Indo-Pakistan Conflict - 1947-48
The first war between India and Pakistan began in October 1947 and ended in December 1948. The origins of the first war between India and Pakistan can be traced to the final status of Kashmir following the establishment of an independent India and Pakistan on August 15, 1947. British policy held that the various princely states would have to accede to either Pakistan or India based on geographic location and on demographics. While the final status of many of the states was easily concluded, Kashmir and two other states presented special problems.
Kashmir was strategically located between India and Pakistan and though it was led by a Hindu Maharaja, Muslims made up the majority of the population. Sikhs and Hindus made up the other major ethnicities though they were a minority compared to the Muslim population. Though required to choose between India and Pakistan the Maharaja was unable to decide which state to join.
Tensions between Pakistan and the government of Kashmir grew as the Maharaja's indecision frustrated Pakistan and pro-Pakistani factions within Kashmir. Hostilities began in early October 1947 when a tribal rebellion broke out in Poonch in southwest Kashmir. By October 20th the Pakistani Army entered the conflict in support of the tribal forces in a multi-pronged effort designed to capture Uri, Jhangar, Rajuara, and Naushera in the opening days of the campaign. Pakistan's timetable was to capture the capital of Kashmir, Srinagar, within a week.
He wanted help from the Indian side for military assistance and the help was offered, but it was subjected to his signing of an instrument of accession to India. Facing the assault and a Muslim revolution in the western borders of the state, the ruler of the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu, who was a Hindu, signed an Instrument of Accession to the Indian Republic. The Indian side did not take much time in deploying the armed forces to Srinagar and then to the different parts of Kashmir (thanks to the first Prime Minister and Sardar Patel). Muhammad Ali Jinnah finally accepted that the tribal militia was none other than the regular Pakistani troops after facing international pressure and thus, both Indian and Pakistani forces were face to face. At 23:59 on the night of January 1, 1949, a formal ceasefire was declared which is still in force today.
Now coming to the casualties and deaths due to the war, Pakistan had suffered huge losses as about 6000 Pakistani army men were reported dead and around 14,000 were wounded severely. Indian forces also suffered losses as around 1500 brave men were martyred and close to 3,500 were wounded.
General Cariappa was the man behind the Indian success. He planned all the things and ensured that the Indian side will remain victorious in this battle. The Indian Government announced the recipients of Param Vir Chakra for all those who fought bravely for the protection of Kashmir and India.
Sino-Indian war-1962
- On October 20, 1962, China's People's Liberation Army invaded India in Ladakh, and across the McMahon Line in the then North-East Frontier Agency
- Till the start of the war, the Indian side was confident that war would not be started and made little preparations. Thinking this, India deployed only two divisions of troops in the region of the conflict, while the Chinese troops had three regiments positioned
- The Chinese also cut Indian telephone lines, preventing the defenders from making contact with their headquarters
- On the first day, the Chinese infantry also launched an attack from the rear. The continued losses forced the Indian troops to escape to Bhutan
- On October 22, the Chinese lighted a bush which caused a lot of confusion among the Indians. Some 400 Chinese troops attacked the Indian position. The initial Chinese assault was stopped by accurate Indian mortar fire
- When the Indian army discovered that a Chinese force gathered in a pass, it opened fire with mortars and machine guns and killed about 200 Chinese soldiers
- On October 26, a patrol from the 4th Sikhs was encircled, and after they were unable to break the encirclement, an Indian unit sneaked in and attacked the Chinese army and freed the Sikhs
- According to China's official military history, the war achieved China's policy objectives of securing borders in its western sector.
Indo-Pak war-1965
After Pakistani troops invaded Kashmir, India moved quickly to internationalize the regional dispute. It asked the United Nations to reprise its role in the First India-Pakistan War and end the current conflict. The Security Council passed Resolution 211 on September 20 calling for an end to the fighting and negotiations on the settlement of the Kashmir problem, and the United States and the United Kingdom supported the UN decision by cutting off arms supplies to both belligerents. This ban affected both belligerents, but Pakistan felt the effects more keenly since it had a much weaker military in comparison to India. The UN resolution and the halting of arms sales had an immediate impact. India accepted the ceasefire on September 21 and Pakistan on September 22.
