INTACH celebrates feat of 1965 war hero

Celebrating the 111th birth anniversary of Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh, who famously took charge during the 1965 war and turned hero from a soldier, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) organised a special seminar at Khalsa College to make the young generation aware about the country’s military history and heroes.

Born on October 1, 1913 in Badrukhan village near Sangrur, Lt General Harbaksh Singh completed his education at Government College, Lahore. He was commissioned into the Indian Army in 1935 as a Second Lieutenant in 5th Sikh. He served during World War II in the British Indian Army and later saw action in the Burma campaign. But it was his famous front during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, when he saved Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and other border areas from falling into enemy hands, which made him a hero.

Maj Gen Balwinder Singh, Punjab State Convener of INTACH, said that the 1965 war was a defining moment in the history of Indian military.

Maj Gen JDS Bedi (retd), in his address, said, “Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh who was the Western Army commander during the 1965 war, was responsible for the defence of the strategically important cities of Amritsar and Tarn Taran. His strategic brilliance and leadership was known well in military circles.”

Maj Gen (Dr) Vijay Pande gave a detailed account of the battle of Punjab border. “One of the most significant engagements during the war was the Battle of Khemkaran, also known as the “Battle of Asal Uttar”. Pakistan had launched a major offensive towards Khemkaran, aiming to capture Amritsar and cut off the Grand Trunk Road connecting Delhi to Amritsar. Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh laid a trap to restrict them, utilising the terrain around Khemkaran to his advantage by flooding the sugarcane fields and the marshy terrain created by the Army engineers, channelized the Pakistani tanks into pre-designated killing zones. Later, Indian armed forces decimated the trapped Pakistani tanks, launching a fierce counter-attack from multiple directions. This is also referred to as the ‘Graveyard of Patton Tanks’ due to the large number of Pakistani Patton tanks destroyed,” he explained.

Maj Gen Mukesh Sharma, GOC, 15 Infantry Division, was the chief guest on the occasion. Archna Tyagi, senior research scholar, also spoke about Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh’s education and initial uPunjabringing. Brig Kuldip Singh, an author, spoke about the General’s military career.

“The purpose of the seminar was to make the younger generation aware of our important personalities, who have played a pivotal role in saving our culture and heritage,” said Maj Gen Balwinder Singh, INTACH state convener.