AFVOA Newletter August 2020

Section 5 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 02 / 2020 Page 81 of 237 4 Simla Summit 1972 Gp Capt L V Mohandas Genre: Post Independent History go down memory lane to the beginning of my career as a Meteorological officer. I was a young Pilot Officer posted after 18 months of professional training to Air Force Station Pathankot in 1971. Things were gradually hotting up with Pakistan. Flying activities increased by July/ August of 1971. Amongst various squadrons, Gnat aircraft were doing “CAP” over the airfield from dawn to dusk as they were day flying aircraft. We were sure in December 1971, that hostilities might commence anytime and were fully prepared. As the last Gnat aircraft landed on 3rd Dec, Pakistani planes zoomed through the skies and started strafing Pathankot. This was the first bugle of the Indo-Pak war in the Western sector. Our living-in area was bombed. We lost everything in the rooms. Thank God we were working from underground Operations room. Pathankot was repeatedly attacked with about 230 air raids by Sabre jets. They took advantage of the valley to evade detection by our radars and aircraft. But their training appeared poor as hardly any damage was done to Pathankot airfield. After 14 days of war & cease fire, we were limping back to normalcy. Government then announced the Indo-Pak Summit at Shimla towards the end of June 1972 to resolve various issues. Pakistan Prime Minister Mr. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto accompanied by his team along with his charming daughter Benazir, arrived by helicopters to participate in the meetings. I