Military Digest | Captured Pak Captains exposed Op Gibraltar: How India crushed 1965 infiltration in J-K

On August 8, 1965, Indian Army troops captured two Pakistani Army officers, Captain Ghulam Hussain and Captain Mohammed Sajjad, near Narian in Jammu and Kashmir. These officers provided insights into Operation Gibraltar, a clandestine Pakistani plan aimed at carrying out sabotage and inciting rebellion among Kashmiri civilians against Indian rule.

Despite lacking local assistance in Jammu and Kashmir (except in Mandi near Poonch), the Pakistanis managed to infiltrate close to Srinagar before reinforcements arrived and halted their advance. Among the martyrs during the successful Indian counterattack in Nowgam was Lt Col M V Gore, CO of 8 Kumaon, who had previously served in World War II and the UN Peacekeeping Force in Congo.

Brigadier B F Masters, commander of 191 Infantry Brigade, was also killed when a Pakistani artillery strike hit an ammunition depot in Chhamb sector. Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh took charge of the situation swiftly, and ordered the deployment of 52 Infantry Brigade to Rajouri and 4 Sikh Light Infantry to Srinagar. In the ensuing days, the infiltrators faced setbacks in various sectors, with the Pakistani forces suffering losses and being forced to retreat or be captured.

On August 10, Tangpur outskirts of Srinagar was cleared of infiltrators, and their equipment and ammunition were seized. A separate HQ, HQ Sri Force, was established to tackle the infiltration, and plans were initiated for the capture of Haji Pir Pass.