1 week ago
Evidence Challenges Myth of Pakistani Commander’s 1965 War Death
During the 1965 India-Pakistan war, Pakistani troops attacked near Asal Uttar in Punjab.
Indian soldiers ambushed a group of Pakistani commanders on September 10.
Brigadier A R Shami, an artillery commander, was killed in the attack.
Some people later believed that Major General Naseer Ahmad Khan, the senior commander, was also killed.
This belief partly came from a radio message saying that a senior officer had died.
However, Pakistani military accounts say Naseer was alive and giving orders the next day.
Another Pakistani officer reportedly escaped with minor injuries.
The article concludes that the story of Naseer’s death was probably a wartime misunderstanding.
Brigadier A R Shami, Pakistan’s divisional artillery commander, was killed in an ambush near Asal Uttar on September 10, 1965.
Accounts cited in the article indicate that Major General Naseer Ahmad Khan, commander of Pakistan’s 1 Armoured Division, remained alive and issued orders afterward.
An intercepted message saying “Bara Imam Mara Gaya” was interpreted by some Indian accounts as the death of the senior divisional commander.
Other accounts suggest the message referred to Lieutenant Colonel Sahibzada Gul or Brigadier Bashir Ahmed, while Bashir reportedly survived with minor injuries.
The article says Pakistani commanders later relieved Naseer and other brigade commanders of their posts, further challenging claims that Naseer died in the battle.
- Who
- Indian troops of 4 Grenadiers and Pakistani commanders, including Brigadier A R Shami, Brigadier Bashir Ahmed, and Major General Naseer Ahmad Khan.
- What
- An ambush during the Battle of Asal Uttar killed Brigadier Shami, while later evidence challenges the reported death of Major General Naseer.
- Where
- Near Chima village and the Khem Karan–Bhikhiwind road in Punjab, India.
- When
- September 10, 1965, during the 1965 India-Pakistan war.
- Why
- The misconception arose after an intercepted radio message reported that a senior officer had been killed and was interpreted as referring to Naseer.
Naseer Was Killed
Naseer Survived
Meaning of the radio message
Naseer Was Killed
Some Indian accounts interpreted the intercepted message “Bara Imam Mara Gaya” as confirmation that Major General Naseer Ahmad Khan, the senior divisional commander, had been killed.
Naseer Survived
The article says the message may instead have referred to Lieutenant Colonel Sahibzada Gul or another senior officer, such as Brigadier Bashir Ahmed.
What happened in the jeep ambush
Naseer Was Killed
An account by Lieutenant General Harbaksh Singh said the Pakistani divisional commander in the jeep was killed or wounded, while Brigadier Shami’s body was recovered.
Naseer Survived
Pakistani accounts state that Naseer was alive, and Colonel Samiuddin said Brigadier Bashir survived with minor injuries and was taken to the rear.
Evidence after September 10
Naseer Was Killed
The intercepted message and battlefield assumptions helped sustain the belief that Naseer had died in the fighting.
Naseer Survived
Pakistani records cited in the article say Naseer gave orders on September 11 and was relieved of command that day, making his battlefield death unlikely.
Key facts
- Battle
- Battle of Asal Uttar
- Date of ambush
- September 10, 1965
- Indian unit
- 4 Grenadiers
- Confirmed Pakistani death described
- Brigadier A R Shami, divisional artillery commander
- Pakistani formation
- 1 Armoured Division
- Disputed death
- Major General Naseer Ahmad Khan, the division’s GOC
- Relevant radio message
- “Bara Imam Mara Gaya,” translated in the article as “senior officer has been killed”
Quotes
Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh
The Indian Army’s western Army commander during the 1965 war and author of A Soldier Remembers.
“Our side got ready to receive the party, and the General Officer Commanding and other Officers with him in the jeep, which was completely smashed, were either killed or wounded. The wounded General Officer Commanding Pakistan Division was taken away by the Pakistan Armour, while we picked from the area the body of the gunner officer with him, his Commander Artillery Brigade, Brigadier AR Shammi, along with his cap and personal diary.”
indianexpress.com
“A shocked and dazed Bashir, miraculously unhurt, had crawled out of the jeep and disappeared into the nearby sugarcane field.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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