry Brigade: Brig. Iqbal Shaffi
31st Punjab – Lt. Col. Sarfraz Ahmed Khan and later Lt Col Riaz Hussain (stationed at Sylhet).
20th Baluch – Lt. Col. SH Fatami (stationed at Chittagong).
53rd Field Artillery – Lt. Col. Yakub Malik ( acting Garrison/Fortress Commander in absence of Brig Iqbal).
3rd Commando Battalion – Lt. Col. Z.A. Khan. (Moved to Dacca for Operation Searchlight).
171st Mortar Battery.
40th Field Ambulance – Lt. Col. A.N.M Jahangir.
Brigade Intelligence Detachment
Chittagong Relief Column: (Brig. Iqbal Shaffi)

24th Frontier Force – Lt. Col Shahpur Khan (after Shahpur fell in action, the command of only infantry battalion in the Column was taken over by Brigadier Iqbal himself).
88th Mortar Battery.
Brigade Signals Detachment.
No Engineering Elements.



Chittagong

CO: Brig. Iqbal Shafi from April when HQ 53 Brigade was airlifted from Comilla, replaced by 107 Brigade (ex 9 Division) on arrival from West Pakistan.
Lt. Col. Abdul Aziz Sheikh: Sector Commander EPR;
Brig Mujamdar - Center Commadant EBR.

20th Baluch – Lt. Col. SH Fatami
Company 31st Punjab
Pakistan Navy:
Commodore A.R. Mumtaj - Chittagong Naval Base

PNS Jahangir (destroyer): Commander T.K Khan
PNS Rajshahi (Gunboat)
PNS Balaghat (Patrol boat)



Sylhet

31st Punjab – Lt. Col. Sarfraz Ahmed Khan.
Company in Shamshernagar
Company in Maulavibazar




= Rangpur

=
23rd Infantry Brigade: Brig. Abdullah Khan Malik
20th Field Ambulance – Lt. Col Masud
Brigade Signal & Engineers
23rd Field Artillery – Lt. Col. Shaffi in Saidpur
29th Cavalry – Lt. Col. Sagir Hussain Sayyed
26th Frontier Force – Lt. Col. Hakeem A. Quereshi in Saidpur
25th Punjab – Lt. Col. Shafkat Baluch (detached to Rajshahi)
23rd Field Regiment Company in Bogra: Captain Mohammad Reza
25th Punjab Company in Pabna: Captain Asghar
26th Frontier Force Company in Dinajpur




= Jessore

=
107th Infantry Brigade: Brig A. R. Durrani
25th Baluch Regiment
24th Field Artillery (elements)
55th Field Artillery
7th Field Ambulance
22nd Frontier Force – Lt Col. Shamsi (detached to Khulna)
Company in Kushtia: Major Shoaib




References



Salik, Siddiq (1997). Witness to Surrender. The University Press. ISBN 984-05-1374-5.
Jacob, Lt. Gen. JFR (2004). Surrender at Dacca: Birth of A Nation. The University Press Limited. ISBN 984-05-1532-2.
Qureshi, Maj. Gen. Hakeem Arshad (2003). The Indo Pak War of 1971: A Soldiers Narrative. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-579778-7.
Islam, Major Rafiqul (2006). A Tale of Millions. Ananna. ISBN 984-412-033-0.

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• BTR-60
• Operation Searchlight order of battle: Pakistan
• Operation Searchlight
• Outline of Pakistan military history
• Indo-Pakistani war of 1971
• Operation Jackpot
• Battle of Hilli
• Operation Chengiz Khan
• Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971
• Battle of Longewala
• Tikka Khan