Six decades after the 1965 India-Pakistan conflict, one moment stands taller than most in the minds of veterans, the capture of the Hajipir Pass and Battle of Asal Uttar.
For Brigadier Arvinder Singh (Retd), who was then a young Major leading a company of 1 PARA, the episode remains etched as sharply as the day his men charged through enemy fire to seize the heights.
Speaking at a ceremony in South Block on Friday to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the war, the decorated officer recalled that Hajipir was the turning point of his service. “Seizing the pass and linking it with Poonch shortened the road to Srinagar by nearly 200 kilometres. Along with that, nearly 500 square kilometres of territory in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir came under our control. Sadly, all of it was later handed back. Even today, the question lingers, should we have returned it?”
Looking back at the Army’s condition before the conflict, Brig Singh noted how post-1962 restructuring left many battalions with very young leadership. Despite that, 1 PARA forged its own identity. “Each rifle company had its own composition, Sikh, Dogra, Jat, Ahir, and each carried its war cry into battle. I was in command of an Ahir company, and our cry was ‘Christian Bhagwan!’ In battle, under fire, you don’t think of political slogans. What comes out is instinct, faith, belief, and the spirit of the men you lead.”
On the oft-asked question why Indian troops halted at Lahore’s doorstep, Brig Singh was unequivocal. “Yes, we could have walked in. But that was never the mission. Pakistan initiated the war. Our task was to defend India, not to expand boundaries. And that, we did with full resolve.”
The brigadier believes the war left behind several lessons, some acted upon, some lost to time, but one truth has remained consistent. “Wars are not won only by strategy or by weapons. They are won by grit and determination.”
For major Sudarshan Singh (retd.) the memories of the Battle of Asal Uttar remain as vivid as they had happened yesterday. Speaking at a commemorative event here today, the veteran recalled how his unit, working under the 2nd Independent Army Brigade in the Khemkaran sector, was tasked with providing protection and patrolling the area to keep it under control.
“One night, our officer, Mohanlal Jha, received the information that Pakistani tanks were positioned near Asal Uttar. He moved with his men and some locals, broke the riverbank, and flooded the area. The tanks were trapped in the mud, and when the time was right, we opened fire. They tried to pull back but couldn’t move. That was the tactic, and it worked,” he recounted.
Reflecting on how warfare has evolved, the veteran contrasted the limitations of 1965 with the technological edge of today. “Back then, there was no infrared in tanks. Crews had to stand exposed in the dark of night. Today, the battlefield is completely different, with systems that allow you to see deep inside enemy territory.”
He expressed gratitude to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who interacted with veterans during the ceremony. “I am very grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to speak. He respects the soldiers of the past, and that inspires today’s youth to serve with the same spirit,” he said.
When asked about the message he would like to give today’s soldiers, he was emphatic: “Whatever work you do, do it with dedication. Life and death do not matter in the line of duty. In battle, no one thinks of home or family, there is only one focus: the enemy and your mission.”