Major General Mohammad Bashir Khan (Retd) said here on Wednesday that Pakistan had successfully defended its territorial integrity and freedom against a five times larger enemy because the Nation had exhibited exemplary unity and courage reliving the Pakistan movement spirit.
Major General Mohammad Bashir Khan said this at a meeting held at the Newports Institute of Communications and Economics to mark the Defence Day of Pakistan being celebrated by the nation on Thursday.
Major General Bashir said that he was commanding an armoured Corps unit at Sialkot where all arrangements for an effective counter-attack against the Indian army were ready and the Indian general commanding the troops for the Indian side had been monitored by the Pakistani signal monitors whereby the Indian General had lamented the total fatigue and broken morale of his soldiers. However, the Pakistani attack in that sector could not be undertaken because Indian pleas for a cease-fire were accepted by the UN Security Council and cease-fire was ordered.
He maintained that the Pakistan armed forces performed excellently during the September war of 1965 and forced a situation where India had to beg for a cease-fire through the UN Security Council.
The morale of the Pakistani nation was very high during the 1965 September war. General Bashir said that Mr Z the foreign minister then, had been largely responsible for egging Pakistan armed forces to send infiltrators inside occupied Kashmir with the claim that Indian would not attack Pakistan along the International Frontier and this claim by Bhutto proved wrong and India attacked along the International border.
He stated that India was very badly humiliated in the Sialkot sector. On the contrary, he said that in the 1971 Indian aggression against Pakistan and the breakaway of East Pakistan, national unity had almost evaporated. Instead there was hypocrisy and failure to comprehend the national mood by the then leadership. He said that Pakistan today was a nuclear power and had established a balance of power in the sub-continent, which protected the nation against a war. But it was important that democracy must flourish in Pakistan and people enjoy fully the fruits of freedom. Therefore, he said that the young people must appreciate the very important task that lies ahead for them and prepare well to serve the nation.
The Secretary General of the Liaquat Ali Khan Memorial Committee Mahfoozun Nabi Khan lauded the holding of the memorial meeting in the Newports Institute of Communications and Economics and said that the younger generation must acquaint itself fully with the past history of the nation and the sacrifices that were made for securing Pakistan and accordingly prepare to serve the nation, by acquiring excellence in education.
Veteran Journalist and Editor Mahmudul Aziz speaking at the meeting said that the media in Pakistan had played its role in pointing out the fallacies committed by the political and military leadership.