Sajjad Shaukat
20 SEPTEMBER is celebrated by every Pakistani as the Victory Day, as on this very day; Pakistan won the 1965 war which India imposed on 6 September 1965. In 2015, BJP-led government of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had celebrated the golden jubilee of that war. In order to propagate about false victory that the 1965 war was won by them, Indian celebrations began on 28 August 2015 and went on until 22 September-the day India and Pakistan agreed to a UN-sponsored ceasefire. Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) organisd exhibitions and film shows, while Islamabad was quite justified in relation to golden jubilee celebrations of the Indo-Pak war of 1965, because it defeated India.
In this regard, in his book, titled “The Duels of the Himalayan Eagle: The First Indo-Pak Air War”, Ex-Indian Air Marshal Bharat Kumar admitted Indian defeat in the war of 1965. However, when, on 6 September 1965, India started the war and its forces crossed the international border in Lahore. Indian Regiment had also crossed the BRB canal and captured the town of Batapore (Jallo Mur). The same day, a counter offensive by Pakistani soldiers forced the Indian 15th Division to withdraw to its starting point. Among them, Major Raja Aziz Bhatti played a key role in the outcome of the Lahore battles and was martyred.
In case of Sialkot, Pak Army’s several soldiers sacrificed their life to check advancement of Indian tanks. The 1965 war witnessed some of the largest tank battles, fought at Chawinda—The Battle resulted into victory of Pakistan whose armoured forces destroyed 120 Indian tanks. Regarding aerial warfare between IAF, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), the latter emerged as victorious because, at the cost of their personal safety, the personnel of PAF defeated India. PAF had destroyed 100 Indian aircraft on ground and in the air, while damaged more than 10. In this respect, SQN LDR M M Alam set new record on 7 September and shot down five Indian aircraft in less than sixty seconds at Sargodha. And Flight Lieutenant Yunus Hussain fought singly against 6 enemy aircraft and shot down two Hunters. On September 6, while attacking Halwara airfield, his aircraft was hit, but, he refused to break off the engagement by disregarding his personal safety and was martyred. The role of Pakistan Navy is also appreciable. Securing Pakistan’s coasts, it played a vital role in defeating India. The Operation Dawarka was launched by the Navy on 7 September. It was successful—Indian warships harboured in Bombay, making the Indian Navy unable to make a sortie. Ghazi, the only submarine successfully attacked heavy ships of the Indian Navy.
Despite Indian surprise invasion in 1965 and the qualitative and numerical superiority over Pakistan, by sacrificing their lives, Pakistan defence forces not only recaptured Indian territories, but also took Khem Karan from Indian forces, including various regions of Rajastan, Sindh and Chumb in Kashmir. This time, this very day has come at a time when Pakistan defence forces are facing multiple threats of grave nature, created by secret agencies such as Indian RAW, Israeli Mossad and American CIA to destabilise the country. Since 5 August 2019 when Indian government revoked Articles 35-A and 370 of the Constitution, which gave a special status to the disputed territory of the Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOK), Indian fanatic government of the ruling party BJP led by the extremist Prime Minister Modi continued lockdown there, and also martyred many people by accelerated firing at the stones-pelting Kashmiris. Notably, Pakistan defence forces, especially Pakistan Army and Rangers have been boldly responding to India’s unprovoked shelling inside Pakistani side of Kashmir. Very tension escalated rapidly between the two countries on 27 February 2019 in the aftermath of the false flag terror attack of Pulwama, when in response to the Indian pre-emptive air strike near the town of Balakot-Pakistan’s sector of Kashmir, PAF shot down two IAF fighter jets and launched aerial strikes at six targets in the India-occupied Kashmir (IoK). Pak Army also captured an Indian pilot, who was later sent back to India as a goodwill gesture.
As regards internal challenges, by imbibing the same spirit of the 1965 war, Pakistan’s military, during the successful military operations have killed many terrorists through ground offensive. Country’s premier intelligence agency ISI also recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the possession of the terrorists. Thus, they have effectively broken the back of the foreign-supported terrorists. Peace has been restored in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, Karachi, including other regions. Nevertheless, during the 1965 war, the whole nation showed solidarity with Pakistan defence forces and the air of the country was full of anthems and patriotic songs, especially in Noor Jehan’s voice which prompted every soldier to fight harder.
Nonetheless, there were a lot of national heroes like Brigadier Ahsan Rasheed, Major Raja Aziz Bhatti, Sqn Ldr M M Alam, Sqn Ldr Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui. We remember them always and particularly on September 20, marking the Victory Day. So, unlike Indian false claim of victory by the Modi Government, Pakistan won that war. In fact, when Indians were at the edge of loss, some of their officials went to the USA and requested for a ceasefire. India’s Prime Minister Shastri suffered a fatal heart attack soon after the declaration of the ceasefire through Tashkent Declaration. It is mentionable that the “Official History of the 1965 War”, drafted by the Ministry of Defence of India in 1992 realised Indian miscalculations. According to it, on 22 September when the Security Council was pressing for a ceasefire, the Indian Prime Minister asked commanding Gen. Chaudhuri, if India could possibly win the war, were he to delay accepting the ceasefire. The general replied that most of India’s frontline ammunition had been used up and the Indian Army had suffered considerable tank losses. In these terms, the Victory Day is celebrated every year as Pakistan defence forces and the entire nation stood united in 1965 for the defence of the motherland against India.
—The writer is freelance columnist based in Lahore.
