Defence Day-Reminder of spirit and valour

Every year we celebrate September 6 as Defence Day to pay tribute to our armed forces, who defended the country selflessly and bravely in 1965 teaching the enemy a lesson they will never forget.

The day dawned with 31 gun salutes at the federal capital and 21 gun salutes at provincial capitals.

Special prayers were offered after Fajr in mosques for the progress and prosperity of the country and independence of occupied Kashmir from the cruel clutches of India.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) aired a song ‘Har Ghari Tayyar Kamran’ in this regard.

Television and radio channels are broadcasting special programmes and newspapers were published special editions to pay tributes to the heroes of the 1965 war.

A ceremony of “Change of Guard” held at the Mazar-e-Quaid.A smartly turned out cadets of the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) Asghar Khan Academy assumed the ceremonial guard duties at the mausoleum. Air Vice-Marshal Shakil Ghazanfar graced the occasion as the chief guest.

Pak-India war of 1965

There is no doubt the fact that the Indian leadership never reconciled with the existence of Pakistan.

They opposed its creation tooth and nail on one pretext or the other, but they were unable to frustrate the strategy of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

After the creation of Pakistan, Indians have made continuous efforts to annihilate Pakistan.

They have succeeded in seceding East Pakistan from us. The wars between India and Pakistan have been the wars between two ideologies though the apparent causes have been different.

The Indian government’s persistent refusal to pay heed to the world opinion on the question of Kashmir has been another major root cause of confrontation between the two countries.

The enemy attacked our borders on September 6, 1965, with a view to invade the attacked areas. It was a reaction to stop the advance of the Pakistani military in India Occupied Kashmir.

They mostly attacked the areas of Lahore, Sialkot and the desert areas of Sindh. The battle lasted till September 22, 1965, when both sides accepted the United Nations-administered ceasefire.

Role of Pakistani Military

On this day during the 1965 Indo-Pak war, Pakistan defeated India and Pakistani army with such zeal, courage and passion of patriotism, with such strength and nobility that the world is amazed while just listening as to what happened on this day.

Our military was successful in defending not only the areas attacked but also in shielding the lives of thousands of civilians and their homes.

As such, we owe a duty to honour and respect all the military personnel of our country who gave up their lives so that we, our relatives and our fellow countrymen could live peacefully.

This respect and honour should also extend to all those military personnel who supported our martyrs, risked their lives and lived to tell the tale. Many of our martyred national heroes were given awards for their gallantry and bravery.

The highest military award of Nishan-i-Haider was awarded to Major Raja Aziz Bhatti, for his extraordinary role in defending the Lahore Bedian area in 1965.

 He is among a handful of other gallant and brave military personnel who were martyred and awarded the same award in other battles and wars. They gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives in the defence of Pakistan.

On 7 September a single Pakistan Air Force Pilot, Squadron Leader M.M. Alam, Sitara-i-Juraat, in his F-86 Sabre shot down five Indian Air Force attacking Hunter aircraft in a single sortie, an unbeaten world record.

Role of the nation

During the 1965 war, while the army was engaged in shielding geographical frontiers on ground, air and sea, the entire nation formed a strong rock-like second defence line extending and providing all support to their forces.

In doing so, the people had forgotten which government was in power. Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan was at the helm of national affairs as the President and his inspirational speech after the sneaky Indian attack over Radio Pakistan had infused Great Spirit and courage among everyone.

The national priorities were very clear and unambiguous in those days, any danger to the motherland called for the unity and unstinted support to the government and the armed forces and it was forthcoming in a very strong and firm manner.

It is a matter of record that during those 17 days Pakistan was at war with India, crime had been reduced negligibly to the lowest ever level.

No political party or leader was seen trying to draw any advantage out of the war or berate the government of the day for political or personal gain.

They were all one and united in the defence of the motherland and defeating the Indian aggressors. In all fairness, Pakistan emerged from the 1965 war as a strong and self-confident nation, genuinely proud of itself and its armed forces.

We must prepare ourselves to face any challenge

Our neighbour does not believe in a peaceful co-existence and has always remained hostile toward Pakistan, never accepting our sovereignty wholeheartedly.

We must prepare ourselves to face any challenge threatening our national security, as the Quran also instructs the Muslims to keep their horses ready.

We as a nation must come together to build a strong nation. We must use all our energies and resources to make Pakistan strong and unconquerable.

Sept 6 should also be marked as a day of thanksgiving. We should all pray for the safety and solidarity of Pakistan and also that God gives us the strength, courage and determination to protect and safeguard the country at all costs, the freedom and honour of our homeland.

Defence Day is also a day to renew our pledge that we are a strong, proud nation, and that we would not be intimidated by any foreign nation, no matter how strong it is.

Our military is a symbol of all that and much more. It embodies the fighting spirit, bravery and tactical acumen of the great nation of Pakistan. And Defence Day is the day to celebrate and remember all that so that we can be strong and give the right message to the youth and children of the country.