Image Courtesy: pakistancyberforce.blogspot.com


"With faith, discipline and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve" - (Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah).

This is exactly what happened in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, where national spirit and devotion to one's homeland was manifested by every patriotic Pakistani. How Pakistan defended itself against the Indian army, with dignity and pride, is why we celebrate the Defence Day on September 6 every year.

You might be thinking that I'm going to continue writing about the details of the war and how it all happened. Unfortunately not. Google is filled with endless links on the topic. The purpose of this article is to bring back the national spirit of 1965 and reminisce about the patriotism of Pakistanis at that time.

People were ready to give up on anything for the nation's dignity. And yes, we succeeded! Because we were united. We were one! No one could break Pakistan apart.

I conducted a few interviews of army officials that were a part of the 1965 war and how they felt back then. I found a common factor among all of them.

Upon interviewing the ex-Governor of Sindh and Interior Minister of Pakistan, retired lieutenant general Moinuddin Haider, I found out about his experiences of the 1965 war. He emphasized on the "national spirit", and revealed how supportive the people were, which tremendously raised his morale to fight for Pakistan. He narrated a funny, yet very interesting, experience of how he lost his personal belongings such as toiletries and shaving kits, and upon purchasing new ones, he wasn't charged at all because people had a massive level of respect and faith in the army officials fighting for Pakistan. They wanted to contribute as much as possible; be it morally or financially.

Another very devoted individual who took part in the war is General Mushtaq. He reaffirmed the idea of patriotism and how challenging it was to battle with the Indian army. Yet they did it because of the undying support they received from the public. After interviewing two of these brave personalities, I wondered how it felt like to be a civilian witnessing the war.

I decided to interview Brigadier Saleem Agha, who was a college student back then. As a young individual who witnessed the war, he specifically spoke about a man who not only morally supported the Pakistan army, but offered all his possessions, including his house, as a gift in order to further motivate the fighters and help them succeed. Amazing isn't it? It’s something which is rare to find these days!

While I was conducting interviews, the common factor was the constant emphasis on "national spirit". Why did they constantly talk about it? Wasn't there something more appealing, or more important perhaps? I believe the answer lies within our hearts. We need to question ourselves: as a nation, do we still have the same national spirit to blindly give away ourselves for our beloved land? Are we still as united as we used to be?

According to my judgment or view, I personally believe that Pakistan earned success in the 1965 war not only because of the incredibly devoted fighters, but also because of the nation's spirit, support and motivation! I would like to dedicate this article to our fearless heroes who took part in the war and are still alive, and to the ones who died and received the most prestigious military award – Nishan-e-Haider. Unity is the key element of success. Defence Day is the celebration of unity and a reminder of national spirit. Happy Defence Day!