India and Pakistan have an estranged relationship ever since their division in 1947 and marked by a number of intense conflicts between the two nations. Border fighting and standoffs have been common but there have been four major and conventional wars fought between the two countries. The issue of land and ownership, specifically of the Kashmir region, is the major cause of such wars that has made both nations hate each other.
No war has left any kind of oblivion in the history and geopolitics of the subcontinent, as it has shaped their national identities as well as military doctrines in which they fought. The legacies of these struggles have been extremely pricey to humanity and the unsolved matters remain the cause of regional conflicts.
Conflict Over Kashmir
All the three earlier wars that had been fought between India and Pakistan were centered on the contentious region of Kashmir. The very initial war was the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-48 that started soon after the two countries got their independence. On the accession of the ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir to India, Pakistan supported tribesmen as well as its army.
The second clash of Kashmir was the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. Pakistan launched an offensive on Kashmir known as Operation Gibraltar where it used troops who were dressed as natives to trigger insurrection. The reaction of India caused an all-out war along the whole of the border which later came to a stalemate and a UN cease fire.
The Kargil War of 1999 was the latest of the Kashmir centric conflicts. It was a small-scale war that started when Pakistani troops would invade Indian territory and occupy strategic positions on the Indian side of LoC. Indians attacked and conquered the posts in what came to be known as the operation Vijay forcing a Pakistan retiring under international clamour. This was a very risky war because the two countries were now nuclear-powered.
The Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971
It was a massive deviation from previous wars in the sense that the case here was not based on Kashmir The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was grounded on the political and humanitarian crisis in East Pakistan. After a military crackdown of Bengali people by West Pakistan, which continued to be bloody, millions of refugees scurried to India. India favored the Bengali nationalists’ program, and it culminated in a full-fledged war.
This war proved to be an unbeatable battle on the side of India and resulted in the birth of Bangladesh as the independent nation. This war saw the defeat of more than 90,000 Pakistani soldiers, the biggest ever military surrender in history since World War II.
A recent media graduate, Bhumi Vashisht is currently making a significant contribution as a committed content writer. She brings new ideas to the media sector and is an expert at creating strategic content and captivating tales, having working in the field from past four months.
