Pakistan celebrates Defence day on 6th of September every year to commemorate the sacrifices made by Pakistani soldiers in defending its borders. The 2nd war between Pakistan and India over the status of Jammu and Kashmir was fought in 1965. Pakistan military ensured that the superior invading force was decisively stopped from taking key cities.
The war began after Pakistan’s Operation Gibraltar, designed to infiltrate forces into Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir to precipitate an insurgency against illegal rule by India. The war only lasted for 5 weeks but caused 1000s of casualties on both sides of the border. India attacked across the international border on September 6th and a full-scale war broke out which concluded with a ceasefire on September 22nd.
When a country goes to war, it is important that politico-military objectives are well defined and once defined these must be pursued vigorously. On the contrary, India’s objectives were blur. Indian armed forces crossed Wagah border which alerted Pakistan armed forces and they put up a valiant defense of the country. Pakistan with relatively small armed forces and limited resources had indeed given adequate response to the enemy on all fronts including air, land and sea.
It was the first time that the air forces of both states were facing each other. PAF pilots displayed remarkable skills despite its smaller size and its best example was that of Squadron Leader M.M. Alam, who shot down five Indian fighter planes. On 7th September in 1965 Pakistan Navy, under the guidance of Commodore S. M. Anwar, attacked the Indian naval radar station that was set up on the coast of Dwarka in India, which is approximately 320km to the south-east of Karachi Port. The operation was successful and it boosted the morale of our soldiers and the nation as a whole.
During this war, 1617 sq. miles of territory was occupied by Pakistan as compared to 446 sq. miles of Pakistan’s open and undefended territory occupied by India. In this war the Pakistan Army captured 20 Indian officers, 19 junior Indian Commissioned Officers and 569 other ranks. The war reached stalemate. It did not resolve the Kashmir dispute, but it engaged the United States and the Soviet Union in ways that had important implications for subsequent superpower involvement in the region.
International media that covered the 17-day war between Pakistan and India in 1965 in their reports had admitted India’s dominance over Pakistan despite huge military force and resources. But they also acknowledged that Pakistan Armed Forces are fearless and brave. Even India appreciated the performance of Pakistan during war. Times of India reported, “It is clear from the fury with which Pakistan is fighting on all fronts that it has not been easy for the Indian army to advance into Pakistani territory”.
The ceasefire was accepted by Pakistan and India in September 1965. But it was not enough to resolve the status of Kashmir, and both sides accepted the Soviet Union as a third-party mediator. A declaration of formal cessation of hostilities was signed by the presidents of both Pakistan (General Ayub Khan) and India (Lal Bahadur Shastri). Peace between the two countries was negotiated under Soviet auspices in Tashkent on January 10th, 1966.
