Amidst Operation Sindoor, Let Us Look At The Wars That India And Pakistan Have Fought Since 1947
As India carries out Operation Sindoor, the major conflicts fought between India and Pakistan were in 1947, 1965, 1971, and the Kargil war in 1999
Operation Sindoor, which began at midnight, struck nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan, targeting terrorist infrastructure there. The strikes came after the Pahalgam attack on April 22 in which 26 tourists were killed.
As per the defence ministry statement on Wednesday, “A little while ago, the Indian armed forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed."
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Let us look at the major conflicts and wars and diplomatic tussles between India and Pakistan since 1947.
The 1947 War: The first Kashmir War began in October 1947 and the consequence was the accession of Jammu and Kashmir by India. Pakistan was under the fear that Maharaja Hari Singh would accede to India. It was after the Partition that the princely states were given three options: Accede to India, accede to Pakistan or remain independent. Jammu and Kashmir had a significant number of Muslims and Hindus. The tribal Islamic forces met and joined the Pakistan army and occupied some parts of the princely state. Thus, Maharaja Hari Singh acceded to India and received military aid. The issue was taken to the UN Security Council and Resolution 47 was passed on April 22, 1948, and the Line of Control was created. On January 1, 1949, a ceasefire was declared. India had control of two-thirds of Jammu and Kashmir, whereas Pakistan gained Gilgit Balistan and Azad Kashmir. India calls it Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.
The 1965 War: It started with Pakistan’s Operation Gibraltar where the forces tried to enter the India-administered areas and start the insurgency. The Indian government launched a full-scale military response against West Pakistan. The war was fought for 17 days and thousands of people died on both sides. The Soviet Union and USA had to intervene and a ceasefire was declared. India had an upper hand in the war as Pakistan caused insurgency.
The 1971 Liberation War: Tensions rose in December 1970 when the Awami League party, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and based in East Pakistan, won the national elections but West Pakistan parties, namely the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), refused to hand over power. Tensions between Bengalis and Biharis – the Urdu-speaking communities that had moved to East Pakistan from different parts of India after Partition – rose, which led to attacks on some Bihari communities. In March 1971, the Pakistan Army intervened to stem the growth of nationalist sentiments in the east and recruited local pro-Pakistan Bengalis and non-Bengalis, including members of the Islamic organisation Jamaat-e-Islami. An estimated toll of both civilian and military deaths range from 500,000 to over 3 million. Millions of refugees fled to neighbouring India. On December 16, 1971 Bangladesh was created.
The 1999 Kargil War: The Pakistani troops infiltrated the Line of Control and occupied Indian territory at Kargil in Kashmir. There was fear of large-scale military escalation which then forced the US to pressurize Pakistan to withdraw. Pakistan had to face the pressure of international isolation, which could be detrimental to its economy. Many units of the Northern Light Infantry of Pakistan had suffered heavy casualties. Nawaz Sharif later told international media that more than 4,000 Pakistani troops were killed in the operation and that Pakistan had lost the war.
Diplomatic Tensions Between India And Pakistan
Mumbai 26/11 Attacks: On November 26, 2008, fears of direct military confrontation between India and Pakistan abounded after militants laid siege to Mumbai, killing 166 people, including six Americans. Both India and the US blamed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a militant group with alleged ties to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) —for perpetrating the attack. Instead of escalating tensions, the India took the diplomatic route by seeking cooperation with the Pakistani government to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice, paving the way for improved relations.
When Modi Became PM In 2014: Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited then Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to attend his inauguration. After a brief period of optimism, relations turned sour once more in August 2014 when India cancelled talks with Pakistan’s foreign minister after the Pakistani high commissioner in India met with Kashmiri separatist leaders.
The 2016 Uri Attack: Momentum towards meaningful talks came to an end in September 2016, when armed militants attacked a remote Indian Army base in Uri, near the LOC, killing 18 Indian soldiers in the deadliest attack on the Indian armed forces in decades. Indian officials accused Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), another group with alleged ties to ISI, of being behind the attack. In response, the Indian military announced it had carried out “surgical strikes" on terrorist camps inside PoK while the Pakistani military denied any such operation.
The 2019 Pulwama Attack: In February 2019, a convoy of Indian paramilitary forces in Pulwama were targeted, in which at least 40 soldiers died. The attack, claimed by Pakistan-backed JeM, was the deadliest in Kashmir in three decades. India retaliated by conducting an air strike that targeted terrorist training camps within Pakistani territory; these were answered by Pakistani air strikes on Kashmir. The exchange escalated into an aerial fight, and Pakistan captured an Indian pilot, who was released days later.
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