ISLAMABAD, Sep 6 (APP):The nation came together on Sunday to remember the bravery of armed forces in the war of September 1965 when the ghazis and martyrs repulsed the cowardly attack of India.
According to Lt Gen (Retd) Sardar FS Lodi, India’s attack against Lahore was held and beaten back by our martyrs and ghazis with heavy losses to the attackers.
In an article, he stated the Pakistan Army units defending on the ground, supported by the Pakistan Air Force were able to blunt the Indian offensive and roll it back.
Two days later on September 8, India launched its main attack against Sialkot using its armoured division and other strike formations.
What ensued had been described as the largest tank battle since the second World War. It was a hard and bitter struggle fought over many days and nights resulting in casualties on both sides.
In the end the Indian main attack was held and severely mauled and its armoured division was forced to withdraw, Lodi added.
South of Lahore, Pakistan launched its own counter attack and captured India’s Khem Karan sector and beyond. This posed a serious threat to the rear of Indian troops facing Lahore.
In the south, Pakistan took the initiative to push back Indian troops and entered Indian territory.
During the operations, Pakistan captured around 1600 square miles of Indian territory. The war ended with the mediation effort of the USSR (United Socialist Soviet Republic) and a peace agreement was signed at Tashkent.
On Defence Day, the entire nation paid homage to all martyrs of armed forces of Pakistan including recipients of Nishan-e-Haider (NH), Captain Raja Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed, Major Muhammad Tufail Shaheed, Major Aziz Bhatti Shaheed, Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed, Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed, Major Shabbir Sharif Shaheed, Lance Naik Muhammad Mehfuz Shaheed, Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed, Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed, Havaldar Lalak Jan Shaheed and Naik Saif Ali Janjua Shaheed decorated with Hilal-e-Kashmir (Equivalent to Nishan-e-Haider).
Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed (Nishan-i-Haider) had successfully defended the strategic BRB canal (Bambanwala-Ravi-Bedian Canal) near Lahore for five days where he embraced shahadat after being hit by an enemy tank shell on September 10, 1965.
Squadron Leader Muhammad Mahmood Alam popularly known as M.M. Alam shot down two enemy hunter aircrafts and damaged three others on 6th September and destroyed five more enemy hunter aircrafts in less than a minute on September 7th, which was unprecedented in the history of Pakistan Air Force.
Captain Col. Sher Khan Shaheed (Nishan-e-Haider) was one of those celebrated officers of Pakistan Army whose indomitable courage, unmatched valour, devotion to duty, leadership qualities and heroic battlefield performance during Kargil conflict was highly praised by even the enemy.
