A blundered advertisement in India has rewritten the entire history of the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war and virtually handed over victory to Pakistan.
A full-page advertisement was published in major Hindi national dailies, with major blunders in its text.
The text spoke about the role of the 15th Infantry division during an attack near the west of Ichhogil canal, stating the “Indian Army responded to the Pakistan attack with fear.”
The same ad published in English dailies had similar blunders.
“Pakistan’s first armoured division pushed an offensive towards Khem Karan and by September 10 nearly 100 tanks lay destroyed in what is now known as the Battle of Asal Uttar.”
The text evidently takes away credit from the Indian Army as there is no mention of its role in the famous battle.
According to officials, the advertisements were part of the Narendra Modi led government’s plan to celebrate the golden jubilee of the 1965 Indo-Pak war, which India had never celebrated in the past.
The ads were aimed at publicising the victories and efforts of the Indian Army during battle. However, the ads have instead given credit to Pakistan.
The office of the Additional Director General, Public Information of the Army headquarters, which is responsible for releasing such advertisements, upon contact said, “It was an error on the part of the media houses and we are taking corrective measures.”
In response, an officer added that “They cannot put blame on media houses for such blunders. It is their job to look into what should be printed as ads.”
The Battle of Asal Uttar was one of the largest tank battles fought during the Indo-Pak War of 196, fought between September 8 and 10.
