In the 1971 war, when East Pakistan faced betrayal, conspiracies, and Indian-backed Mukti Bahini attacks, the Pakistan Navy stood firm against overwhelming odds. Among its bravest chapters is the story of PNS Rajshahi, a gunboat that played a decisive role in riverine battles around Chittagong and Rajshahi.
Refusing surrender, the crew fought relentlessly in supply missions, troop movements, and direct combat, often under siege from land, sea, and air. Under Lieutenant Elahi’s command, Rajshahi resisted attacks at Patliashia and beyond, intercepting enemy steamers and disrupting their operations.
When surrender orders were finally declared on 16 December 1971, Rajshahi’s crew attempted daring breakout maneuvers into the Bay of Bengal. Surrounded and heavily attacked, they chose sacrifice over capture, destroying critical systems themselves. Their final stand became a symbol of honor, courage, and defiance — a saga etched forever in Pakistan Navy’s history.