Ghaznavi Force

The Ghaznavi Force (Urdu:غزنوی فورس), named after famous Muslim conqueror Mahmud of Ghazni was an auxiliary Special Operations unit formed by the Pakistan Army as part of Operation Gibraltar in 1965 to infiltrate Jammu and Kashmir in the hopes of provoking a local revolt against the Indian regime there. It had a strength of approximately 200 and was composed of regular Pakistani soldiers of the Azad Kashmir Regiment and commandos from the Special Service Group. It's commander was decorated officer Major Malik Munawar Khan Awan SJ.[1]

Commander of the Ghaznavi Force Major Malik Munawar Khan Awan bestowed with Sitara e Jurat (Star of Gallantry) by President Field Marshal M. Ayub Khan on 23 Nov 1965

History

The Ghaznavi Force was one of 10 total units, each named after a historic Muslim leader, to be assembled for the operation (the others including Salahudin, Tariq, Babur, Qasim, Khalid, Nusrat, Sikandar and Khilji), but it was the only one whose actions were deemed successful by the Pakistan Army. It infiltrated Jammu and Kashmir in July 1965 to operate in the Mehdar-Rajuri area with the aim of denying Indian access to Pir Panjal Range and establishing a strategic flank for the "Salahudin Force" to capture Srinagar and halt any Indian reinforcements from getting there from Mehdar and Rajouri by ambushes and destroying bridges, all of which it effectively did. It captured an area of around 500 square kilometers and operated for 3 months in total. Kashmiri locals joined this force in large numbers making it appear larger than its original size, and it was resupplied with ammunition dropped from PAF planes.

The Ghaznavi Force initially captured Munawar Pass, a pass named after its commander after the war, and inflicted heavy casualties on Indian troops there. On the night of August 6th, 1965 the Force attacked the Indian garrison at Rajouri and overran the defenders. It was the only unit that remained intact until the end of the conflict and was withdrawn back to Pakistan after the resulting Second Kashmir War and later disbanded.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Farooq Bajwa (30 September 2013). From Kutch to Tashkent: The Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. Hurst Publishers. pp. 117–. ISBN 978-1-84904-230-7.
  2. ↑ http://www.rediff.com/news/special/war/20050919.htm

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress Country Studies website http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/.

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