ISLAMABAD: Very few people address Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan by his full name. However, Indian PM Narendra Modi surprised everyone by calling his Pakistan counterpart as 'Imran Khan Niazi,' in his recent speech during the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor.

Following this, several people began to wonder why this last name was being ignored by many including Imran himself. It is learnt that the name 'Niazi' was ignored since it reminds Pakistan of its defeat against India in the 1971 war.

It must be noted that it was the then Pakistan Army general Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, also known as General Niazi, who signed the 'instrument of surrender' which marked the Indian Army's victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. It also led to the formation of Bangladesh. General Niazi, who surrendered along with more than 90,000 Pak soldiers, was subsequently taken as a war prisoner by India and sent back to Pakistan. Later, he was dismissed from the Pakistan Army and denied all benefits and pensions. Since then, the name 'Niazi' has been synonymous with defeat as far as the Pakistani people are concerned.