On the night of September 7 Pakistan Navy launched its assault on Western Indian shores. Dwarka was chosen for its proximity (200 km from Karachi Port), its lower defences and historical relevance. The plan called for a fleet of 7 naval vessels of Pakistan to bomb the tiny town of Dwarka. It was aimed at luring the major ships anchored in Bombay to attack the Pakistan ships. The intention was that the submarine PNS Ghazi lurking in the Arabian Sea would then take out the Indian ships. Accordingly a fleet of seven ships comprising PNS Babur, PNS Khaibar, PNS Badr, PNS Jahangir, PNS Alamgir, PNS Shah Jahan and PNS Tipu Sultan set sail for Dwarka and bombed the tiny town.
None of the primary objectives were achieved, as the ships in Bombay were under refit, while the active combatants were either on the East coast or further south off Kochi. The other objective to divert the Indian Air Force attacking Pakistan's Northern front didn't work either since the Indian High Command decided not to relieve the pressure on the Northern front.
Commanding officers of PNS Babur, PNS Khaibar, PNS Badr, PNS Jahangir, PNS Alamgir, PNS Shah Jahan and PNS Tipu Sultan. Commodore S.M. Anwar is seated in middle.
Indian Navy's official version states that at around 2355 hours, the Pakistani vessels fired over the main temple of Dwarka for more than 20 minutes. The ships fired around 50 shells, which included some 5.25 inch rounds fired by the Pak cruiser PNS Babur. It adds that most shells fell between the temple and the railway station, which lay 3 km from the lighthouse. No building was seriously damaged, with only the Railway Guest House suffering some minor damages. A cement factory of Associated Cement Company was also hit and smoke could be seen 20 km away by Pakistani ships. However none of the primary objectives were achieved. The radar installations were not destroyed and no casualties were reported in the town[2] but the Indian Navy's ships were kept at bay during attack. 40[4] of the unexploded shells were also recovered intact.
Pakistan claimed that the operation was a significant one, even celebrating September 8 as "Victory Day" by Pakistan Navy. Authors like Lorne John Kavic and Lowell Dittmer have noted that both Indian and Pakistani navies played no significant roles and that the "insignificant bombardment"[1] of the town was a "limited engagement, with no strategic value."[5]
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