Imbued with strong sense of patriotism, Pir Pagara supplied thousands of volunteers to the Pakistan

army during the 1965 and 1970 wars against India. Thus militarily the Hurs are a great source of
strength. That is why the Pakistan Army was not deployed on the Thar border and the vast expanse of
Sindh desert was open to the enemy. India could have chosen the area of its operations and done
irrevocable damage to the country but the militia of Hurs proved to be easily available substitute for the
Army. Hurs and their camels did a terrific job as and when they were required to defend their borders.
No doubt, it conveniently caused to help him forge strong ties with the military. The force of Pir Sahab
has given the life for the betterment and prosperity of Sindh. 

The Pakistanis had surprised us in the Rajasthan sector in the 1965 War. Given the
comparative lack of mechanisation of both Indian and Pakistani armies, it was hitherto
believed that both would refrain from major campaigns in the sandy Thar desert. The
vast desert border was manned by thinly spread Indian Army and state armed police
units in isolated posts. On the other side, the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Rangers
precariously manned their positions. However, the Pakistan Army approached the
Hurs, a Sufi sect with thousands of adherents in Sindh. The Hurs had once unleashed
a bloody insurgency against the British, which resulted in heavy reprisals, including
the hanging of the Hurs’ leader, the ‘Pir Pagara’. The Hurs had extensive knowledge
of the desert and were known to be fanatical fighters. The generals successfully
appealed to the reigning ‘Pir Pagara’ to field this militia. The Hurs were initially used
to plug gaps in defence, but the local commanders soon realised that the Hurs would
be better suited for cross-border raiding. Soon, a ‘Desert Force’ of Hurs (commanded
by a handful of professional soldiers) began to raid deep into Indian territory. 

Several Indian posts fell: Even significant posts such as Ghotaru Fort were captured
by the Desert Force. Indian responses were rather slow and unsuccessful. This was
due to the terrain, poor lines of communication, lack of adequate force and the speed
of enemy raids. The Pakistanis retained control of several points along the Rajasthan
border when the war ended.

Hurs in the 1965 War.

During the 1965 war between India and Pakistan, about 65,000 Hurs served in various
fronts especially that of Sindh. The Southern desert sector was a mere sideshow to the
major battles fought in the Punjab and in Kashmir. However the Indians had placed two
divisions in the desert with the aim of tying down Pakistani troops.

Facing a shortage of troops and unable to divert any substantial forces from the Punjab
and Kashmir sectors (where the main Indian thrust has come), the commander of the
Pakistan Rangers, Brigadier Khuda Dad Khan, turned to local help. Hurs volunteered in
droves. Given only basic training and light weapons, the Hurs nevertheless gave a fine
account of themselves in the conflict. Fighting alongside Rangers and regular army units
(known collectively as the Desert Force, the Hurs used their knowledge of the desert to
good effect and helped to blunt the Indian offensive. But perhaps their most famous
(and militarily important) action was the capture of the Indian fort of Kishangarh, a
feature located several kilometers inside India.

http://www.sanipanhwar.com/HUR%20OPERATIONS%20IN%20SINDH.pdf

https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-the-desert-raids-of-the-1971-war-2696445

SU Department of General History Chairperson Prof Dr Irfan Ahmed Shaikh also spoke on the occasion.