By Roy Zia Ur Rahman ISLAMABAD, Sep 06 (APP):Eight F-86 Sabres, limited fuel and a major enemy airbase ahead on the evening of September 6, 1965, Pakistan Air Force’s No. 19 Squadron flew towards Pathankot on a daring mission that became one of the most remembered air operations of the 1965 war. The pilots had a difficult task. They had to reach Pathankot without giving the enemy enough time to …
Eight Sabres into Enemy Skies: How No. 19 Squadron’s ‘Sherdils’ struck Pathankot
By Roy Zia Ur Rahman
ISLAMABAD, Sep 06 (APP):Eight F-86 Sabres, limited fuel and a major enemy airbase ahead on the evening of September 6, 1965, Pakistan Air Force’s No. 19 Squadron flew towards Pathankot on a daring mission that became one of the most remembered air operations of the 1965 war.
The pilots had a difficult task. They had to reach Pathankot without giving the enemy enough time to react, attack Indian fighter aircraft on the ground, face anti-aircraft fire and still save enough fuel to return home.
The men of No. 19 Squadron, known as the “Sherdils,” were led by Squadron Leader Sajad Haider.
For the squadron, September 6 had already been a long day. Its Sabres had earlier flown in support of Pakistani ground forces as fighting spread near Lahore. By the afternoon, another important mission was waiting.
This time, the target was Pathankot airbase.
Historical accounts list the eight pilots of the strike formation as Sajad Haider, Muhammad Akbar, Mazhar Abbas, Dilawar Hussain, Ghani Akbar, Arshad Chaudhry, Khalid Latif and Abbas Khattak.
The mission was not built on courage alone. Training had prepared the pilots for it.
Before the war, No. 19 Squadron had trained hard in low-level flying and attacks on ground targets. The pilots repeated their exercises because during a real attack, they would have only seconds to see the target, fire and move away.
On September 6, that training was put to the test.
At the base, technicians checked the Sabres, weapons were prepared and the aircraft were refuelled. Ground crews carried out final checks while the pilots studied their mission and route.
Then the eight Sabres took off.
Sherdils over Pathankot
Surprise was a key part of the plan.
The PAF Museum’s historical record places the Pathankot Strike at 1705 hours on September 6, 1965.
As the formation reached Pathankot, Indian fighter aircraft were on the ground.
The attack began.
The Sabres came down towards the airfield and opened fire. Indian anti-aircraft guns responded, but the Sherdils continued their attacks.
Inside the cockpit, every pilot had to watch the target, enemy fire, other aircraft in the formation and his fuel at the same time. A mistake of only a few seconds could be deadly.
Yet the formation stayed together and continued the mission.
According to the Pakistan Air Force Museum’s official history, Sajad Haider and his Sabres destroyed 14 Indian aircraft at Pathankot. The PAF record says the aircraft included MiG-21s, Mystères and other fighters parked at the airbase.
A Pakistani military study of the 1965 and 1971 wars separately records that two MiG-21s and eight Mystère aircraft were destroyed on the ground at Pathankot.
For Pakistan, the strike became one of the major PAF successes of the war.
The attack seen from the ground
One of the strongest descriptions of the Pathankot attack came from an Indian officer who was present at the airbase.
S. Raghavendran, who later became an Indian Air Marshal, recalled how suddenly the PAF Sabres appeared.
He described confusion at the airbase, bullets flying around and personnel rushing towards trenches for cover.
He also recalled Pakistani Sabres coming over the airfield repeatedly and attacking aircraft while anti-aircraft guns fired at them.
His account gives a rare picture of the raid from the ground and shows the surprise created by the arrival of the Sherdils.
The target was hit, but the danger was not over
After attacking Pathankot, the pilots faced another serious challenge — returning home with limited fuel.
The Sabres had flown into enemy territory and used precious fuel during the attack. Now every minute mattered.
The formation turned towards Pakistan.
Behind them was Pathankot. Ahead was home.
Sajad Haider later recalled that some aircraft were dangerously low on fuel during the return flight. Abbas Khattak and Ghani Akbar were among those facing a particularly tight fuel situation.
Only minutes earlier, the pilots had been watching enemy guns. Now they were also watching their fuel gauges.
The Sabres continued towards Pakistan.
And they made it home.
For the ground crews waiting at the base, the sight of the returning aircraft meant much more than the end of a combat mission.
Their pilots were back.
A victory built on teamwork
The Pathankot mission was not the work of pilots alone.
Behind every Sabre was a team of technicians and ground crew. They checked engines, prepared weapons, filled fuel and made sure each aircraft was ready to fight.
Air defence controllers, engineers, planners and other support staff also played their part.
That is why Pathankot is not simply the story of eight men in eight cockpits. It is the story of No. 19 Squadron as a team.
The pilots flew into enemy skies, but an entire squadron helped send them there and bring them home.
Sajad Haider was later awarded the Sitara-i-Juraat for his courage and leadership during the war.
Black-and-white pictures, a story still alive
More than six decades later, the old black-and-white photographs of No. 19 Squadron still tell a powerful story.
In one photograph, young pilots sit around a map. In another, they stand beside an F-86 Sabre.
There is no show on their faces.
There is focus, preparation and responsibility.
Perhaps that is the strongest message of these photographs.
Courage is not always loud. Sometimes it is a young pilot studying a map, putting on his helmet and climbing into a fighter aircraft, knowing that enemy guns may be waiting ahead.
On Defence Day, the Pathankot mission is therefore remembered not only for Pakistan’s claim of 14 Indian aircraft destroyed, but also for the courage of the pilots, the training behind the mission and the teamwork that made it possible.
Eight Sabres flew towards Pathankot that evening, but behind them stood the whole No. 19 Squadron. Their aircraft belong to history now, but the lesson of the Sherdils remains alive — training builds skill, teamwork builds strength and courage in defence of the homeland can make history.
