• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Trending:
  • Kashmir
  • Elections
Monday, June 16, 2025

Daily Times

Your right to know

  • HOME
  • Latest
  • Pakistan
    • Balochistan
    • Gilgit Baltistan
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
  • World
  • Editorials & Opinions
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Commentary / Insight
    • Perspectives
    • Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Featured
    • Blogs
      • Pakistan
      • World
      • Ramblings
      • Lifestyle
      • Culture
      • Sports
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Arts, Culture & Books
  • Lifestyle
  • E-PAPER
    • Lahore
    • Islamabad
    • Karachi

Courage is contagious

On September 6, Pakistan observed Defence Day in memory of how the country defended itself in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. Thousands died in the fight over Kashmir, a truly agonising issue as old as partition and with no resolution in sight. The message of this day is simple: young people must take responsibility to protect this land. It is a good message and, more importantly, a necessary one.
However, an op-ed published recently in this paper broached the subject of Defence Day with bias. I was surprised to see the piece titled ‘Golden jubilee of delusional adventurism’ (Daily Times, September 10, 2015) by someone I have followed for years, Dr Mohammad Taqi.
Dr Taqi vigorously indicts Pakistan’s motivations and decisions just as he derides its decisionmakers, from Ayub Khan to his civilian point man, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. As someone who has spent the last two years essentially studying global warfare and military planning, I have deconstructed many campaigns and offered analysis containing the whys and wherefores of their failures. Discussing something lengthy like Egypt’s foray into Yemen or a quick mess like the US’s Bay of Pigs fiasco, it is easy to point out all the screw-ups. Anyone is an expert with the benefit of hindsight.
There are lessons within such deconstruction, and it is a fascinating discussion to have. We can break down the battle, take apart Operation Gibraltar and talk about how well (or not) the Pakistani leadership was communicating. We can look at responses to terrain, what the artillery used was, what other actors were at play, all of it, and search out military lessons. But objectively looking at this violent time is not what Dr Taqi is doing. Ayub Khan is “delusional” and “bigoted”, and Pakistan full of “anti-India jingoism” with no mention of the messages emanating out of India. Pakistani leaders are far from perfect but history is unfortunately not as simple as anyone’s perspective.
Dr Taqi writes: “It [the war]…hung on to Lahore by the skin of its teeth.” The tone of this piece comes across rudely and that saddens me. To me, hanging on to Lahore, the cultural capital of Pakistan, the city my family hails from, is inspiring and demonstrative of the spirit of the soldiers who protected it until they carried it to safety.
Courage is contagious. Perhaps that is one of the reasons nations dedicate days solely to commemorate their armed forces. Flash forward from 1965 to 2015. I can get into a debate about the war strategies and tactics Dr Taqi eviscerated, and I do not entirely disagree with him on some points. But Defence Day is not about military logistics. Resolving Kashmir remains a priority for Pakistan, and Pakistan and India will almost certainly raise this in the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York.
But Defence Day is not about Kashmir. Meaningful dialogue with a ‘Modi-fied’ Indian government is all but a dream. The Indian polity is lashing out at Pakistan, even as our prime minister (PM) attempts to steady the bilateral relationship.
But Defence Day is not about India. Defence Day exists to underscore a simple idea: to let every nation know, be it an ally or an enemy, that people from this land have always been willing to pay any price to assure the survival of this country. Sometimes we are the ones who need the most reminding.
Pakistan’s realities can be disheartening; the numbers are almost beyond comprehension. The tens of thousands of innocent lives lost to violent terror, the millions out of school, the impoverished and the ill that populate our megacities and the increasingly younger average age of Pakistan — this country faces a lot more challenges than simply Kashmir and India, and to confront the myriad of internal/external/regional/global issues means following in the footsteps of those long gone, and working with brave citizens today. Young people need encouragement and enthusiasm, not pieces that turn a sombre occasion into an opportunity to grind an axe.
Defence Day is about reassuring ourselves we will inevitably persevere. That is not delusion, Dr Taqi, that is hope.

The writer is a freelance columnist

Filed Under: Op-Ed

Submit a Comment




Primary Sidebar




Latest News

Bilawal warns of war with India if it blocks river flows

Casualties rise as Israel, Iran hit each other with more missiles

450 pilgrims evacuated from Iran, confirms Dar

Govt jacks up petrol price by Rs4.8 per litre, diesel by Rs7.95

Pakistan denies supplying ballistic missiles to Iran

Pakistan

Bilawal warns of war with India if it blocks river flows

Casualties rise as Israel, Iran hit each other with more missiles

450 pilgrims evacuated from Iran, confirms Dar

Govt jacks up petrol price by Rs4.8 per litre, diesel by Rs7.95

Pakistan denies supplying ballistic missiles to Iran

More Posts from this Category

Business

‘Pakistan aspires to lead Global South in adoption of digital assets’

US Fed set to hold rates steady in the face of Trump pressure

‘US-China trade truce leaves military-use rare earth issue unresolved’

WB sees China as anchor of stability in global economic chaos

Minister opens farmer facilitation center

More Posts from this Category

World

Israel kills 59 Palestinians in Gaza, many while trying to get aid

Canada hosts G7 summit as tensions with US grow over trade, foreign policy

UN official slams India’s failure to protect Muslims

More Posts from this Category




Footer

Home
Lead Stories
Latest News
Editor’s Picks

Culture
Life & Style
Featured
Videos

Editorials
OP-EDS
Commentary
Advertise

Cartoons
Letters
Blogs
Privacy Policy

Contact
Company’s Financials
Investor Information
Terms & Conditions

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube

© 2025 Daily Times. All rights reserved.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy