The Battle of Lahore (
: ; ''Jang-e-Lāhaur'',
Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
: लाहौर की लड़ाई; ''Lāhaur kī laḍ.āī''), also referred to as the Lahore Front, constitutes a series of battles fought in and around the
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
i city of
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
[Also known as the Second Kashmir War.] The battle ended in a victory for
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, as it was able to thrust through and hold key
choke point
In military strategy, a choke point (or chokepoint) is a geographical feature on land such as a valley, defile or bridge, or maritime passage through a critical waterway such as a strait, which an armed force is forced to pass through in order ...
s in Pakistan while having gained around 360 to 500
square kilometres of territory.
Indian forces halted their assault on Lahore once they had captured the village of
Burki
The Ormur ( ps, اورمړ), also called Burki or Baraki ( ps, برکي), are an Eastern Iranic people mainly living in Baraki Barak, Logar, Afghanistan and in Kaniguram, South Waziristan.
Despite speaking their own distinct Eastern Iranian l ...
on its outskirts.
[Hagerty, Devin. South Asia in world politics. Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. .][William M. Carpenter, David G. Wiencek. Asian security handbook: terrorism and the new security environment. M.E. Sharpe, 2005. .][John Keay. India: A History. Grove Press, 2001. .] The rationale for this was that a ceasefire−negotiated by the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
−was to be signed soon, and had India captured Lahore, It would have most likely been returned to the process of ceasefire negotiations.
Prelude
After losing hope in the likelihood of a
plebiscite being conducted in
Kashmir, the
Pakistan Army sent
infiltrators into the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n-administered state of
Jammu and Kashmir through a covert operation, dubbed
Operation Gibraltar
Operation Gibraltar was the codename of a military operation planned and executed by the Pakistan Army in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir in August 1965. The operation's strategy was to covertly cross the Line of Control (LoC) an ...
, with the aim of stirring unrest among the Kashmiri locals against Indian rule and instigating a rebellion.
The operation failed due to a variety of contributing factors, and the infiltrators' presence was soon disclosed to the
Indian military
The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by th ...
. India responded by deploying more troops in the
Kashmir Valley and the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
subsequently began its assault against the infiltrators operating in the region.
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
launched a major offensive named
Operation Grand Slam
Operation Grand Slam was a key military operation of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It refers to a plan drawn up by the Pakistan Army in May 1965 that consisted of an attack on the vital Akhnoor Bridge in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashm ...
on 1 September 1965 in Indian-administered
Jammu and Kashmir, in an effort to relieve pressure on the infiltrators who had been surrounded and were holding out against Indian forces after the failure of Operation Gibraltar. Operation Grand Slam also aimed to assault and capture the
Akhnoor
Akhnoor is a city and municipal committee, near city of Jammu in Jammu district of Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It lies 28 km away from Jammu city. Akhnoor is on the bank of the Chenab River, just before it enters the P ...
bridge, which would not only cut off Indian supply lines, but also allow the Pakistani military to threaten
Jammu
Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...
, an important logistical point for Indian forces.
The operation saw Pakistani forces go on the
offensive and aggressively push into and take strategically vital points in Kashmir. In order to relieve the mounting pressure on the Kashmir front, India's counterattack saw its forces crossing the
international border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
and invading the
Pakistani province
The administrative units of Pakistan comprise four provinces, one federal territory, and two territorial dispute, disputed territories: the provinces of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochi ...
of
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
, with the intention of diverting Pakistan's military units in Kashmir, where Indian troops were at a severe disadvantage.
The battle
![Pakistani soldiers and sherman tank during Indian invasion of Lahore (1965)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Pakistani_soldiers_and_sherman_tank_during_Indian_invasion_of_Lahore_%281965%29.jpg)
On the night of 5–6 September 1965, Indian
XI Corps 11 Corps, 11th Corps, Eleventh Corps, or XI Corps may refer to:
* 11th Army Corps (France)
* XI Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* XI Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army
* ...
began its operations by advancing towards Lahore along three axes – Amritsar-Lahore, Khalra-Burki- Lahore and Khem Karan-Kasur roads, overwhelming the small Pakistani force.
Pakistan's 10 and 11 Divisions, which were deployed in the sector, began a series of rather confused delaying actions, and by the end of the first day the Indian infantry, backed by heavy armoured troops, were within striking distance of
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
city. Some advance Indian units managed to capture Ichhogil canal on 6 September, but soon withdrew, since support and reinforcements were not expected to reach any time soon.
