“No Sir, I Will Not Abandon My Tank”
The battle’s most immortal moment came on December 16 near Barapind.
Barely 21, 2nd Lt Arun Khetarpal, commanding a Centurion tank named Famagusta, found himself facing a wave of Pakistani armour. One by one, he knocked out enemy Pattons at close range. When his tank was hit and set ablaze, higher command ordered him to pull back.
His reply entered military history:
“No Sir, I will not abandon my tank. My main gun is still working, and I will get these bastards.”
Khetarpal fought on until a final hit killed him — but not before he had destroyed multiple enemy tanks and halted the Pakistani advance cold. Even Pakistani military writings later acknowledged that he “stood like an insurmountable rock.”
