1. It was an anti-climax and a disappointment for both the troops and the people that a cease-fire was called on 23 Sep. Indians were psychologically down and morally defeated. Suddenly they realized they should brace for another Battle of Panipath. Ammo, replenishment and stores were flowing in from Iran and Turkey. In the East Indonesia was impatient to join in the fight. Lashkars from FATA and Afghanistan were flooding in. Pakistan was pressurized to accept the cease-fire was by the American lobby and the arm peddlers who did not fancy disintegration / disappearance of India. They could then sell no arms to either.
2. Yes, Pak High Command did make serious mistakes.
a. Calling back the Gibraltar Mujahids was unnecessary and unproductive. In fact they should have been strengthened.
b. Changing the GOC in the middle of a campaign was most unprofessional. The advance lost a vital day and the effort got totally wasted. No effort was made to make up for the loss of momentum. Under Yahya no further effort was made to progress from where Akhtar Malik left.
c. 1 Armored Div should have known it was possible to break the canal banks to flood their axis of advance.
3. But again these setbacks dwarf before the tremendous gains in the air, sea and land. Pakistan should have continued to push. All advances of IA were halted and pushed back.The last desperate Indian effort was to skirt around Sialkot city to its west. Gathering remnants of armor from Chowanda IA thrust between Sialkot cantt and R Chenab heading towards Rak Marakiwal. If successful, they would then head towards Sambrial and Daska.Wazirabad and the GT road would then be open to them. PA had suffered heavy casualty here. 7 Baloch was mauled. Capt Masroor and Capt GM Malik (top award winner at Sandhurst, and later Lieut Gen) were grievously wounded.
4.War-raised 22 Baloch, with some reservist officers, was sent to reinforce. 4 Baloch was with drawn from a defense deployment and launched into a counter attack with a regiment of TDU (old Sherman tanks and reservist officers and JCOs). A squadron of light Chafe tanks was also pressed in later. However, the commander artillery and CO 8 Med, Lieut Col Ata, had organized a fantastic artillery support. 4 Baloch, under Lieut Col Rahim Khan (later Maj Gen and last escapee from Dhaka, 1971) launched a dusk attack on Phlora Wadda and Phlora Nikkaon 20 Sep. IA 4 Madras was beaten back from the positions they had taken on the katccha track leading to Puran Bhagat Ka Khu and Sialkot Cantt. 4 Baloch had committed only two coys in the attack. The entire Bn was to be launched on the other IA positions till they were driven back across the border.There was a Jat Bn (was it 7 Jat), a Gurkha Bn and a Kumaon Bn deployed and dislodged.
5. That might have been the last attack by PA because reports of cease-fire was coming in. However, Pakistanis in the East as well as in the West were in great josh / spirit. They could have fought on till a conclusive destruction of the state of India.
