Wars have been part of the history of mankind and in spite of their destructive nature they have been fought between nations without refrain and still continue to happen with all their diabolical repercussions, notwithstanding the efforts of the international community through United Nations to prevent them. They have been provoked and imposed on smaller and weaker nations by the bigger and stronger ones either to subjugate them or to establish their hegemony. There is a saying that weakness invites aggression and the best way to achieve peace is to prepare for war. This irrefutable reality provides the rationale and justification for nations to take care of their defence needs in consonance with the level of threat that they are faced with.

Pakistan unfortunately has faced credible threat to its security from India ever since its inception. Inebriated by its bigger size and the military might at its command it has imposed four wars on Pakistan. It is said that the worth and character of a nation is tested during times of adversity and war. The 1965 war between India and Pakistan was the one during which the armed forces of Pakistan and the nation proved their worth and character through their unprecedented unity and bravery to thwart the nefarious designs of the enemy and to prove to the aggressor as well as the world that it was not only the military might that played a decisive role in victory and defeat but the small nations imbued with and fired by the will and determination to spare no effort and sacrifice in defending themselves could also turn the tables on the mightier foe.

I still remember a brief speech by President of Pakistan Field Marshall Muhammad Ayub Khan on radio around mid-day on sixth of September 1965 informing the nation about the Indian........

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