Military Digest | Captured Pak Captains exposed Op Gibraltar: How India crushed 1965 infiltration in J-K

Among those who laid down their lives while beating back an audacious Pakistani attack on an Indian Army unit in Nowgam was Lt Col M V Gore, Commanding Officer of 8 Kumaon. According to his son, Flt Lt Shirish Gore, he was born in Indore and was enrolled as a Jawan in 4th Gwalior Infantry and took an active part in the Second World War. He was commissioned in 14 Kumaon after Independence and served as a member of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Congo in 1960. Upon promotion to the rank of Lt Colonel, he raised a new battalion, 8 Kumaon, and was its first commanding officer.

The Pakistani officer who led the attack on Lt Col Gore’s position was Major Haq Nawaz Kiani. In 1971, he was killed while commanding a battalion in Leepa Valley in Jammu and Kashmir.

Another senior officer who was killed in the Pakistani offensive under Op Gibraltar was Brigadier B F Masters, Commander, 191 Infantry Brigade. On August 15, 1965, Pakistani Artillery, aided by an observation post that had infiltrated earlier into India, targeted an ammunition dump at Dewa in the Chhamb sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The firing took place when Brigadier B F Masters and his staff were visiting the dump.

The dump was blown up in the firing, and Brigadier Masters was killed along with Maj Balram Singh Jamwal, Second-in-Command (2iC), 8 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (JAKRIF); Capt R K Chahar, GSO 3, 191 Brigade; 2/Lt Narinder Singh of 14 Field Regiment; one junior commissioned officer; and four officers of other ranks. Six guns of 14 Field Regiment were destroyed.

Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh, Western Army Commander, took control of the situation developing under Op Gibraltar fairly early on. When he saw that the situation in Rajouri under 25 Infantry Division sector was worrisome, he ordered the induction of 52 Infantry Brigade from 26 Infantry Division to Rajouri.

According to a detailed analysis written in 2015 by Major General P K Chakravorty (retd) and Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd) for the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA), the infiltrators attacked HQ 120 Infantry Brigade on August 8 with no success.

The following day, a battalion of 2/9 Gorkha Rifles was moved into Srinagar and 4 Sikh Light Infantry (4 SIKH LI) was flown in from Ambala. “This stabilised the situation in Srinagar. Counter-actions were taken against raiders in Bedori, Gulmarg and Zurahom in the Valley. In Poonch sector, infiltrators were engaged while attempting to cross through Jarni Gali. They attacked the police station in Mandi and occupied the Mandi heights dominating the Poonch road,” the IDSA report says.

The Pakistani intruders were also detected in Sunderbani and in Kalit village, next to Jaurian. In Kargil, the infiltrators damaged two bridges, preventing the move of 163 Infantry Brigade to the Kashmir Valley.

On August 10, the area of Tangpur on the outskirts of Srinagar was cleared of the infiltrators and a large quantity of ammunition and equipment was seized. “Meanwhile, four ad hoc companies organised from 19 Infantry Division had been concentrated at the Tattoo Ground in Srinagar. At about mid-day, the advance party of 163 Infantry Brigade arrived from Leh by road. Srinagar having been stabilised, the 8 J&K Militia was ordered to move to Pir Panjal heights with battalion HQ at Shopian,” write the two officers.

On August 11, an attack was launched on Pak intruders in Mandi by 8 Grenadiers with a company of 7 Sikh, under the overall control of HQ 52 Infantry Brigade. The Mandi heights were recaptured by evening, and this facilitated the capture of the area. On August 14, 1965, Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh ordered that a separate HQ should be established for dealing with the infiltrators in the Valley. “Thus HQ Sri Force was designated under Major General Umrao Singh to undertake operations against the infiltrators, while HQ 19 Infantry Division moved back to Baramulla to plan for offensive operations,” the IDSA report says.

In Kargil, 17 Punjab performed a commendable task by capturing Point 13620, Black Rocks and Saddle. In order to assess the situation, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), the Army Commander and the Corps Commander met at Jammu on August 17 and held discussions.

The Army Chief ordered that immediate steps would be taken to eliminate infiltration in the Kashmir Valley and plans for the capture of Haji Pir Pass were to be put into motion.

Maj Gen Chakravorty and Brig Kanwal write that the Pakistani infiltrators were organised in nine forces to operate in different areas of the state.

1. Force Tariq to operate in Sonamarg, Dras and Kargil.

2. Force Qasim to operate in Kupwara, Gurez and Bandipur.

3. Force Khalid to operate in Trehgam, Chowkibal, Nangaon and Tithwal.

4. Force Salaudin to operate in Uri and Srinagar.

5. Force Ghaznavi to operate in Mendhar, Rajouri and Naushera.

6. Force Babur to operate in Kalidhar Range and Chhamb.

7. Force Murtaza to operate in Bandipur.

8. Force Jacob to operate in Sonamarg.

9. Force Nusrat in Tithwal.

“In addition to these forces, the Sikandar force and some other unidentified groups were also organised to conduct subversive activities in the state. A group of infiltrators, based in Pakistan, was to carry out raids in areas to the south-west of Samba, so as to disrupt communication between Pathankot and Jammu,” the IDSA report adds.

The interrogation of captured Pakistani officers revealed that the force commanders assembled at Murree, a hill station in Pakistani Punjab during the second week of July 1965, were addressed by the President of Pakistan, Field Marshal Ayub Khan.

Major General Akhtar Hussain Malik, who was to monitor the operations of the infiltrators, addressed the force commanders on August 1, 1965, and focused on issues which merited importance. He exhorted them to do their best as it was their last chance to ‘liberate’ Kashmir. This last gambit too failed, as did Operation Grand Slam launched immediately after Op Gibraltar. India attacked Lahore and Sialkot in Pakistan Punjab in retaliation, leading to panic in Pakistan Army General Headquarters and the pressure on J-K eased.