Talk:11th Infantry Division (Pakistan)

The 11th Infantry Division is an active formation of the Pakistan ArmyPakistan ArmyThe Pakistan Army is a branch of the Pakistan military that protects the state borders and territories.The Pakistan Army, combined with the Navy and Air Force, makes Pakistan's armed forces the sixth largest military in the world. The Army is modelled on the United Kingdom armed forces and came... . It is currently deployed in LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi. Historically the main city of the undivided Punjab, it is often called the Garden of Mughals because of its rich Mughal heritage... as part of IV Corps, and is responsible for the defence of that city and the surrounding areas.

History

The division was formed just before the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965Indo-Pakistani War of 1965The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between India and Pakistan. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947... . Prior to this, the army chief at the time, Musa KhanMusa KhanGeneral Musa Khan Hazara H.Pk., HJ, HQA, MBE, IDC, psc was the Commander in Chief of Pakistan's Army. He succeeded Field Marshal Ayub Khan, who assumed the Presidency of Pakistan.... , had been calling for raising two new divisions; this was denied by the government citing a benign security environment, the lack of funds and the general reluctance of the US to fund new risings under the foreign military assistance scheme. After the 1962 Sino-Indian War, the Indian army underwent a substantial increase in numbers and capability and the government reversed its position and the division was raised by utilising reserve stocks. Initially called the 20th Infantry Division, the name was changed upon the request of the formation's first GOC, Major GeneralMajor GeneralMajor General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General... Abdul Hamid KhanAbdul Hamid Khan (general)General Abdul Hamid Khan, HQA, SPk, was the Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Army under President General Yahya Khan, and the de-facto Army Commander-in-Chief during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and the subsequent Indo-Pakistani War.... . The Division was then assigned to the defence of LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi. Historically the main city of the undivided Punjab, it is often called the Garden of Mughals because of its rich Mughal heritage... . Major General Raza Muhammad is the present General Officer Commanding 11th Infantry Division.

1965 War

The Division as a whole first went into action at the Battle of LahoreBattle of LahoreThe Battle of Lahore or the Defence of Lahore was an episode in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.-Prelude:After losing hope of a plebiscite in Kashmir, the Pakistani Army invaded the Indian part of Kashmir through a covert operative dubbed Operation Gibraltar... , though individual units had seen action already in the Rann of Kutch and in Operation Grand SlamOperation Grand SlamOperation Grand Slam is virtually synonymous with the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War. It refers to an audacious plan drawn up by the Pakistan Army, in May 1965, to attack the vital Akhnoor Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, which was not only the lifeline of an entire infantry division in Jammu and Kashmir but... . It, along with the 10th Division successfully withstood the Indian assault towards Lahore, the 11th fighting in the Kasur region. After this battle, the division was committed to the Khem Karan offensive, for which the Divisional HQ was given command of the 1st Armoured Division. The two formations successfully managed to capture Khem Karan, though further attacks by the 1st Armoured were checked by the Indians. At the same time as the fighting in Khem Karan, the Indian offensive towards Sialkot was making progress at the Battle of ChawindaBattle of ChawindaThe Battle of Chawinda was a part of the Sialkot Campaign in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It was one of the largest tank battles since the Battle of Kursk in World War II.-The forces:... and the 1st Armoured was withdrawn to reinforce the Pakistani forces in that sector. The 11th was forced to fall back to Khem Karan, where it withstood multiple attempts by the Indians to retake the town, however the ceasefire found the division in command of the town and several hundred square kilometres of Indian territory.

1971 War

Six years later, the division once again went into action in the 1971 war, and in a repeat of the experience in 1965, the Division crossed the International BorderRadcliffe LineThe Radcliffe Line became the border between India and Pakistan on 17 August 1947 after the Partition of India. The line was decided by the Border Commissions chaired by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, who was to divide equitably of territory with 88 million people.... , this time capturing the areas surrounding Husseinwala. One of the famous features that the formation captured was the Qaisar-e-Hind Fort.

Present

The division is at present deployed around Lahore and has the following composition

•21st Inf Brigade, Lahore •52nd Inf Brigade, Lahore •106th Inf Brigade, Lahore

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on 11th Infantry Division (Pakistan). Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20071111012750/http://www.orbat.com/site/history/index.html to http://orbat.com/site/history/index.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 00:13, 14 June 2017 (UTC)