Every year that the month of September rolls in I am reminded of that epic battle between Pakistan and India better known as the Tank battle in Chawinda.
A battle that proved beyond a shadow of doubt that it is not just numbers that win you battles in war but your courage and determination and the will to stand up to the enemy no matter how big and overwhelming it seems to be. If there were any doubts on this thought process they were erased in the recent aerial conflict between the two adversaries in the sub-continent. In other words, India suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the four-day conflict in May.
It is no surprise that the battle of Chawinda has gone down in history second only to the famous tank battle in WWII between the Russian and German forces. In both these cases solid determination overcame superiority in numbers and size of adversaries. We sometimes tend to forget that among the significant events in the 1965 war between Pakistan and India is the story of our legendary pilot and war hero M M Alam, who while piloting an F-86 Sabre, shot down five Indian war planes in less than a minute and altogether, downed nine war planes in the aerial fight.
MM Alam was the first-ever fighter pilot for PAF, listed on top in the hall of famers’ list at the PAF Museum in Karachi. He would have been proud of the feat performed by our fighter pilots in the recent skirmish that saw Pakistan come out on top in no uncertain manner once more against the enemy.
Coming back to the tank battle at Chawinda I am reminded of the headline by an Australian newspaper that ran it as “Biggest Tank battle .Pakistani victory “. Some simple words describing a monumental resistance by Pakistan with so many laying down their lives to defend the country.
The 1965 war will always be remembered as a moment when not only the armed forces defended the country with valour but their effort was backed by the ordinary person on the street who joined in whatever way they could. I still remember stories of people cooking huge pots of rice and other such foods and sitting on the GT Road pleading soldiers on the way to the front lines to please partake just a little of their offerings. Some of the more dare-devil ones were seen trying to cling to the sides of the vehicles on way to the front to join those fighting on the front lines.
Even dogfights in the air in Lahore were cheered by valiant residents of Lahore who climbed on roof-tops when our air force engaged the enemy. For the Zinda Dilan e Lahore these dogfights were like kites engaged in the celebration of Besant festival with cries of ‘wo kaata’ when an enemy plane got hit. Groups of young men and women also scoured the streets and roads searching for downed Indian pilots.
Everyone was on their toes and fully involved. It was with such spirit, zeal and enthusiasm that our armed forces backed fully by their population faced the enemy in the biggest tank battle after World War II and stopped the enemy dead in its tracks.
No doubt that huge sacrifices had to be made and many of our Jawans and officers laid down their lives. This valiant effort was fully recognized and Hilal-e-Istaqlal was conferred upon the people of Sialkot. This battle and our resistance led to an honorable peace and the dreams of invaders of occupying our country was dashed to the ground.
Come September the memory of those days refreshes itself in the hearts of those who lived through those moments and this year it has a special meaning. We have just lived through another period of aggression and come out on top. Today the martyrs of Chawinda and indeed all the martyrs throughout our history sleep in peace.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The writer is a well-known columnist
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