PESHAWAR, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 6th Sep, 2026) The 1965 war remains a significant chapter in Pakistan’s military history, marked by accounts of indomitable courage, resilience and determination displayed by personnel of the country’s armed forces that defeated enemy forces on all fronts.
While the major battles of the 17-day war were fought mostly on land and in the air, the Pakistan Navy also played an important role in safeguarding the country’s maritime interests and demonstrating its operational capability in the Arabian Sea.
Traditionally described as the silent service, the Pakistan Navy made its presence felt during the conflict despite the relatively limited scope for naval warfare and won all encounters against the enemy navy.
Facing a numerically larger Indian Navy, Pakistani naval personnel maintained a high state of preparedness, protected vital sea lanes and ensured the continuity of maritime commerce during the war times.
According to 1965 war veteran and retired Major General Tajul Haq, the Navy’s initial strategy was essentially defensive but remained firmly focused on preserving Pakistan’s maritime security and protection of its sea lanes.
“Following the breakout of war, the then Naval Chief Admiral Afzal Rahman Khan ordered all war units of Navy to assume defensive positions off the coast. ‘Ready-to-give-battle’ was the watchword which guided Pakistani naval flotilla,” he told APP.
He said Pakistan Navy was assigned four principal objectives during 65 war. These objectives were maintaining normalcy in harbours, ensuring the safety of merchant shipping, guarding sea lanes and preventing any attempt to disrupt Pakistan’s maritime-based commerce.
He said the strategy reflected the wider military situation of the war. With the principal fighting concentrated along the international border and in the airspace over Pakistan and India, the Navy’s responsibility was not simply to seek direct confrontation but to ensure that Pakistan’s ports, shipping and maritime communications remained secure.
“As the war progressed, Pakistan Navy adopted a more assertive operational posture against sorties by the Indian Air Force. Pakistan Navy successfully undertook missions designed to gather intelligence and counter potential threats of the enemy’s forces.”
He said one of the key assets deployed for this purpose was PNS Ghazi, Pakistan’s long-range submarine. It was tasked with gathering intelligence on Indian naval movements and monitoring potential threats, particularly those associated with the Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
He said the deployment underscored the strategic importance of submarines in naval warfare. Even without engaging in a major fleet battle, the presence and reported deployment of a submarine could force an adversary to devote considerable resources to surveillance and defence.
The Pakistan Navy’s most prominent offensive action during the war, however, came with its attack on Dwarka, a coastal town in Gujarat.
Located roughly 200 miles southwest of Karachi, Dwarka was considered strategically significant because of its radar installation. The facility was used to monitor aircraft and maritime movements and was regarded as part of India’s wider coastal surveillance arrangements.
“Pakistan Navy launched an operation against Dwarka in September 1965. The naval force involved included destroyers, a frigate, a cruiser and a submarine'” he said, adding the operation demonstrated that Pakistan’s naval forces were prepared not only to defend the country’s coastline but also to project force beyond their immediate territorial waters when military circumstances demanded it.
Tajul Haq said the operation created great security concerns for the Indian authorities and raised fears regarding the possibility of further Pakistani naval action along the Indian coast.
He said the attack also had a psychological dimension. By striking a coastal installation, Pakistan Navy demonstrated its ability to conduct offensive operations at considerable distance from Karachi and compelled India to reassess the vulnerability of its western coastline.
Beyond combat operations, he said the Pakistan Navy had another critical responsibility was keeping Pakistan’s maritime lifeline functioning during wartime.
He said Karachi was Pakistan’s principal seaport and a vital economic gateway. Any prolonged disruption to shipping could have affected the country’s supplies, trade and economic stability.
Tajul Haq said Pakistan Navy also intercepted and seized enemy cargo, contraband goods and barges during the conflict. Several merchant vessels were taken into custody, with the handling and disposal of enemy property carried out according to applicable international law, he said.
He added that enemy personnel were treated professionally and courteously in accordance with the humanitarian principles applicable under the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Such responsibilities highlighted an important but less visible dimension of naval warfare. While battlefield victories tend to receive greater public attention, protecting ports, shipping routes and commercial traffic can be equally crucial to a country’s ability to sustain a war effort.
Despite the facts that Indian Navy entered the 1965 war with greater numerical strength and a wider range of naval assets, but Pakistan Navy had frustrated all its nefarious designs.
The Pakistan Navy’s performance during the 65 war subsequently became an important part of its institutional history and contributed to the development of a stronger maritime consciousness within Pakistan.
For the personnel serving aboard warships, submarines and at coastal installations, the 65 war meant remaining prepared for an enemy attack while simultaneously ensuring that Pakistan’s ports and sea lanes remained operational.
The 1965 war demonstrated that national defence extended beyond land borders. Pakistan’s security was also dependent on the Arabian Sea, its ports and its maritime trade routes.
The Pakistan Navy’s role during the 65 war therefore went beyond the headline-making Dwarka operation. Its broader contribution lay in maintaining maritime security, safeguarding shipping, monitoring Indian naval activity and keeping the country’s maritime lifeline open during a period of intense military pressure.
More than six decades later, the strategic importance of the maritime domain has increased substantially. Growing regional trade, significance of the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, emerging maritime security challenges and the protection of sea-based economic interests have given the Pakistan Navy an increasingly important role in national security.
Tajul Haq said the changing regional security environment had further enhanced the importance of the Navy. Pakistan Navy, he added, had been adapting to new realities and preparing itself for a more robust role in safeguarding the country’s maritime interests.
The legacy of 1965, therefore, is not confined to a single naval engagement but it represents a formative period in the evolution of Pakistan’s maritime defence doctrine especially one in which the “Silent Service” demonstrated that even when the principal battles are fought on land and in the air, control, protection and defence of the sea can be vital to national survival.
