Pakistan was a country impossible to defend, warned Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, the last British C-in-C in India

Pakistan was a country impossible to defend, warned Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, the last British C-in-C in India

‘Only a miracle,’ said another military expert, ‘could save the Pakistan Armed Forces from the fate which the enemies of the young nation were only too ready to forecast for it.’

Yet defend it the Pakistanis did, in three wars with India. This is the full, remarkable story of the bravest of the brave – photographed and documented by Mohamed Amin – the story of how a frail young nation, born amid tumult and bloodshed, threatened on all sides, transformed itself into a major fighting machine.

Mo headed for Pakistan where he was collating material for a book on that country’s fighting forces. By calling on his extensive Pakistani contacts, gleaned over many years, he was able to gain access to sensitive military areas, and enjoyed the full cooperation of the army, navy, and air force.

The action in the disputed region was played out against the stunning backdrop of the mountainous territory around the Pamir Knot where four of the greatest mountain ranges in the world meet. To capture such dramatic scenery on film, and the action taking place within it, Mo flew in a specially equipped helicopter, doors off, at high altitudes, hanging out over snow-clad peaks, and plunging precipices. Mo, just for good measure, later flew on supersonic bombing runs in F-16 jets of the Pakistan Airforce to complete his pictorial assignment. The book, Defenders of Pakistan was published in 1988.

Conning officer of one of the navy's submarines scans the surface of the Arabian Sea through the ship's periscope.

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