RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Dec. 17—President Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan announced Pakistan's acceptance of a ceasefire today after 15 days of war with India. Thus, a day after the unconditional surrender of Pakistan's eastern territory, 1,000 miles away, fighting also halted here in the west.

After the acceptance of India's truce offer, the Pakistani Government appeared to be in confusion, and major changes in leadership seemed imminent.

Well‐informed sources reported that President Yahya, had decided to step down and that other military officers were discussing what course to take.

There appeared to be widespread dissatisfaction in Pakistan with the conduct of the war with India and the events that led to that war—notably, Pakistan's hard crackdown on the Bengali autonomy movement in the East.

Stand Is Reversed

Only last night President Yahya called on his people to fight on and to consider the defeat in East Pakistan as the loss only of a battle and not of a war. His acceptance of a cease‐fire today represented a complete reversal in his public stand.

Speculation on a possible successor to President Yahya focused on many figures. They included a former President, Mohammad Ayub Khan, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Zulfikar All Bhutto and various military officers, including Air Marshal Abdul Rahim Khan, the air force commander.

Informed sources indicated that there was no immediate likelihood of a coup d'état since the persons involved were tonight discussing plans among themselves. But the situation was highly unstable.

Statement Withdrawn

Tonight, four hours after the cease‐fire went into effect, air-raid sirens wailed in Rawalpindi, sending residents rushing for shelter for the first time in several days. The alert lasted only 15 minutes and no bombers appeared over the city. But Pakistanis are now worried not only about Indian attacks but also about the possibility of domestic political strife. Nerves everywhere are on edge.

Earlier President Yahya announced that fighting on West Pakistan's frontier would be halted by Pakistani troops today at 7:30 P.M., West Pakistani time (9:30 A.M. New York time. Yesterday India said her forces facing West Pakistan would begin a cease‐fire on their own at that time and said she hoped that Pakistan would follow suit.

In another surprising development tonight, President Yahya released and then withdrew a second statement outlining a new Constitution for Pakistan.

The outline appeared completely outdated by events and its withdrawal shortly after release indicated that the highest levels of Pakistan's Government were in disarray.

The loss of East Pakistan caught the people of West Pakistan by surprise and there have been anti‐Government demonstrations in Peshawar, Lahore and other cities demanding that the war be continued.

“I have always maintained that war solves no problems,” the first statement by the President said, “and that there should be negotiations between India and Pakistan to resolve outstanding disputes.”

Move in U.N. Urged

The President said that Pakistan had earlier accepted all United Nations cease‐fire proposals but that India had totally disregarded “all these urgent expressions of world opinion.” He continued:

“Now India has made an offer of a cease‐fire on the western front. Pakistan is already committed to cease‐fire along with other consequential steps, through its acceptance of the United Nations General Assembly resolution and is willing to reciprocate within the framework of that resolution.

“If India is sincere in its pronouncement of cease‐fire, then she should proceed through the United Nations to formalize it.”

The announcement concluded a day of intense diplomatic bargaining here in Rawalpindi, in New Delhi and at the United Nations in New York.

Throughout the present crisis, President Yahya has been confronted with a dilemma. On the one hand nearly all West Pakistanis have been keyed up during the past month for a holy war. The national mood was and still is one of hatred for India and the will to fight rather than concede anything to the despised Hindus is still strong.

On the other hand, President Yahya and his general staff were aware of the impossibility of winning a protracted war with their enormous neighbor without vast help from some other power, notably the United States and China. That help never arrived.

A Sense of Betrayal

Most Pakistanis today felt disbelief, grief and a sense of betrayal. Few were really prepared for the news last night that the army in the East had been forced to capitulate and that half of the nation was gone forever.

At dawn today the muezzins (religious criers) at mosques throughout the Punjab called the faithful to the prayer known as Drud, which invokes the guidance of God and help from the Holy Prophet. Many Pakistanis spent the night praying and weeping.

Many felt that President Yahya and other leaders had not been candid with the people. Rawalpindi's Urdu‐language newspaper Nawa‐I‐Waqt said in an editorial that Pakistan's people could accept a situation if the President would only take them into his confidence.

The newspaper also asked if there was still a chance of military help from the United States Seventh Fleet and from China or whether this hope also must be abandoned.

“China and the United States are seen by most of our people as having abandoned us in our hour of need,” one highly informed Pakistani said today. “The United States still retains some residue of goodwill here and in time we Pakistanis will probably think of her with friendship again. But China, on whom we rested so many hopes and expectations, has irrevocably lost what influence it had in Pakistan.”

There was speculation among many Pakistanis that popular resentment would bring about major changes in the Government.

One of those mentioned as a possible successor to President Yahya, Air Marshal Rahim, is a soft‐spoken former fighter pilot who seems more at ease talking about aviation than politics. He is 46 years old and a native of Rawalpindi.

He joined the Royal Indian Air Force (a part of Britain's Royal Air Force) in 1943 and fought the Japanese in Burma. In 1952, while in the United States, he became the first Pakistani pilot to fly a supersonic aircraft.

During the 1965 war with India he served as Assistant Chief of Air Staff responsible for planning and for tactical close support. Since September, 1969, he has commanded the Pakistani Air Force.

Air Marshal Rahim plays polo and has two children. He was once a friend and comrade‐in-arms of India's present air force commander, whom he describes as “a first‐class officer.”

He is not boastful of his air force's successes and lately has seemed tired and under strain.