The ceasefire alone did not resolve the status of Kashmir, and both sides accepted the Soviet Union as a third-party mediator. Negotiations in Tashkent concluded in January 1966, with both sides giving up territorial claims, withdrawing their armies from the disputed territory. Nevertheless, although the Tashkent agreement achieved its short-term aims, conflict in South Asia would reignite a few years later.
Indo-Sino war of 1967
Indo-Pakistan war-1971
- December 16,1971 is a significant day for India and it neighbors Bangladesh and Pakistan. In 1971, India won the war against Pakistan that resulted in the birth of Bangladesh (then East Pakistan).
- On this day 47 years ago, Pakistan lost half its country, its forces in the East, and had to publicly surrender to India. It was also the largest military surrender after World War II.
- The war started when Pakistan launched airstrikes on 11 Indian airbases. It was perhaps the first time in which India's all three forces fought in unison.
- India quickly responded to Pakistan Army's movements in the west and captured around 15,010 kilometers of Pakistan territory.
- The war ended after the chief of the Pakistani forces, General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with 93,000 troops, surrendered to the joint forces of the Indian Army and Bangladesh's Mukti Bahini.
- General A A K Niazi signed the Instrument of Surrender on 16 December 1971 in Dhaka, marking the formation of East Pakistan as the new nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan also lost half of its territory with the birth of Bangladesh.
- The war lasted for just 13 days and is one of the shortest wars in history.
- The military confrontation between India and Pakistan occurred from 3 December 1971 to the fall of Dacca (Dhaka) on 16 December 1971.
- The Indian Army brought the Pakistani army to its knees, took 93,000 Pakistani prisoners, and gave 75 million people of Bangladesh their independence.
- Over 3,800 soldiers of India and Pakistan lost their lives in this war to end the genocide Pakistan had been conducting against the Bengali population of East Pakistan.
The conflict was a result of the Bangladesh Liberation war when Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) was fighting to seek freedom from (West) Pakistan. In 1971, the Pakistani Army began to commit the barbaric genocide on innocent Bengali populations, particularly the minority Hindu population in East Pakistan.
As Pakistan’s atrocities increased, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi decided to take action against Pakistan at the same time give refuge to civilians from the other side of the border.
She ordered Army Chief General Sam Manekshaw to launch an offensive against Pakistan following which India launched a full-scale war against its neighbor.
It is estimated that between 300,000 and 3,000,000 civilians were killed in Bangladesh. Rape, torture, killings and conflicts followed due to which eight to ten million people fled the country to seek refuge in India.
Kargil War - 1999
- The war took place between May and July of 1999 in Jammu and Kashmir's Kargil district
- Kargil was the part of Baltistan district of Ladakh before the partition of India 1947 and was separated by the LOC after the First Kashmir War (1947-1948)
- The conflict is believed to have been orchestrated by the then Pakistan army chief General Pervez Musharraf without the knowledge of the then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
- The conflict began with the infiltration of both Pakistani troops and terrorists into Indian territory
- Pakistan's main objective was to cut the connections between Ladakh and Kashmir and to create tensions at the Indian border. The Pakistan Army had sent its soldiers in the name of intruders in the winters to take over the area
- The Kargil ‘war’, as it is called, was not a conventional war
- The territory intrusion by Pakistan did not result in a full-fledged war but was limited to a specific area with limited army involvement
- Pakistan’s major agenda was to bring the Kashmir issue on the international level and leverage their positions in Kashmir to get what they want. They failed on both fronts as the majority of the community condemned their actions and called for a retraction. China too did not support Pak but adopted a neutral stand
- Based on information from local shepherds, the Indian Army was able to ascertain the points of incursion and launch "Operation Vijay"
- Vijay Diwas: The Indian Army declared the mission successful on July 26, 1999, and since then every year it has been celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas
- Casualties: The victory for India came at a very high price. The official death toll for India was 527 and for Pakistan, it was between 357 and 453.