Hurr Community and 1965 War

Mohammad Suleman, sharing his memories of war days says; "We were completely caught by surprise when our beloved country came under the onslaught of the enemy. Our soldiers warned us not to come out of the houses and put off the lamps during nightfall'. I saw everyone contributing in his own capacity during that arduous period, teachers, doctors, singers, writers, everyone was on the forefront to defend our homeland."

He said all this with a slight glint in his eyes which was self-explanatory of the spirit of patriotism that prevailed during those 17 days of war across the country that kept the nation united for a common cause.

Mohammad Nawaz Samejo, a teacher, said; I donated my one month salary for the treatment of injured soldiers adding that as a teacher I infused valor and courage through my lectures among the students and also kept them aware of the intensity of the situation.

Every year on 6 September the Hurr patriots clean the weapons they had used during the war of 1965 to mark their victory. They passionately celebrate this day by recalling those days they had spent on the battlefield while defending their beloved homelands.

Led by Nadir Ali Shah the younger brother of Syed Shah Mardan Shah-II the Pir of Pajaro-VII, hundreds of thousands of Hurr (The followers of Pir Pagara are known as Hurr) who later were bestowed with the title of Hurr force went hard at Indian forces and overpowered them fearlessly.

Rasool Bux, an octogenarian who was also part of the Hurr force said; Our ambush was so headstrong and massive that Indian soldiers had to escape the battlefield leaving behind a large number of weapons and tanks. We invaded different Indian territories but prominent among those was the fort of Kishangarh that was completely occupied by the Hurr forces and remained under our control during the days of the war; He said.

"We did not have a Pakistani flag so we hoisted an Ajrak on the fort of Kishangarh as a sign of our victory"; He said.

Captain Ghazi Arbelo Faqeer is another enduring and vigorous character of the 1965 Indo-Pak war who was bestowed with Sitara-E-Jurat in recognition of his valor and audacity. According to historian and columnist Gul Mohammad Sommro, Captain Arbelo was a true warrior who foiled the intentions of Indian officer Suresh Mitra of Invading Sukkur and Khairpur.

When one of the officers of the Pakistan Army had not allowed his induction in the armed forces for the war following his weak physique; He said to him, `` Sir; "Body does not fight, it is the spirit of patriotism that fights". These worlds of Arbelo inspired the officer and he made him the captain of a battalion comprising 200 Hurr soldiers. During the War, not only national but international media including BBC lauded him for his bravery.