C OVER STORY
In remembrance of 1965
War
T
he Pakistani nation will be celebrating 50th Defence Day of Pakistan on 6th September with
enthusiasm. The defence day marked the September 1965 War and the valiant defence put up by the
armed forces against Indian aggression. It was during
1965 War with India when Pakistan armed forces and
its people proved that it’s not the size that matters but
the courage and devotion to duty and cause. Fifty years
back on September 6, Indian army crossed the Wagah
border and moved towards Lahore, despite assurances
at international forums that it would not cross international borders. This attack touched off the second IndoPakistan war. It was the moment when Pakistan Armed
Forces and the people of Pakistan stood united in defence of the country and presented exemplary display
of chivalry, courage and gallantry against their enemy. In
the war of 1965 especially our brave and fearless Armed
Forces exhibited exemplary discipline and spirit of sacrifice in defending their homeland making their nation
proud. The valiant sons of Pakistan Army took hold of
the grounds and showed extraordinary tales of heroism.
A fierce tank battle the biggest after the World War II
was fought at Chawinda in Sialkot sector. The Navy took
an offensive and silenced the Indian Navy by an attack
on their port at Dwareka. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF)
was exceptionally prompt and of exemplary help to the
ground forces. In ‘65 war, the PAF inflicted a humiliating
defeat on the enemy and struck hard its rival and kept it
reeling under tactics of shock and unpredictability. Thus,
the outnumbered PAF emerged triumphant over a four
times larger force, its air defence controllers, engineers,
logisticians hands just as much the heroes as its pilots.
The Times of India has acquired a copy of the official history of the 1965 war, finalized by Indian Defence Ministry in 1992 after years of research, but suppressed ever
since. Contemporary accounts, generated by a jingoistic
press, saw the war as a spectacular victory on almost
every front. But the truth that could not be hidden despite the best efforts of the official historians is that the
war was, in the words of one of its most distinguished
commanders, Lt. Gen Harbakhsh Singh, “A catalogue
of lost victories”. The 1965 presented a true picture of
Napoleon’s famous saying that there are only two forces
in the world, the sword and the spirit. During the war
foreign journalists’ observations given below are also a
proof of this awesome combination of sword and spirit of
the Pakistani nation. On September 15, 1965 American
broadcasting Corporation’s Roy Malone reported that ‘I
have been a journalist now for twenty years and want to
go on record that I have never seen a more confident
and victorious group of soldiers than those fighting for
Pakistan, right now.’On September 17, Time Magazine
reported that, “Pakistan’s small highly trained army is
more than a match for the Indians.” According to the
London Daily Mirror of September 1965 “India is being
soundly beaten by a nation which is outnumbered by
four and a half to one in population and three to one in
size of armed forces.”This day is important to us as a
nation because India’s imposed war on Pakistan was
fought by us as a nation united in its resolve and determination to halt and beat-back Indian multi-dimensional
attacks. During the war every citizen of the country was
united behind the government. The national priorities
were clear and unambiguous in those days, any danger to the country called for unity and unstinted support
to the government and the armed forces.There was no
question of any political party or leader taking advantage
of the war to rebuke the government for political or personal gains. Lahore the heart of Pakistan ha