The day of September 6th is celebrated as the Defence of Pakistan Day each year across the nation to pay tribute to the brave sons of the soil, who sacrificed their lives while defending their homeland during the 1965 War. It was a momentous day in the history of Pakistan when the war-mongering India invaded our motherland. But our armed forces with the people of Pakistan on their backs, stopped the Indian attacks dead in their tracks and the dream of the Indian Army to celebrate the evening at one of Lahore’s most well-known places, was shattered into pieces.
To familiarise the young generation with the history of Pakistan and the sacrifices of their forefathers, the achievements of Pakistani forces must be recounted so that the younger ones may not be misled by false information deliberately propagated by Pakistan’s enemies.
Pakistan’s armed forces have always played a substantial role in protecting its territorial integrity by rigorously dealing with any emerging threat or inimical situation. Moreover, they know exactly how to retaliate against our enemies. The Indian side has been presenting severe challenges to Pakistan since 1947, but the acquisition of strategic capabilities has helped Pakistan ward off India’s malign intentions. The Pakistan Navy, along with the Pakistan Army and Air Force, efficiently defended the territorial water zones both during war and peace. Pakistan Navy’s history is filled with glory and eminence, exquisite skills and calamitous manoeuvrability, and tactical feats to defeat even a bigger enemy.
In the Indian offensive that began on September 6th, the joint action of the Pakistan Army, Navy, and Air Force effectively fended off the offensives and taught her a hard lesson on land, air, and maritime fronts. Two days after the initial attack, India employed its armoured division and other striking formations to take Sialkot on September 8th. Consequently, an enormous tank fight followed, the largest since World War II. There were casualties on both sides in this bitter and long-lasting conflict, fought over many days and nights. Eventually, the Indians were mauled and held. A huge number of casualties and sizable material losses forced India’s armoured division into withdrawal. Immediately after the Sialkot attack, Pakistan waged a counter-attack in the south of Lahore and seized the Indian territories of Khem Karan and beyond. As a result, the rear of the Indian troops facing Lahore was seriously threatened. During these two days, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) also gave the enemy a tough time by launching continuous airstrikes from Pathankot to Agra. Besides the collateral damage caused during the night bombing, PAF destroyed 50 Indian aircraft and damaged eight for the loss of only six Pakistani aircraft.
Accordingly, on the sea fronts, Pakistan Navy, despite having a comparatively lesser size and offensive capability, conducted several operations in order to create strategic deterrence and respond to the Indian Navy appropriately. As a result of the Pakistan Navy’s nautical prowess, the sea lanes and waters surrounding Pakistan remained open to incoming ships.
The major role Pakistan Navy played in the Indo-Pak War - 1965, was in launching ‘Operation Dwarka’. On September 7th, Pakistan Navy sailed battle-tested and capable seven ships with 24 guns for Dwarka. Dwarka was enforcing a blackout and only identifiable by radar, but the lighthouse provided a very good point of reference in terms of positioning for the task force. Executing ‘Operation Somnath’ every ship was authorised to fire 50 rounds of high ammunition. The ships opened fire from a distance of 5.5 to 6.3 miles, still closing the range. Approximately, four minutes was all it took to fire the allocated number of shells, and quickly alter course to exit the area.
On checking damage at Dwarka on September 8th, Indian navy officials acknowledged the damage caused as a result of this action. They found the radar station destroyed; the naval air station’s runway for test flights of INS Vikrant aircraft damaged; about 50 persons dead and a nearby cement factory was also harmed. This official version of the Indian naval officials demonstrates that the Pakistan navy’s raid on Dwarka had been a stunning success. Massive material damage and psychological trauma had struck the enemy, in addition to that, Indian air raids on Karachi were repelled, implying that the radar station was completely knocked out.
The Pakistani fleet arrived back in territorial waters minutes after the attack, assumed their patrol stations 100 miles off Karachi, and was ready for a possible Indian response, which through possible radar contacts, never materialised. The sole Indian warship in the area, the Whitby Class frigate, Talwar, had been undergoing repairs to her condensers in Okha and had not challenged the raid.
The Pakistani Navy’s strategic thinking and war planning cornered the Indian Navy as their operational plans were adversely affected. The Pakistan Navy had undertaken Operation Dwarka to achieve multiple objectives: destructing the Indian radar, and provoking its warcraft stationed at Mumbai (then Bombay) port to approach the Arabian Sea, where Pakistan Navy’s submarine ‘Ghazi’ was awaiting to engage and destroy Indian ships namely INS Vikrant and INS Mysore.
Having already demonstrated its operational readiness, the Pakistan Navy shows no sign of weakness when it comes to its domestic obligations. The recent historic monsoon rains and flooding in Pakistan have affected more than 30 million people and killed more than 1000 people. In this hour of need, Pakistan Navy has initiated wide-scale Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations in the far-flung rural areas of Sindh and Balochistan which are the most affected by the recent flooding. Pakistan Navy through utilising its resources is providing support to the civil administration of Balochistan in undergoing rescue and relief operations.
Pakistan Navy has set up a tent village at Bela near Uthal to provide shelter to the locals who have lost their homes in the flash floods. Food and health facilities are being provided to the displaced persons at the tent village. Moreover, free medical camps have been established in the area to provide first aid and free medical facilities to the locals. A dedicated team of doctors and paramedical staff is providing treatment and free medicines to the aggrieved populace.
Pakistan Navy, along with civil government and various philanthropist organisations, is providing continuous assistance to the flood-stricken people while transitioning to rehabilitation operations in the worst affected areas. The relief operation in Balochistan is a practical manifestation of the Pakistan Navy’s resolve to extend all-out support to fellow countrymen during times of crisis.
This Defence Day reminds us to pledge as a nation that we will always remember the sacrifices of our brave soldiers and will stand by their side in the war and peace efforts. On this day, we should pray and show solidarity with those who have lost their loved ones in the recent flooding.
On this day, we must pray for those people who have lost their beloved ones during the recent flooding and show solidarity with them
On this day, we must pray for and show solidarity to those who have lost their loved ones in the recent flooding.
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Captain Raja Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed
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Major Tufail Muhammad Shaheed
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Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed
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Rashid Minhas Shaheed
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Major Shabbir Shareef Shaheed
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Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed
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Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed
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Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz Shaheed
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Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed
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Havaldar Lalak Jan Shaheed
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Saif Ali Janjua Shaheed