Daily Times

In our national history, Sept. 6 is the day that always reminds our enemies that the armed forces and the Pakistani nation have always been one to safeguard the country’s ideological and geographical frontiers, experts said on Tuesday while talking to APP.

Therefore, they were united, they are united, and they will remain united for the honor, defence, progress, and solidarity of the motherland, they said.

Manzoor Ahmad 81, a Ghazi of the 1965 War, winner of various honors, while recalling his war memories told APP that the whole world watched the Pakistani nation fighting bravely with its armed forces.

The Pakistan armed forces undauntingly fought by defending the motherland thwarting Indian troops and knocking out the invading army after the big defeat, Manzoor said.

Recalling his deep memories, the great Ghazi said that September is a month of great significance in Pakistan’s history. “It is the month in which Pakistan, with limited resources, faced a formidable enemy four times its size, the Pakistani military defended the nation in a befitting manner.

“The Indian general, who used to say that he would have breakfast on reaching Lahore, ran away in such a way that he could not find shelter even in Amritsar, he told proudly, adding, today we are breathing in the free air, no one dare to look on us with nefarious designs or beat us for slaughtering a cow.

Abdul Hameed, an elderly citizen and eyewitness of the war told APP while sharing his war memories that thanks to the almighty, we are not subjected to torture for being Muslims, and we are not ridiculed for wearing our national or traditional dress, so this is only because of our brave soldiers who stood against the enemy like an iron wall.

The war of September 6, 1965, symbolises resilience and determination for the Pakistani nation, he said, adding, the Pakistani military effectively defended the country’s borders in a dignified manner, proving to the world that we are a living nation.

On this day, the day of Shuhada and Ghazis, who defeated an enemy far bigger than it in size and resources, and wrote a historic story of defence of the Land of the Pure.

In the early morning of 6th September 1965, the Indian troops crossed into the Pakistan territory in the Burki sector near Lahore. The Indian government had been assured by their army commanders that they would be having their breakfast in Lahore.

An American Radio Service Journalist Rai Milan, who witnessed the 1965 war, and served the region for two decades, disclosed in his published diary report that the Indian claims of their victory in the war were bogus, saying on the ground, there was no evidence to support Indian claims.

“However, what I saw was only destroyed Indian tanks and huge logistic support units rolling towards their forward area,” he wrote. Rai further says that during his two decades of journalistic career, he had never seen such brave, victorious, and confident fighting soldiers like the Pakistan Army, during this war against Indian troops.

Giving the analysis of the Indo-Pakistan 1965 war, he further writes that the Indian military commander’s planning and invasion of Pakistan was a strategic blunder.

The Indian Army failed to analyze the real bravery potential of the Pakistan Army, which resulted in their defeat. An official long-suppressed document drafted by the Indian Ministry in 1992 reveals that the top Indian military commanders and their intelligence had committed strategic blunders by attacking Pakistan.

Likewise, there are hundreds of other blunders that had been committed by the Indian intelligence and their field commanders.

Talking to APP, Defence Analyst Lt Gen (retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi said that during the 17-day 1965 war, Pakistan Army, with the high moral backing of the entire nation, stood like an iron wall against the Indian onslaught on all fronts.

The Pakistan Army, in the next few days, taught the Indian Army to never take the Pakistani nation lightly, he said. Naeem Lodhi said that on the Sialkot front, one Indian infantry, one armoured division and an armoured brigade were repulsed by a single infantry division of Pakistan.

To a query, he said that in the Chawinda-Philora sector, 15 Indian attacks were repulsed, which is a record.

Similarly, India had faced the biggest humiliation of the war on the Lahore front, where 13 of its attacks were completely repulsed. Pakistani forces at Kasur front not only repulsed multiple Indian attacks but also went deep into India while capturing a substantial part of their territory, he added.

He said that displaying unanimous spirit, the Pakistan army and nation faced the Indian troops boldly and defeated them on all fronts, adding that there had been rare examples of such extreme valour and courage in the global military history, which the Pakistani nation and our soldiers showcased in the 1965 war.

Despite numerical superiority, the Indians were humiliated on all fronts at sea, air, and ground, he added.

Describing the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) complete victory over the Indian air force during the war, Lt Gen (retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi said that Muhammad Mahmood Alam (MM Alam), a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter pilot, had the credit of downing five Indian Air Force aircraft in less than one minute. MM Alam, nicknamed ˜Little Dragon, popularly made unforgettable history by knocking down nine Indian fighter jets Hawker Hunters in air-to-air combat, he added.

Similarly, on Sept 8, 1965, Pakistan Navy warships including its submarine Ghazi raided Dwarka and bottled up the entire Indian Navy fleet, which are the glorious reminiscences of the war, Lodhi told.

Subedar Muhammad Basharat, hailing from Gujrat, a close village mate of a great son of the motherland, Major Aziz Bhatti Shaheed (NH), told APP that on 6 Sept 1965, Aziz Bhatti, being a company commander, in the Burki area of the Lahore sector had moved with his forward platoon under incessant artillery and tank attacks.

Aziz Bhatti confronted and engaged a huge enemy for five days and nights in the defence of the strategic Bambanwala-Ravi-Bedian Canal (BRB) canal, he recounted.

Basharat said that undaunted by constant fire from enemy’s tanks and artillery, Aziz Bhatti successfully organized the defence of the canal. Aziz had directed his men to answer the fire until he was hit by an enemy tank shell.

Fighting profoundly Aziz Bhatti stopped the enemy with his bravery and embraced martyrdom on Sept 12, 1965, he narrated proudly.