The Battle of Hussainiwala

An account that narrates the gallantry of 106 Brigade during the ’71 War

In response to the Indian invasion of East Pakistan in November, 1971, Pakistan attacked India in the West. In Punjab, the 11 Division, under Major General Malik Abdul Majid, was responsible for the Kasur Sector, with the 52 Brigade deployed in front of Khem Karan, and the 106 Brigade concentrated opposite Hussainiwala. The offensive task assigned to the 11 Division was to capture the Indian enclave at Hussainiwala. The mission was to be carried out by the 106 Brigade under Brigadier Mohammad Mumtaz Khan. The brigade consisted of the Three Punjab under Lieutenant Colonel Ghulam Hussain Chaudhry, Nine Punjab under Lieutenant Colonel Walayat Khan and 41 Baloch under Lieutenant Colonel Habib Ahmed, supported by a squadron of Four Cavalry. Meanwhile, the 45 Field Regiment Artillery, under Lieutenant Colonel Asif Khurshid Afzal was in direct support. The Punjabis were holding the frontline, while the Balochis were in reserve. Hussainiwala Headworks are situated on the southern edge of the enclave where River Sutlej enters Pakistan. The Lahore-Ferozepur road crosses the river at the headworks. The surrounding area is marshy, overgrown with tall elephant grass and crisscrossed by protective bunds. Two fortified strong points, called Qaisar-i-Hind and Fakhr-i-Hind, guard the headworks on either side of the river. In December, 1971, the entire front was heavily mined and defended by a network of fortified bunkers held by the Indian 35 Brigade.

Therefore, the 106 Brigade planned its attack in two phases. In the first phase, 3 Punjab was to secure the ‘perimeter’ near the headworks on the right, while 41 Baloch was to capture Qaisar-i-Hind Fort in the centre. In the second phase, 19 Punjab from 21 Brigade was to capture some bunds behind Qaisar-i-Hind on the left. At 6.15pm on December 3, the 106 Brigade opened its attack on Hussainiwala, with a 15-minute preparatory artillery barrage by 45 Field Regiment. Captain Arif Saeed of the B Company, Three Punjab led the assault on the perimeter from the West with the D Company on his right. The B Company soon ran into an enemy minefield but continued its advance under heavy fire. On encountering an enemy bunker, they attacked it with a flamethrower which set the elephant grass around it on fire, lighting up the whole area. Taking advantage of the light, the enemy brought down accurate fire on the Punjabis, resulting in heavy casualties. Captain Arif, despite being wounded, attacked the enemy position with a grenade and silenced it. This valiant officer was killed while attacking a third enemy bunker. Lieutenant Colonel Ghulam Hussain Chaudhry, the Commanding Officer, immediately rushed to take over the command of the B Company, but he too was killed by a burst of machine gun fire. He was awarded Hilal-i-Jurat for his valor, while the gallant Captain Arif Saeed received Sitara-i-Jurat.

At the same time, a combat group under Lieutenant Mohammad Abdul Malik, which included elements of West Pakistan Rangers attacked the perimeter from the south. After an intense firefight, the entire group was killed. Lieutenant Abdul Malik and Inspector Hanif were awarded Sitara-i-Jurat for their gallantry. Later that night, the A Company of the Three Punjab, under Major Arshad Zaman attacked Hussainiwala enclave from the north and captured the Indian post of Rajoke after a fierce hand-to-hand fighting. Major Arshad was awarded Tamgha-i-Jurat. At the same time, a company each of the Nine Punjab and 41 Baloch captured the posts of Ulleke and Shamoke respectively. During the Battle of Hussainiwala, the Three Punjab suffered casualties of 41 killed and 61 wounded. It was awarded with one Hilal-i-Jurat, six Sitara-i-Jurat and five Tamgha-i-Jurat.

Meanwhile on the left of the Three Punjab, 41 Baloch crossed the disused Dipalpur Canal at 6.30pm, under heavy enemy fire. The A Company in particular had a difficult time and suffered heavy casualties. Major Muhammad Hanif despite being seriously wounded continued to lead his company until he received a fatal burst form machine gun fire. His gallant leadership was recognised through the award of Sitara-i-Jurat. The company was taken over by Subedar Muhammad Iqbal, who was also awarded Sitara-i-Jurat for displaying exceptional gallantry. He was personally engaged in hand-to-hand fighting as his company wrested the bund on Dipalpur Canal from the enemy. Sepoy Muhammad Ayub showed great courage by guiding his company through the enemy minefield while Naik Zulfiqar Ali charged and destroyed a troublesome enemy bunker single-handedly. Both men were awarded Tamgha-i-Jurat for their heroism.

