The epic of Sept 65
Faruk Ashrafeen

ON the 6th of September 1965, the then 18-year old Pakistan, found itself face to face with an extremely challenging situation when India broke out a sudden and undeclared war. Nation took it by surprise but equally surprising was its response to the aggressor. Not only the nation stood united and guarded behind our armed forces, the brave sons of soil, the soldiers, pilots and sailors proved that they could go to any extent in defense of their country whether on ground, in air or at sea. The world witnessed that Pakistan emerged out of the crisis triumphant, with dignity and success.
It was 1965 that provided us an opportunity to weigh our indigenous strength. Our Armed Forces for the first time found out what great potential they had and what dent they could pose to the ten time bigger enemy. That’s why the ghazis, shaheeds are befittingly saluted, for, they laid down their lives while safeguarding frontiers of our country and above all our future. Indian army had been expecting a walk through in Lahore area, but the Indian dream could not materialize due to the heroic role of the sons of soil. Huge credit goes to the nation, the regiments, units, and the soldiers who were deployed in Lahore areas of Wagah, Burki etc.
India attacked Pakistan with high hopes of taking back the country into its fold ‘to prove that the Two-Nation Theory was wrong’. But they were unaware that they were up against an army whose valor and professionalism was to write new chapters in warfare. Yes, the brave wrote the history with their blood and defeated the enemy’s military might with their limited fire power through sheer will power and commitment. According to one of the contemporary war experts, the 1965 Pak-India War was the most intense ever in the recorded history of military warfare since World War-II as close to a thousand tanks, on both sides, took part in the pitch battles and offensives. It is true that Pakistan Army was outnumbered with a ratio of 1:3 in almost every aspect of the war by India, but definitely not in gallantry, patriotism and the will and readiness to lay down lives for the motherland.
The spirit of `65 is the strength of character, the firm resolution and the fortitude that overwhelmed every Pakistani to stand up to be counted as a defender of the homeland. The army had the gun power, air force had accuracy while Navy did not miss its target when it mattered most. Add all these virtues together with the nation’s overwhelming support, Pakistan’s Armed Forces proved to be an insurmountable wall. For 17 days the stories our war heroes wrote and which later became folklore, remain unparalleled even today. A search through the pages of history gives us a heart warming account of the heroes, some of whom were awarded while others remain un-sung.
Despite disadvantages, the PAF performed excellently in the war in September 1965. During this war, Sq. Ldr M M Alam set a world record by shooting down five Indian planes in just one sortie. By the time war ended, he had downed 9 Indian planes and damaged another two. PAF pilots proved their professional competence by bombing Pathankot there were many other bases and Kalaikunda Air Bases, two of the most important and heavily guarded bases of the IAF. When the war ended, PAF had shot down about 65 Indian planes while losing itself only 19 planes. After the war ended, several IAF officers appreciated PAF’s daring performance. Indian Air Marshal Raghavendran (in his article The Day the PAF Got Away) has, very rightly paid high accolades to the leadership of Air Marshal Asghar Khan and Nur Khan who converted the PAF into a formidable force.