Ahsan Malik

Kler tried to take Kamalpur on the run, using Mukti Bahini troops and failed. He then mounted an attack by the 1st Battalion, Maratha Light Infantry on the forty men and four 120 mm mortars of 83 Mortar Battery and overran them, suffering one casualty. Kler then 'decided to lay siege to Kamalpur and break down its will to resist', according to General Sukhwant Singh. Getting wary because of casualties, successive failures and demoralization among the attacking troops, he decided to starve out the garrison by a prolonged siege. Singh knew that there was no Pakistani artillery in this sector, only two troops of mortars, but states that Kler was '... further handicapped inasmuch as one of his battalions had just been reorganized from (a unit) raised initially for counterinsurgency with no support elements. In tackling a weak platoon post, another battalion brought out some weaknesses of leadership under fire. The battalion reached its objective with relatively few casualties. As expected, the enemy turned mortar fire on the objective. A mortar bomb landed on the trench occupied by four men close to the commanding officer (Colonel). He saw limbs fly and lost his nerve.'

Guerrilla attacks against Pakistani border outposts in the north began in July 1971. Mukti Bahini, the Bangladesh liberation army, consisting of Bangla speaking foot soldiers supported by discriminated outlawed Bangla speaking Pakistani soldiers, took on the fully equipped and oppressive Pakistani artillery stationed at the Kamalpur garrison. Initial attempts to overpower advanced stationary Pakistani Army failed because the sympathizers of the Pakistani army, Urdu-Bihari speaking Muslim legionnaires killed Bengalese and villagers of Kamalpur. Small children and elderly women were kidnapped. Bengali liberation forces carried out more attacks on Kamalpur, a kilometer from the border, on 22 October and 14 November, the latter being partly supported by the Indian Army's 13th Battalion, Brigade of the Guards (of Kler's brigade), which established blocking positions to the south. Malik was cut off and his CO, Lt. Col. Sultan Ahmed tried to relieve him and the other two outposts (Naqshi and Baromari, to the east) without success. On 29 November Major Ayub of 31 Baloch tried to resupply Malik's tiny garrison but failed.

Ahsan Siddique Malik SJ SI(M) (Born 3 November 1948) is a retired Pakistan Army officer who defended Kamalpur in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He was a captain at the time, serving in the 31st Battalion, Baloch Regiment.