Remembering 1965

It was the night of September 5, 1965 when Pakistan came under a sudden attack by the Indian Army , which was ten times powerful and better equipped with heavy weapons and machinery. However, the courage, heroism and valour of our soldiers dominated during those seventeen days of war. Violating international Law, the Indian armed forces launched their attack from the Rann of Kutch and later attempted to apply the same strategy to Lahore, Sialkot and Kasur. But they were shocked when they faced the unanticipated and strapping retaliation from the daring Pakistani soldiers whose response was so willful that Indian personnel were compelled to backtrack for lives.

Major Aziz Bhatti valiantly defended the Bambanwala-Ravi-Bedian Canal. He prevented the enemy forces from advancing, while the courageous Major Shafqat Baloch forced Niranjan Prasad to escape the battlefield, leaving behind his jeep. The skilled fighter pilots, Cecil Chaudhry and M M Alam, never allowed the Indian Air Forces to take control and kept destroying Indian jets. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had destroyed 53 planes by the end of the second day. Furthermore, the bombardment on the Indian coastal town Dwarka by the Pakistan Navy completely shattered Indian hopes. Finally, the contributions of our artists such as Shakeel Ahmed and the melodious Madam Noor Jehan can never be forgotten. Today our country is surrounded by enormous challenges but we can get the better of those challenges through the same unity and courage that we had demonstrated during that war.

Kamran Khamiso Khowwaja

Sujawal