[
Pakistani soon launched a three-pronged counterattack to counter Indian assault on 8 September] backed by its newly created 1 and 6 Armoured division to break through the front line formed by Indian 4 Grenadiers, 9 Jammu and Kashmir rifles, 1 & 9 Gurkha rifles and Rajput Rifles.
On 8th, Pakistan began a counterattack south of Lahore from Kasur towards Khem Karan, an Indian town 5 km from the International Border. This was followed by another major armoured on 9 and 10 September to recapture lost ground despite heavy toll on Pakistani armour. The Pakistani counterattack led to the capture of the village Khem Karan. However, a massive Indian counterattack repulsed the Pakistani forces from this sector of Indian territory. Continued heavy attrition specially on Pakistani armour however meant Pakistan could not continue the counterattack from 10 onwards.
Along the Amritsar-Lahore and Khalra-Burki-Lahore axis in middle Indian infantry won decisive battle at Burki
The Ormur ( ps, اورمړ), also called Burki or Baraki ( ps, برکي), are an Eastern Iranic people mainly living in Baraki Barak, Logar, Afghanistan and in Kaniguram, South Waziristan.
Despite speaking their own distinct Eastern Iranian l ...
. Pakistani counterattack which started on 8th Pakistani artillery pounding Indian advance on 8,9 and 10 September. Indian units continued their advance, and by 22 September, had reached the Ichhogil canal protecting the city of Lahore. Pakistani counterattacks were effectively tackled at Burki with little armour support on 10th punishing Pakistani armour. Indian advance then moved on to capture Dograi, a town in the immediate vicinity of Lahore.[ After reaching the outskirts of Lahore Indian Army ensured that Lahore came under constant Indian tank fire to prepare for the main assault on Lahore city before ceasefire was announced.]
In the north India won another decisive battle at Phillora supported by its 1 Armoured Division on 11th destroying the Pakistani counterattack.[ Indians continued to advance towards Chawinda in the north from Phillora and reached Chawinda by 17 September.] However, they were halted at Chawinda till ceasefire on 22 September. This was a result of the exceptional defences backed by artillery were created by Pakistani Brigadier A.A.K. Niazi who had started preparing the defences soon after fall of Phillora. The Indian attack in the north only lost momentum at the Battle of Chawinda, after more than 500 km2 of Pakistani territory had been captured.[ The Pakistanis were helped by the fact that the network of canals and streams in the sector made for natural defensive barriers. In addition, the prepared defence, comprising minefields, dugouts and more elaborate pillboxes, proved problematic for the Indians.]
Aftermath
Even after the capture of Dograi on 20–21 September, no attempt was made to capture Lahore and the main assault on Lahore was not launched because a ceasefire was to be signed in the following couple of days and it was known that the city would have been given back to Pakistan even if it was captured. By choosing to attack Lahore, the Indians had managed to relieve pressure from Chumb and Akhnoor
Akhnoor is a city and municipal committee, near city of Jammu in Jammu district of Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It lies 28 km away from Jammu city. Akhnoor is on the bank of the Chenab River, just before it enters the P ...
in Kashmir, forcing the Pakistan Army to defend further south.
At the end of hostilities on 23 September India retained between 140 square miles and 360 square kilometres of Pakistani territory in the Lahore front including major villages of Bedian, Barki, Padri, Dograi, Bhasin and Ichhogil Uttar along the eastern bank of the Ichhogil canal. Pakistan only gained a small tract of land around Khem Karan of 50 square kilometres.
Gallantry and awards
The Fighting Fifth Battalion of Indian Army which played an important part in capturing Burki was later was conferred with "Battle Honour of Burki" and "Theatre of Honour, Punjab".
The Pakistani commander, Major Raja Aziz Bhatti
Major Raja Aziz Bhatti ( pa, ; ur, ; 6 August 1928– 12 September 1965) born as Aziz Ahmad but usually known as Raja Aziz Bhatti, was a Pakistan Army officer. He was awarded the '' Nishan-e-Haider'' for his actions of valour during the Bat ...
, was later awarded the Nishan-e-Haider
Nishan-e-Haider (NH; ), is the highest military gallantry award of Pakistan. The Nishan-e-Haider is awarded posthumously and only to members of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It recognises the highest acts of extraordinary bravery in the face of ...
, the highest military decoration given by Pakistan for the battle at Burki, posthumously. Each year, he is honoured in Pakistan on 6 September, which is also known as Defence Day.
Notes
References
Further reading
* Harry Chinchinian, ''India Pakistan in War and Peace''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Lahore
Lahore, Battle of
Lahore
1965 in India
1965 in Pakistan