India Pakistan Wars

India and Pakistan are two South Asian neighbors that have been involved in fours wars. Even during peacetime, there is always tension between these two nuclear powers. I’ll be telling you some important and unknown facts about all the India Pakistan conflicts that have taken place.

Besides four major wars, there has also been an undeclared war and numerous skirmishes between the two countries. Barring the ’71 war that was fought due to the East Pakistan crisis, all of the problems and fighting between the two countries have been mostly due to one reason, the Kashmir issue. India Pakistan conflicts are based on this problematic area itself, and it is something that has always been a thorn in the peace processes between both countries. Now we will have a look at some more details of the four major wars that have been the highlights of India Pakistan relations over the decades.

India Pakistan War of 1947

This war, also known as the first Kashmir War, was fought in 1947/48 between the Pakistani forces who called themselves the Azad Kashmir Forces, and the princely state forces along with the Indian army. The AKF attacked the princely states after Kashmir had acceded to India, and met with considerable success, since the princely states were not well equipped to defend themselves. India airlifted its forces to the border and that is when the AKF’s success ended. Towards the end, India had the upper hand in most of the sectors where the fighting was going on. But this war had an impact on the geographical outcome of the area. After both sides agreed to a UN orchestrated ceasefire, and after the loss of nearly two thousand lives on both sides, Pakistan held two-fifths of Kashmir, while India controlled three-fifths of the state.

India Pakistan War of 1965

This war was also called the Second Kashmir War, and it began when Pakistan launched Operation Gibraltar. The motive was to infiltrate into Indian Kashmir and act as a tool for starting an insurgency against Indian rule in the state. Over 30,000 Pakistani soldiers crossed the LOC into the Indian side dressed like locals, and spread out to various parts of the state. The Indian forces were tipped off by the locals and retaliated. In less than a month the war escalated to a new level, with Pakistan launching Operation Grand Slam. The motive was to capture strategic places and cut off supplies to the India troops. Pakistan made initial gains, before the Indian Airforce was called in to boost their side. This war was witness to the biggest tank battle after World War II. The Indians lost over a hundred tanks, while the Pakistanis lost nearly 300. In the long run, the war was running into a stalemate, and both sides ended up holding territory of each other. It ended with a UN mandated ceasefire and the Tashkent Declaration. Pakistan suffered 3,800 casualties as opposed to India’s 3,000. Pakistan held 200 miles of Indian territory, while India held 700 miles of Pakistani territory. In the end, Pakistan’s forces were depleted by nearly 20%, while the Indians fell back 10%.

India Pakistan War of 1971

This war was the only Indo-Pak War that was fought on an issue besides Kashmir. It is also known as the Bangladesh Liberation War. In the 1970 elections in Pakistan, the Awami League of East Pakistan swept into power. But Pakistan’s PPP refused to yield power to them, and called in the military of West Pakistan to control things. The army of Pakistan indulged in widespread genocide against the mainly Bengali population of East Pakistan. This resulted in nearly 10 million people felling into neighboring Indian territory. India opened its borders to allow the refugees in, and appealed to the international community the stop the genocide being carried out by the Pakistanis in East Pakistan. When the appeals fell on deaf ears, India concluded that only an armed opposition would stop that, rather than just taking care of the refugees. East Pakistan army officers joined hands with the Indians to start the Bangladesh Liberation War. By November 1971, when it was winter, India had a massive build-up of its forces along the border with East Pakistan. In the beginning of December, Pakistan launched Operation Chengiz Khan with airstrikes on Indian airfields. India responded with a massive, coordinated land/air/naval strike on Pakistan. India cut off Pakistan’s hold on East Pakistan, and simultaneously launched a massive attack on West Pakistan. India captured more than 6,000 miles of Pakistani territory in the strike. The war depleted Pakistan’s navy by one-third, established India’s air superiority, besides the taking of 90,000 Pakistani POWs. Deaths were 8,000 on the Pakistani side and 3,000 on the Indian side. The war was a major defeat for Pakistan, the Simla agreement was signed between the two countries, which made Pakistan accept Bangladesh as a free country, and in return, India gave back captured territory and POWs. Many experts believed that India had let off Pakistan easily after such a massive victory.

India Pakistan War of 1999

This war is known as the Kargil War. In May 1999, Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri infiltrated into the Indian side of the LOC. There was also heavy shelling by Pakistan on the Indian positions. India then launched Operation Vijay, in which Indian troops and the Indian Airforce was involved. India managed to push back all the Pakistanis into the original positions in less than two months time. Pakistan was criticized worldwide for intruding into Indian territory and starting a war. And it once again proved India’s military superiority in the sun-continent.

In 2001, there was a major military standoff between the two countries. This was a result of a terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament. India blamed Pakistani based militants for this attack, and accused Pakistan of fuelling terrorism inside India. As a result, India amassed half a million troops along the border with Pakistan, while Pakistan mobilized a little more than quarter of a million troops in response. The US and Russia could not manage to diffuse the situation. It was only when General Musharraf pledged to stop infiltration into India by militants, that India accepted and let some tension get released. Though there have been points of tension between the two countries off and on, in the past ten years there has been no major standoff as such, and the world hopes that there are no more India Pakistan wars ever again. After all, both countries are now nuclear capable.

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