A PIECE OF HISTORY WORTH READING
When India Invaded Pakistan
“We are at war” Pakistani President Ayub Khan made an emergency broadcast to the nation on 6th September, 1965. He said the Indian attack was proof of the evil intentions, which India had always harbored against Pakistan.
Since August 1965 tensions between India and Pakistan was high because of the Kashmir issue. India alleged Pakistan had sent militants to Kashmir to fight against Indian Army. Pakistan claimed it was a local uprising against India’s atrocities.
The issue was raised in different international forums and India assured at these forums that it will not cross the international borders. But at the midnight between 5th and 6th September, 1965, Indian army invaded West Pakistan, crossing the international border at three points.
Who started the war?
BBC News on 6th September, 1965, reported India-Pakistan war as: “Indian Army invades W. Pakistan”.
According to BBC News “Indian troops have invaded West Pakistan, crossing the border at three points in an attack, which appears to be aimed mainly at the city of Lahore. Authorities in Delhi say their action was intended to prevent a direct attack by Pakistani forces against India.”
One of the reasons India’s then Defense Minister Yashwantrao Chavan gave for crossing international borders and invading Pakistan was that “It was quite apparent Pakistan’s next move was to attack Punjab across the international frontier.”
But in reality when India crossed Pakistani border in Punjab and arrived in Batapur, Pakistani army was not even prepared for war. Pakistan believed that India will not cross the border after assurance at international forums. When Indian troops didn’t find much resistance at border they thought it must be a trap, and became more careful, which ultimately affected their pace of attack and the Pakistan Army got some time to prepare, defend and counterattack. This clearly shows that Pakistani Army was not having any intentions to cross the international border.
Later, as a result of counterattack by Pakistan near the west bank of the BRB Canal, at the border of India and Pakistan, Major General Prasad’s entourage itself was ambushed and he was forced to flee his vehicle.
Other reason that the Indian Army gave for invading Pakistan was that Pakistan was involved in the uprising in Kashmir and alleged that Pakistan had sent militants in Kashmir to fight against the Indian Army. Pakistan’s stand on this issue was that Kashmir is a disputed territory and whatever happens in Kashmir cannot be dubbed as a war.
BBC News also stated that ceasefire line was established in 1949 after the first Indo-Pakistan war into Jammu and Kashmir. Since then there have been a number of clashes along the ceasefire line, there had been a few minor clashes in the Rann of Kutch too, but this is the first time Indian troops have crossed into West Pakistan in what is being seen as an act of war.
On the other side, before the start of all-out war, Indian Prime Minister Lal Bhadur Shastri had said: “We will open the front of our choice”. Similarly, the Indian chief of army staff Joyanto Nath Chowdhuri had said: “I’ll have a bada (large) peg in the Lahore Gymkhana.” All these statements are recorded in history but what happened was completely against the wishes of Indian government and Indian Army. Pakistan Army completely destroyed their dreams.
It is obvious from the above facts that India is the one who started the war and invaded Pakistan.
When India invaded Pakistan
After the Indian invasion, Pakistan Army not only defended its borders against the much mightier Indian Army, but it also moved into the Indian territory and claimed to have captured 1,075 km2 of Indian territory.
Time magazine reported that “despite claims from both sides the awkward fact is that Khemkaran is under Pakistan administration.”
The London Daily Mirror reported: “There is a smell of death in the burning Pakistan sun. For it was here that India’s attacking forces came to a dead stop.”
“By all accounts the courage displayed by the Pakistan Air Force pilots is reminiscent of the bravery of the few young and dedicated pilots who saved this country from Nazi invaders in the critical battle of Britain during the last war.” stated Patrick Seale, in The Observer, London, on September 12, 1965.
In Times reporter Louis Karrar wrote: “Who can defeat a nation which knows how to play hide and seek with death.”
“Pakistan claims to have destroyed something like 1/3rd the Indian Air Force, and foreign observers, who are in a position to know say that Pakistani pilots have claimed even higher kills than this; but the Pakistani Air Force are being scrupulously honest in evaluating these claims. They are crediting Pakistan Air Force only those killings that can be checked from other sources,” said Roy Meloni on American Broadcasting Corporation (September 15, 1965).
“During the night they threw in every reinforcement they could find. But wave after wave of attacks were repulsed by the Pakistanis. India is being soundly beaten by a nation, which is outnumbered by four and a half to one in population and three to one in size of armed forces,” said the Daily Times, London.
USA Aviation Week & Space Technology in December 1968 issue said, “For the PAF, the 1965 war as climatic as the Israeli victory over the Arabs in 1967. A further similarity was that Indian air power had an approximately 5:1 numerical superiority at the start of the conflict. Unlike the Middle East conflict, the Pakistani air victory was achieved to a large degree by air-to-air combat rather than on an air-to-ground one. But it was as absolute as that attained by Israel.”
Indian failure can also be assessed by the Official History of the 1965 War drafted by the Ministry of Defense of India in 1992. According to this document, on September 22, when the Security Council was pressurizing both the countries for the ceasefire, Indian Prime Minister asked commanding Gen. Chaudhuri if India could possibly win the war. The general urged negotiations for ceasefire and replied that most of India’s frontline ammunition had been used up and the Indian Army had suffered considerable tank losses. But later it was determined that till that time India had used only 14% of its frontline ammunition.
On the other side, our then foreign minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto declared in a very emotional speech at the UN Security Council that “If needed, for Kashmir we would fight a war for a thousand years” although Pakistan had used 80% of its frontline ammunition till that time. But the nation was still determined to fight. That was the main difference between the morale of Indian and Pakistani people, which was sky-high at our end.
The war lasted till September 22, 1965, when a ceasefire was declared due to the intervention of the United Nations and it was decided that on the International border pre-war positions should be held by the both countries.
It can be concluded that Pakistan was invaded by India and Pakistan successfully defended its borders. Many Pakistanis and international analysts considered the performance of Pakistani military to be positive. September 6 is celebrated as Defense Day in Pakistan, in commemoration of the successful defense of Lahore against the Indian army. The performance of the Pakistani Air Force, in particular, was praised. Kashmir issue was once again highlighted in the international forums and United Nations passed four resolutions (210, 211, 214 and 215) on this issue.
Maj. Raja Aziz Bhatti was awarded with Nishan-e-Haider and became the hero of Pakistan who died defending the lines near Lahore. Many stories of bravery and patriotism emerged from the battlefield. It was first time that Pakistan was invaded and the people of Pakistan were standing united with the soldiers of Pakistan Army to defend their country. Today again we are under attack by the enemies of Pakistan from Inside as well as outside Pakistan. Our spirit should be the same as it was in 1965 so that we can again defend our homeland and tell our enemies that we were united and we are united to defend our Pakistan.
)from war ..enjoy!
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