It was the 3rd of Decemder 1971. Lt Col KL Rattan, the Commading Officer of 6 Sikh was scanning the reports cming in From his companies deployed along the border in Punch. the events were unfolding just as he had visualized and planned for. The enemy attack was imminent and the Battalion was fully prepared to face it.
6 Sikh had moved into 93 Infantry Brigade sector and had taken over the task of defending Punch in May 1971. Punch was strategically important to capture it earlier in the wars of 1947-48 and 1965 also. Pakistan was bound to make yet another attempt to grab it so as to have an easy route of access to the kashmir valley.
The indin observation posts at the Forward Defended Localities (FDLS) had been reporting large movement of Pakistan vehicles carrying troops and stores for the past few months. Their recce and surveillance parties had also been seen all along the Line of Control (LoC), obviously gathering intelligence on Indian trioop deployment.
Vanshi
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