The retired brigadier Shaukat Quadir should know that whatever he writes,it is the end result that matters and ITS A FACT THAT INDIA WON HANDS DOWN !! It would be pertinent for the author to do some soul searching in the remaining part of his life and realise that do what they might, they just cannot compete with India let alone win!! History stands testament to the fact that it was a thumping victory by the Indians on all counts.It also demoralised the average Pakistanis who were made to believe all along that Indians were cowards and that the war will be short and victory theirs for their taking.What a tragic eye opener for them !! Hats off to our brave men and women who thrashed Pakistan into submission. In case Pakistan harbours any territorial ambitions against us in the near future, the Brigadier can be sure of one thing, PAKISTAN WILL BE BOMBED INTO OBLIVION AND WILL BE WIPED OUT FROM THE FACE OF THIS EARTH !! They just dont stand a chance even with all their missiles supplied by their "WORTHY" friends in China,USA and N.Korea. Its time for the Brigadier to put things in their proper perspective and for starters speak out the truth else it will lead to Pakistan's undoing
The retired Brigadier is trying to redeem the lost past by subtle manipulation of facts. Indian forces stopped short of Lahore because of American pressure and not because of want of courage or over-caution. Americans were alarmed by Indian progress and to save Pakistan from total disaster stopped India by using the same refrain they used in 1971 war. They claimed that Indian advance has endangered the American lives in Lahore...they did not pursue it to "7th Fleet" finale because India agreed to stop the advance. Also, the cvillian population had started to evacuate the city. Clogged roads totally debilitated Pak army. Lahore was ripe for fall. BTW, decimation of Paki Sabres and Pattons earned them the Indian soliloquy: "Sabe ki safai aur Patton ki pitai".
Brig. Kadir distorted the facts all along under the garb of guessing. However, the last one begs the prize...IAF did not have MiG 21 or 23s in 1965. We had one squadron of MiG19 which for unexplicable resons, not used at all (I recall Russian premier Kosigyn being prodly shown the intact unused squadon) . The fact is tha the F86's were shot down in bulk by much inferior Gnats. F86s could fire Side-Winders while Gnats had only machine guns. No Indian can forget how Sq Ldr Keeler (I forget which brother, Danzel or Trevor) shot down the first F86 and Sq Ldr Pathania followed with the second. With that opening, the IAF went on a shooting spree of Sabres and StarFighters (F104). This continued even in the first air engagement of 1971 war when three F86's were shot down and one fled smoking. We paraded the pakistani pilots the next day in the newspapers. The real reason F86 were shot down so easily was because the Pakis couldn't see Gnats approaching them (from the Sun). Also, Paki pilots tried to use side winders at low altitude (due to inexperience) resulting in the missiles ploghing in to the ground.
The author has got it wrong, hey hey no surprises, a pakistani after all. IAF never operated MIG-19s in the history of its existence. Likewise MIG-23s were not operational with the IAF at that stage. Can someone from Rediff proof read these articles before they are posted?
I appreciate Rediff for giving the view from the other side. Makes us realize they are just like us and face the same problems we do. Please give more articles on similar topics - 1965 air war, 1971 war etc. The articles by the Pak Brigadier are quite balanced - a little bias is after all expected - and looking at the war after such a long time helps you see it in the right perspective. I feel proud of our soldiers - that with all the problems we managed to stop them. India just blunders on !!
The author claims that the PAF outflew the IAF despite the latter's stock of Mig-19s, Mig21s and Mig23s. That statement summarizes the ignorance, lies and propaganda behind this bizarre attempt at writing history. The Indian Air Force never had Mig 19s. During the 1965 war, Mig 21s were rarely used. The IAF acquired the Mig 23 well after the '65 war. Also, the mainstay of the IAF was the antiquated Mystere - markedly inferior to the F-86 Sabres. Hunters and Gnats were also used with the former mostly in a fighter bomber role to supplement the aging Canberras. There were still relatively few fighter squadrons with the versatile Gnat - that came later in the 1971 war. It is time rediff stopped publishing rubbbish with attempt at verifying facts.
