NOVANEWS
By Sajjad Shaukat
Pakistan is celebrating golden jubilee of the 1965 war which India imposed on September 6, but
the latter was defeated by Pakistan’s Armed Forces. On September 7, Air Force Day (Yum-e-
Fizaiya) is being celebrated by every Pakistani in the memory of the martyrs and heroes of that
war, and to pay tribute to Pakistan Air Force (PAF) which won aerial warfare by defeating India.
On September 6, 1965 when India suddenly attacked Pakistan, its forces crossed the international
border and the BRB canal, and captured a town of Batapore, Lahore, (Lahore-Burki sector) the
same day; a counter offensive of an armoured division and infantry division supported by
Pakistan Air Force forced the Indian 15th Division to withdraw to its starting point.
Similarly, when Indian forces launched an offensive towards Sialkot, aircraft of the Pakistan Air
Force supported the Pakistan Army, and Indian forces were compelled to retreat. Besides,
aircraft and valiant personnel of the PAF supported the ground forces in the sectors like Rajastan
(Sindh), Khem Karan (Punjab) and Chumb (Kashmir) including other ones.
Despite Indian surprise invasion in 1965, while displaying valour, and without bothering for their
lives, the pilots of the PAF castigated the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the aerial warfare. In this
regard, Squadron Leader M. M. Alam set new records in history of air warfare on 7th September
by defending Pakistan’s airspace against the aggressors, and shot down five Indian aircraft in
less than sixty seconds at Sargodha. He is rightly branded as a “hunter of the hunters”.
And Flight Lieutenant Yunus Hussain fought in air battles aggressively and fearlessly. During
one such engagement, he fought singly against 6 enemy aircraft and shot down 2 Hunters.
Though his own aircraft was damaged in this encounter, he managed to bring it back to base
safely. On 6 September, while attacking Halwara airfield, his small formation was intercepted by
a large number of enemy and, although his aircraft was hit, he refused to break off the
engagement, in complete disregard of personal safety, and was reported missing from this
mission. While Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Ahmad Rafiqui led a formation of 3 F-86 aircraft on a
strike against Halwara airfield, the formation was intercepted by about 10 Hunter aircraft out of
which Squadron Leader Rafiqui accounted for one. But, then his guns jammed due to a defect.
However, Rafiqui refused to leave the battle area instead he ordered his No. 2 to continue the
engagement, while his end was never in doubt, but, he chose to disregard it and, his aircraft was
shot down and he was martyred.
As regards the victory of PAF, a writer of the Pakistan Air Force elaborates, “To achieve this,
PAF adopted an aggressive and courageous approach, which ultimately provided an impregnable
shield to the country’s airspace. This was also attributable to the leadership of Chief of the Air
Staff Air Marshal Asghar Khan and dynamic leadership of Air Marshal Nur Khan—said on 4th
September that superiority in numbers does not decide air battles; better training, morale, and
above all fighting spirit in fact are the deciding factors—what many don’t know is that it was the
PAF who played a major role in denying General Chaudhry of Indian Army his cocktail party at
Gymkhana Lahore. PAF air support at this crucial juncture turned the tables on the enemy—
at this crucial juncture, appeared 06 PAF Sabres led by SQN LDR Sajjad “Nosey” Haider and
wrought havoc with the enemy armor and infantry trying to cross the BRB Canal– air support
continued as 18 more F-86 Sabres kept pounding guns, tanks which were trying to advance
towards Lahore, Jassar and Kasur. PAF was instrumental in saving Lahore.”
However, Pakistan Air Force made it possible for the ground troops to recapture the territories
from India, and also to take from Indian forces various regions like Khem Karan Rajastan,
It is notable that the marvelous performance of PAF was substantiated by a letter sent by
President of Pakistan to Air Marshal Nur Khan, complimenting the PAF on its first two days of
full-scale operations. Subsequently, PAF remained in virtual control in vital battle areas as the
IAF, after 7th September, showed growing reluctance to engage an aerial combat. This record-
breaking role of PAF is primarily attributable to salient aspects of leadership and brevity.
The employment of the bomber fleet was also very well-panned by the PAF top leadership.
Besides the fighters, the bombers also made significant contributions by undertaking regular
night bombing operations against a number of Indian airfields, damaging most of them. The
brilliantly-flown PAF Sabers inflicted more losses on the IAF Hunters, Gnats and Mysteres.
PAF also exhibited a classic example of unconventional mans utilizing its C-130 fleet for night
bombing. The speed with which the idea was adopted and the necessary modifications
incorporated reflected the PAF’s pilots and engineer’s genius for improvisation.
The 1965 war saw the best of the PAF’s war-fighting abilities, and made history by shooting
down 13 aircraft in one day. PAF emerged as glorious because of a very high standard of its
leadership and a determination, springing from the realization that national survival was at stake.
During that war of 1965, PAF had destroyed 104 Indian aircraft on ground and in the air, while
damaged more than 10—not counting the losses, inflicted by PAF’s night bombing on the India
airfields and bases and other military installations.
It is mentionable that some opine that India and Pakistan have made contradictory claims of
victory during the aerial warfare of the 1965 war. But facts cannot be denied, which prove that
In this respect, while realizing Indian failures, Indian Air Chief Marshal (R) P.C. Lal who was
the Vice Chief of Air Staff during the Indo-Pak war of 1965, points to the lack of coordination
between the IAF and the Indian army.
While, in his book, titled “The Duels of the Himalayan Eagle: The First Indo-Pak Air War”,
which is being released on September 1, this year, ex-Indian Air Marshal Bharat Kumar admitted
the Indian defeat in the war of 1965, as disclosed by The Times of India.
He reveals, “It was the first air battle between India and Pakistan. The Indian Air Force was
numerically superior, with 28 combat squadrons to PAF’s 11, but it was saddled with
technologically inferior fighters. IAF’s latest history of its operations in the 1965 war
acknowledges it suffered disproportionately higher losses than PAF. But, it says the force
showed resilience and determination to set aside initial losses and gradually turn the tables on its
adversary with effective counter-strikes to prosecute the war till the ceasefire came into effect on
The book indicates, “There is no doubt that Indian losses in aircraft were higher” than those of
Pakistan—tried to use just this figure alone to proclaim its victory”.
Undoubtedly, in aerial warfare between IAFF and PAF, the latter emerged as victorious in the
I965 war. Pakistan Air Force gained a lot of credibility among Pakistan military and international
war writers for successful defence of Lahore and other important areas of Pakistan and heavy
retaliation to India. Thought-out the war, PAF not only maintained its air superiority, but also
remained vigilant in informing armed forces and general masses regarding the air attacks of
