The spirit of 65 revived in Op: Rah-e-Rast
S. M. Hali
SEPTEMBER 06 is celebrated by the nation as The Defence day of Pakistan to commemorate Pakistans finest hour when its armed forces frustrated a surprise attack by its numerically superior Indian Armed Forces on September 06, 1965. Pakistan has been the victim of aggression many times after that too, but what makes 1965 so special?
The spirit of 65. On September 06, 1965, the people of Pakistan stood united as one solid edifice to meet the onslaught of an enemy that chose the cover of darkness to achieve its heinous ends of occupying our motherland. The spirit of 65 is the strength of character, the firm resolution, the fortitude that overwhelmed every Pakistani to stand up to be counted as a defender of its homeland, whether one was a soldier, sailor or airman, whether one was a farmer, shopkeeper, student, or artisan, whether one was a singer, poet or writer.
Pak-India War-1971. War was forced upon Pakistan in 1971, when India, beginning with sowing seeds of dissension, leading to the Agartala Conspiracy, creation of Mukti Bahini and under its cover sneaking into East Pakistan for guerrilla operations to blow up bridges and other installations damaged the morale of Pakistani troops and India won the war even before the battle began; thanks to its notorious intelligence agency RAW as its agents had infiltrated every nook and corner of erstwhile East Pakistan. Under extremely hostile conditions the armed forces gave a good account of themselves, but their deeds of valour came to naught with the ultimate result in Indias favour.
War against Terror. 9/11 ushered a fresh challenge for Pakistan Army. Pakistan unconditionally joined the Global War on Terror (GWOT) since it was in its own interest as the bane of terror was right at its doorstep and could have had severe repercussions on Pakistan, if it had been unchecked. Eight years on, Pakistans track record depicts that it has contributed enormously towards eradicating the menace of terrorism. Pakistan Army, which has borne the brunt of the GWOT, was at a handicap since it had never been exposed to war against insurgency, or fought a faceless enemy, battled against the scourge of suicide bombers, saboteurs, seditionists and terrorists. It adapted to the new ordeal with fresh gusto and gave a good account of itself despite being faced with heavy odds and at times uncalled for criticism by other allies in the GWOT.
Indian Operation Parakaram. Determined to subdue Pakistan, Indian planners hatched another plot and stage-managed the drama of attacking its own Parliament building in New Delhi on December 13, 2001 and laid the blame on Pakistan. Using the act as an excuse, India amassed its troops on the International boundary, threatening Pakistan with dire consequences. The Armed Forces of Pakistan did not demur or express alarm but timely retaliated by counter-positioning their forces and strategic assets in offensive mode, forcing a stale-mate. After remaining in eye-ball to eye-ball position, the Indians blinked first and withdrew with their tail between their legs after ten months of agonizing wait, during which their troops suffered major casualties in morale, infighting and even psycho-somatic disorders. It was a moral victory for Pakistan.
Operation Rah-e-Rast. The war against terror took a new twist. The miscreants, who had taken advantage of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, were abetted, trained and equipped by the enemies of Pakistan, found it opportune to challenge the writ of the government and harass the people of Swat, Tribal regions and FATA. Their internecine warfare through sedition, sabotage, subterfuge and suicide bomber attacks was targeting politicians, law-enforcing agencies and even visiting dignitaries to destabilize and embarrass Pakistan. Pakistan Army was bearing the brunt of this attack but waited for clearance from the government. An act of the Parliament authorized the Pakistan Army to launch its Operation to counter the insurgency movement. A well planned and well coordinated operation, codenamed Operation Rah-e-Rast was launched in Malakand. The Operation was launched only after all efforts to providing the miscreants ample time for negotiations and laying down their arms had failed. The enemy apparently miscalculated the resolve and the Pakistan Army and mistook its patience as unwillingness to act against its own people. The Army struck hard and using the Pakistan Air Force as support to soften the target in the mountainous and treacherous terrain, with great personal sacrifice, managed to win back Swat and Malakand.
The spirit of 65 revived. Operation Rah-e-Rast has revived the spirit of the 1965 War, when the nation stood at the back of its army and supported it to its utmost. Pakistan Army, which had come into some criticism because of the various periods of military rules in the country, has come to be known as the redeemer of the nation once again. The Army has sacrificed over 1800 personnel in its combat against insurgency but apprehended/exterminated twice the number of terrorists and thwarted hundreds of terror attacks, operating in some of the most hostile terrain in the world. New annals have been added to the already emblazoned trail of glory of its predecessors by a fresh group of martyrs from Pakistan Army, who laid down their lives in Operation Rah-Rast. It has been observed with pride that the ratio between the officers and other ranks having laid down their lives in the current operation is as high as 1:5. International figures are 1:20, while in Pakistans earlier wars it has been around 1:10. This ratio is considerably higher because of the extremely trying conditions of the war against insurgency, the treacherous and shadowy enemy they are dealing with and primarily because of the exceptional sense of sacrifice, valour and bravery depicted by the officer cadre of Pakistan Army. One noteworthy phenomenon of their raw courage is concern for fallen comrades. The names of Shaheeds like Major Abid Majeed, Major Adil, Major Azhar, Major Hafiz Atiq, Captain Najam Riaz, Captain Bilal Zafar Abbasi, Captain Asim, Lieutenant Atif Qayyum, Lieutenant Saifullah, Lieutenant Zia and numerous others are all household names now. Theire glorious deeds have immprtalized them not only in the minds of the people of Pakistan but the hapless residents of Swat and Malakand, who have been rid of their tormentors by the supreme sacrifice of these gallant men.
Special Support Group. The Special Support Group (SSG) has done a commendable job in the process of handling the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Swat to provide support to provincial government efforts. Corps Commander Mangla, Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed, who has a vast experience as he held position as Deputy Chairman Earthquake Relief and Rehabilitation Authority for a long time was appointed by the government to head the Special Support Group, which was assigned the portfolio to look after logistics, health, administration and assist in registration, having four interfaces including, with military, Civil government, agencies and departments, donors and international human organizations and communities through elected representation. The SSG did a remarkable job and has won accolades from international agencies, besides winning the hearts and minds of the IDPs. It immediately set up camps, field hospitals, schools, vocational training centers and numerous other facilities. It also organized the registration of the IDPs with the help of NADRA and in collaboration with a local bank, provided them special credit cards so that relief funds could be disbursed in a transparent manner. More importantly, the SSG ensured the safe return of the IDPS to their homes and hearth and enabled the battered residents of Swat to recommence their lives and support them in their hour of need.
Conclusion: The spirit of 65 is something to take pride in since it got revived with the people of Pakistan having picked up the gauntlet of combating terrorism. They have shown that along with their armed forces, they can be transformed from an inchoate mass into a compact solidified force, which can withstand any test any trial. The people of Pakistan are one of the finest in the world. Full of zest for life, capable of struggle and strife; what they need is a leader to take them across the trials and tribulations and achieve their rightful place in the comity of nations. Their task has been only half done. Besides rehabilitating the displaced persons, the blight of terrorism has to be eradicated from our soil, the bane of poverty defeated and Pakistans security imperatives met with a united front of its people, government and its security forces.
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