(Khaleel Y. Siddiqi, Toronto, Canada, E-mail: khaleel@rogers.com)

Instalment # 6

Event # 8 : How Sialkot was saved in 1965 War.

It was Jan. or Feb. 1966. I was Divisional Manager Lahore, for two associate British companies: The Wiggins Teape Group and Charles Morgan (Pak) Ltd, dealing in the trading of Paper, Board and Graphic Art Machinery. Army Press in Rawalpindi had some of our supplied printing machines. One day Mr. Ali Imam, Manager of Army Press phoned me to immediately send our Engineer or Technician to re-set one of our supplied machine which got stuck while printing some very important documents. He also asked me to be there to supevise the repair work. I phoned my Karachi Office to dispatch, by air, our Engr. Mr. Ayub, immediately. Then I myself dashed to Pindi in my car.

The next day when we entered the Army Press, I learned that a Secret Report from General Akhtar Hussain Malik was being printed on the machine when it went out of order. When Engr Ayub was busy repairing the machine with the help of local assistants, I sat in the Manager’s room. There I saw a couple of copies of the “Proof” of the report.

(Proof is normally printed on Newsprint, a rough quality of paper generally used for the printing of newspapers.). I saw that it was a “Top Secret & Confidential” report meant only for Officer of & above the rank of a Brigadier. The title was:“ Debacles of 1965 War”. The title attracted me and I was getting impatient to read it, when Mr. Ali Imam went out to see the repair work. I immediately picked up one set of the “Proofs” and quickly opened the third piece of my suit, then my shirt & pant-belt, and hid the ‘Proof’ ! When I went to hotel Flashman, for staying overnight, I could not sleep till I finished that Draft. I could never imagine that an Army General would have that command over the language to narrate the events in a manner that would spellbound the reader. Here are some very interesting facts from his report:-

When India attacked Pakistan in 1965, one Brig. Ismail, an “Acting Maj,Gen.” Was Div.Commander, Sialkot. He was a Baluch, a personal friend of The President General Ayub Khan & of Gen.Musa, the C.in C. Lt.Gen. Bhakhtiyar Rana, was the Corps Commander, defending Pakistan in the Sialkot – Sector. Col.Shameem Ansari of Signals Corps, was with Genl. Rana to assist him and keep him update what was happening in the entire Sector. When India attacked Sialkot with two Armoured Brigades, Gen. Rana ordered Brig. Ismail to defend every inch of our land particularly the “City of Iqbal”, because the loss of Sialkot would have demoralized the whole nation. The next day, Col Shameem Ansari intercepted a message from Brig Islmail direct to the C in C, General Musa, that he would be vacating Sialkot as it was impossible to be defended against heavy Indian artillery-fire that would, otherwise, destroy the entire city. Genl. Rana got furious to learn that the Brig. was disobeying his orders and also had directly approached the C in C Surpassing him. He order Maj.Gen. Abrar Hussain (Younger brother of Choudhry Khaliq-uz-Zaman of UP Muslim League.) to immediately move his Armoured Division to defend Sialkot and to take over charge from Brig. Ismail. It was Gen. Abrar’s Armoured Division which not only saved Sialkot but virtually defeated the Indian Army in the battle of Chawinda which is considered the biggest Battle of Tanks in the War History of the world. Major Abbasi Shaheed, who was married only seven days before September 06,1965, was the hero of that battle who after destroying four Indian tanks sacrificed his life defending Pakistan. (Karachi’s Abbasi Shaheed Hospital will always make us remember him.)

I wrote many articles referring to that report of Gen.Akhtar Hussain Malik and once was interrogated by ISI as to how I could get that information. Since it was on Newsprint, by 1980, it got torn into pieces.

The most interesting and confirming part of this story comes when I, in 1985, got posted in Bela Engines Plant, in Lasbella, Bluchistan, (a Unit of Pakistan Automobile Corpn.) & was In-charge of Stores, Development, Planning & Sales. We had the agency of ‘Belarus’ Polish Agricultural Tractors. We used to import their components, assemble them at our plant and sell. One day our Security Officer informed that a well-dressed visitor from Quetta, was there and wanted to see me immediately. He introduced himself as Brig,® Ismail. I allowed and in next 2 minutes, I received the Brigadier, a very handsome man in his sixties, wearing a felt-hat and a pipe in his mouth. He was complaining about the performance of the tractor he had bought from us two years back and wanted replacement of some components. I asked my secretary to go & bring the Tractor Sale File. Meanwhile I asked if he was the same Brig. Ismail who was commanding Sialkot in September 1965. He asked as to how I knew that. When I referred to the Report of Maj. Gen, Akhtar, he started abusing General Rana & calling Col. Shameem Ansari by names because their wrong reporting had spoiled his career ! He also disclosed that immediately after the Cease Fire, Lt.Gen. Rana, Maj.Gen. Abrar and Col. Shameem Ansari were also made to retire for their conduct that during the Sialkot operation, they had initiated all the moves without informing the C-in-C or General Ayub Khan !