19th King George's Own Lancers - 19th Lancers

19th Lancers

In 1956, when Pakistan became a republic, all references to the British royalty were dropped and the regiment became simply the 19th Lancers. During the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, the regiment had the unique distinction of serving in four theatres of war. Its Recce Troop served with 12 Division in Operation Grand Slam, while the rest of the regiment was deployed near Kasur as part of 1 Armoured Division. From Kasur, it was later sent to Lahore Sector and then finally to Chawinda as part of 6 Armoured Division. It was here, that 19th Lancers finally got a chance to go into action. The regiment saw heavy fighting and played an important role in blunting the Indian offensive.

In 1993-94, the regiment was deployed in Mogadishu, Somalia, as part of United Nations Peacekeeping Forces (UNOSOM II). The regiment's performance was highly commendable and it played a key role in rescuing the American Rangers, who were trapped by Somali gunmen after the disastrous American operation on 3 and 4 October 1993.