Ex-PAF chief blames Pak for '65 War

Terming the 1965 war as "wrong," the then Pakistan Air Force chief Nur Khan has said that it was the result of attempts by Pakistani Army to push a large number ofterrorists into Jammu and Kashmir.

He accused former military ruler Ayub Khan and his Generals of telling a "big lie" to the nation that India had provoked the War.

Air Marshal (Retd) Khan's account of the war, published in the local daily Dawn on Tuesday, coincided with Pakistan's commemoration of the 'Defence Day' on the 40th anniversary of the conflict.

Khan said the War was the result of attempts by Pakistani Army to push a large number of armedterrorists into Jammu and Kashmir without even informing Air Force and Navy.

He said Pakistani Army suffered heavy losses in the War. "They (the coterie of Generals around President Ayub Khan) had planned the 'Operation Gibraltar' for self glory than the national interest.

"It was a wrong war and they misled the nation with a big lie that India rather than Pakistan had provoked the war and that we were the victims of the Indian aggression."

He said Gen Ayub was told on the second day of the War by Army Chief Musa Khan that Army had even run out of ammunition. "That was the extent of preparation of Army. And information had shocked Gen Ayub so much that it could have triggered his heart ailment, which overtook him a couple of years later."

Charging the Army with starting the "unnecessary" War, Khan said "rumours about an impending operation (by Pakistan Army) were rife but Army had not shared plans with other forces."

First Published: Sep 06, 2005 19:19 IST