In the meantime, the B Company, under Major Zahid Yasin, captured the railway bund after a fierce hand-to-hand fighting. During the assault, Lieutenant Nawaz Afzal, the Forward Observation Officer of the 45 Field Regiment, was killed while trying to stop an enemy soldier from lobbing a grenade at the Balochis. The gallant officer was awarded Sitara-i-Jurat for his sacrifice. At 7:30 pm, the A and C Companies also arrived at the railway bund, and the Balochis consolidated their gains. An hour later, the enemy counterattacked with tanks from the direction of Hussainiwala Headworks. The Balochis immediately retaliated with anti-tank grenades, hitting the leading tanks. At this stage, the tanks of the Four Cavalry started moving up to counter the enemy, who abandoned their attack and withdrew.

Meanwhile, an ad hoc company made up of battalion headquarters personnel under Lieutenant Colonel Habib Ahmed, which was following the A Company, suffered heavy casualties due to the intense enemy fire, which had set the elephant grass around them on fire. They finally reached the bridge over Dipalpur Canal at 8.00pm, where they discovered a group of Indian soldiers who had taken refuge under the bridge. Naik Sher Dil immediately opened fire with his machine gun, killing a number of them. He then destroyed an enemy post, which was firing at his position. The brave NCO was killed in action during an enemy attack the next day. For his exemplary courage, Naik Sher Dil was awarded Sitara-i-Jurat.

At the railway bund, Major Ashraf Khan, who had arrived earlier with a platoon of the C Company, discovered the crawl trenches which the enemy had dug for movement in the heavily mined area between the railway bund and Qaisar-i-Hind Fort. Using these crawl trenches, the B Company was able to advance towards the Fort but lacked the firepower to breach its fortifications and thus was pinned down by intense enemy fire. Major Ashraf decided to look for another way in, and while Major Zahid provided covering fire, he ran towards the rear of the fort with Havildar Mansabdar. On arriving at the rear entrance, he charged inside after lobbing three grenades. The Indians, fearing a major attack, panicked and retreated inside. Major Ashraf followed the fleeing Indians, who opened fire on him. When he tried to return fire, his sten gun got jammed. After throwing the remaining grenades at the enemy, he went back and returned with a rifle and more grenades. In the meantime, some Indians fled the fort towards the river, while the rest retreated to the machine gun nest on top of the fort, where they barricaded themselves. Major Muhammad Ashraf Khan had single-handedly captured the Qaisar-i-Hind Fort. It was an act of remarkable audacity. The gallant officer was recommended for Sitara-i-Jurat but received an Imtiazi Sanad.

The enemy machine gun position on top of the fort continued to defy until next morning, when it was taken out by tank fire. The 106 Brigade had secured most of its objectives well before midnight. However, the Three Punjab was facing stiff enemy resistance at the perimetre. Shortly after midnight, the Brigade Commander ordered Major Ashraf Khan to destroy the enemy. In the meantime, two platoons of the ad hoc company under Subedars Ghulam Ali and Safdar Khan attacked the northern edge of the perimeter after crossing Dipalpur Canal under heavy fire. Fierce fighting took place as the Balochis methodically cleared the enemy bunkers. Sepoy Arshad Ali crawled towards an enemy bunker and lobbed a hand grenade through a loophole. He then shot and killed two Indians soldiers who had tried to escape from the bunker. He was awarded Tamgha-i-Jurat for his brave action.

Major Ashraf Khan arrived at the bridge on Dipalpur Canal with his depleted platoon and positioned his men at the ‘mouth’ of Hussainiwala Headworks to cut off enemy soldiers still resisting in the perimeter. The enemy was finally cleared from the position with the support of the Four Cavalry. On the morning of December 4, the Indian Air Force repeatedly strafed the positions of the 41 Baloch. In one of these attacks, Major Ashraf Khan was severely wounded while engaging an enemy aircraft with his rifle. By late evening, all enemy resistance had ceased in the Hussainiwala enclave. The Indian 15 Punjab had put up a gallant but lonely fight. The Indians had an entire brigade deployed in the area but made no serious effort to assist their beleaguered battalion.

Balochi losses at Hussainiwala during the night’s fighting were 58 killed and 90 wounded. The battalion was awarded with five Sitara-i-Jurat, six Tamgha-i-Jurat and one Imtiazi Sanad for its magnificent performance. For a battalion which was barely nine months old, it was a remarkable achievement. The Battle of Hussainiwala was yet another chapter of heroism and sacrifice by the gallant officers and men of Pakistan Army, whose memory would endure long in the annals of Pakistani valor.