The Punjab government will hold a mega event at Amarkot village in the frontier district of Tarn Taran to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1965 India-Pakistan war.The event will be held on September 9, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said at a meeting of senior functionaries here on Tuesday.It was here that a full-fledged assault by Pakistani Patton tanks, considered the most modern in their category at that time, was repulsed by determined Indian forces, inflicting heavy losses on the Pakistanis.
The 'Battle of Asal Uttar', as it is called, resulted in destruction of many Patton tanks forcing the Pakistani troops to flee. The area is since known as the 'graveyard of Pakistan's ultramodern Patton tanks'.Company Quarter Master Havaldar Abdul Hameed showed utmost courage to take the Pakistani tanks head-on and destroyed four before making the supreme sacrifice. He was posthomously awarded the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), the highest gallantry award in war time.
"Our valiant soldiers made the supreme sacrifices to protect our borders from the enemy during the 1965 war. This commemorative function to mark the 50th anniversary of India's great feat would inculcate a spirit of patriotism and nationalism among our youths," Badal said.The chief minister asked the officers to ensure maximum participation of kin of Abdul Hameed as well as othr war heroes and decorated and serving army officers in the event.