THE nation justifiably celebrates September 6 every year as Defence of Pakistan Day as, on this day in 1965, the country thwarted India’s expansionist designs through unity and befitting response. It is rightly called by historians as one of the proudest moments in the history of Pakistan when our soldiers sacrificed their lives to safeguard our freedom and protect our homeland. No doubt, Pakistan had much less military and economic resources as compared to India but despite these limitations, the valiant defence forces effectively countered nefarious designs of the enemy because of their professionalism, bravery and high spirit and with full backing of the entire nation.
Observance of the Defence of Pakistan Day is a sharp reminder that threats to the security, solidarity and sovereignty of the country are not over even after 77 years of Independence. Unfortunately, despite consistent goodwill gestures from successive governments in Pakistan, India has not accepted Pakistan as a reality and remained instrumental throughout since 1947 to harm the country militarily or economically. It imposed war after war on Pakistan as part of the strategy to realize its dream of Akhand Bharat (unified greater India) but faced humiliation at the hands of Pakistan defence forces which remained vigilant to foil all conspiracies against the country. Personnel of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy wrote history by their acts of bravery and professionalism in frustrating an otherwise surprise attack by a numerically superior enemy in 1965. Credit also goes to the people of Pakistan who stood united as one solid edifice to meet the onslaught of an enemy that chose the cover of darkness to achieve its heinous ends of occupying our motherland. The day is, therefore, celebrated to honour the martyrs who laid down their lives for the cause of the country and salute the veterans who fought to defend Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is also a reality that Pakistan emerged from the 1965 war with India as a strong and self-assured country and proud of its military capabilities. However, it was because of our internal weaknesses that the enemy succeeded in dismembering Pakistan in 1971 through an international conspiracy executed by India.
The tragedy emphasized the need for making the right kind of investment in boosting capabilities of all the three forces as they have their own roles in modern day warfare. For all this to happen, there is a dire need to sort out internal conflicts and harness the country’s vast potential for agricultural and industrial development so as to have enough resources to modernize our forces. The goal is achievable as the Pakistan Army is extending wholehearted cooperation in implementation of the economic agenda of the State and tackling different challenges effectively. Strategists also point out that in this modern age, the definition and concept of defence has changed a lot as non-traditional security has also assumed extreme significance. It is because of this that the enemy is now focusing more on non-traditional tactics to harm Pakistan including hybrid war, economic sanctions, cyber threats and venomous propaganda through social media. It is a matter of satisfaction that our premier intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has emerged as a powerful defence against conspiracies being hatched to harm Pakistan on ideological, economic, social or security fronts. It is because of the unmatched services of the agency as well as the defence forces that the enemy has made them targets of consistent propaganda aimed at creating a wedge between them and the people of Pakistan. However, people of Pakistan are fully aware of machinations of the enemy and are determined to foil them at all costs. The spirit with which they are participating in activities relating to the Defence of Pakistan Day is a clear message to the enemy that people of Pakistan will never compromise on their sovereignty and territorial integrity.
