PAKISTAN DECLARES EMERGENCY

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30849, 7 September 1965, Page 15

PAKISTAN DECLARES EMERGENCY

Indians Cheer Drive Across Border (N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) KARACHI, September 6. A state of emergency was declared in Pakistan today after Indian troops crossed the frontier and launched an air-land attack on the Lahore area of Pakistan. ' In New Delhi, the Indian Government radio quoted President Mohammed Ayub Khan, of Pakistan, as telling his people today: “We are at war.”

The Indian radio said that President Ayub made this statement in a broadcast monitored in New Delhi. President Ayub was quoted as accusing India of launching aggression.

Pakistan troops have gone forward toward the Indian border he said.

The Indian radio said President Ayub made the statements in a speech to his people.

He said: “We are prepared to strike and strike hard against the evil which has raised its head.”

The Indian Defence Minister, Mr Yashwantrao Chavan. told Parliament in New Delhi that Indian forces had crossed the West Pakistan border “to forestall the opening of another front by Pakistan” in the Kashmir dispute. He said that Indian aircraft carried out a number of sorties over West Pakistan this morning and damaged “a number of military installations including a goods train carrying stores.” In Karachi, reports of the train bombing said the train

was a passenger one stationary at Wazirabad station, about 60 miles from Lahore.

Official reports said the Indian attack across the border was preceded by artillery shelling.

There was wild excitement in Delhi as news spread of the Indian drive into Pakistan. Many of the public took it as a declaration of war.

Mr Chavan told a wildly cheering Parliament: “Our aircraft carried out a number of sorties over West Pakistan this morning and

attacked a number of military installations, including a goods train carrying stores. “They inflicted considerable damage. All our aircraft returned safely.” He said Pakistani planes had intruded across the border at Wagah, near Amritsar, and fired rockets at an Air Force unit yesterday. There were further violations by the Pakistani Air Force over the same border and “it was quite apparent that Pakistan’s next move was to attack the Punjab across the international border,” the Minister went on. “Indications that this was going to happen have been building up over some time.” Meanwhile in Kashmir, Pakistani forces were reported to be threatening the key

centre of Akhnoor today. Akhnoor is two miles from Jaurian, which a Pakistani report said yesterday had been stormed by Pakistanis and “free” Kashmir troops, who inflicted “heavy losses” on the Indians. (An Indian account of the Jaurian fighting, given by a Defence Ministry spokesman in New Delhi, said that the Pakistanis were flung back with heavy losses.) Akhnoor is on the road to Jammu, a road and rail centre vital to Indian operations in Kashmir. Jammu has a population of 103,000 and is Kashmir’s winter capital. A spokesman in Rawalpindi reported that Pakistani forces already had pushed beyond Jaurian.

Leave Cancelled The Indian Defence Ministry today announced the cancellation of leave for the armed forces and All-India Radio instructed servicemen on leave to report back to their units immediately. Radio Pakistan reported yesterday that all Pakistani army personnel on leave had been recalled to their units. In his speech, Mr Chavan

did not detail the progress of the fighting in the LahoreAmritsar sector, but officials said that by mid-day Indian troops had slashed eight miles inside Pakistan. Indian forces launched a three-pronged drive across the border, all aimed at Lahore, some 16 miles away. The crossing points were given as Wagah, Khalra and Khem Karan.

‘Enemy Cleared’ Mr Chavan said: “Fighting is still going on and two positions into which the enemy had infiltrated have been cleared of the enemy. “In the valley and along the cease-fire line within the last 24 hours the situation has been generally quiet.” Mr Chavan told the House: “I have no doubt that our armed forces will give a worthy account of themselves.” Maritime headquarters in Karachi announced today that all Pakistani merchant ships at sea were to proceed to the nearest friendly or neutral port, keeping clear of the Indian coast. Ships close to a Pakistani port were ordered to make for that port.