5,800 Pakistani soldiers killed despite US help; India entered Punjab: War of 1965 | Indo-Pak war stories in pics - Part 3

Pakistan, ruled by Ayub Khan at the time, was a member of Cold War-era military alliances like SEATO and CENTO, led by the US. Pakistan used American weapons against India, straining India's relations with the US. As a result, India moved closer to the erstwhile Soviet Union, or USSR.

In April 1965, the Rann of Kutch clashes erupted, in which Pakistan used Patton tanks it got from the US. On June 30, 1965, the UK brokered a ceasefire agreement. In August that year, emboldened by what it thought was a successful operation in Rann of Kutch, Pakistan launched Operation Gibraltar, which involved up to 30,000 troops disguised as militants infiltrating into Jammu and Kashmir to incite a local uprising against India. But the local Kashmiris did not support the infiltrators and India countered the incursions. Pakistan's aim was to destabilise the region and force a resolution of the Kashmir issue in its favour. India cut off infiltration routes and captured Pakistani posts like Haji Pir Pass. In September, Pakistan launching Operation Grand Slam to impede Indian supply lines in the Chhamb-Jaurian sector of Jammu.

The war soon shifted to Punjab, with battles in Sialkot. It was a strategic decision by India to cross the international border towards Lahore and Sialkot on September 6, halting Pakistan’s advance in Chhamb. At the Battle of Asal Uttar, India’s 1st Armoured Division inflicted heavy losses on Pakistan’s 1st Armoured Division. Air forces engaged in dogfights, involving Pakistan’s F-86 Sabres and India’s Gnats and MiG-21s.

The 1965 Indo-Pak war ended with the UN Security Council Resolution 211 for ceasefire on September 22, 1965, after diplomatic interventions by the Soviet Union and the US. India and Pakistan signed the Tashkent Declaration, mediated by the Soviet Union, on January 10, 1966. The two sides agreed to withdraw to pre-August 1965 positions, restoring the status quo ante. The US and UK imposed arms embargoes on both India and Pakistan. This eventually led India to move closer to the Soviet Union for military supplies, a cooperation that continues to this day. Pakistan meanwhile improved its ties with China, which had fought a war with India in 1962. The Tashkent Declaration restored the pre-war status quo, with both sides withdrawing to their original positions and returning captured territories. The war ended without resolving the Kashmir issue, though India repelled Pakistan’s infiltration in Kashmir and gained some Pakistani territory.

At least 5,800 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the war, though Pakistan put the number much lower. Up to 10,000 Pakistanis were injured. Approximately 3,712 Indian soldiers died in the war.

Pakistan, ruled by Ayub Khan at the time, was a member of Cold War-era military alliances like SEATO and CENTO, led by the US. Pakistan used American weapons against India, straining India's relations with the US. As a result, India moved closer to the erstwhile Soviet Union, or USSR.

In April 1965, the Rann of Kutch clashes erupted, in which Pakistan used Patton tanks it got from the US. On June 30, 1965, the UK brokered a ceasefire agreement. In August that year, emboldened by what it thought was a successful operation in Rann of Kutch, Pakistan launched Operation Gibraltar, which involved up to 30,000 troops disguised as militants infiltrating into Jammu and Kashmir to incite a local uprising against India. But the local Kashmiris did not support the infiltrators and India countered the incursions. Pakistan's aim was to destabilise the region and force a resolution of the Kashmir issue in its favour. India cut off infiltration routes and captured Pakistani posts like Haji Pir Pass. In September, Pakistan launching Operation Grand Slam to impede Indian supply lines in the Chhamb-Jaurian sector of Jammu.

The war soon shifted to Punjab, with battles in Sialkot. It was a strategic decision by India to cross the international border towards Lahore and Sialkot on September 6, halting Pakistan’s advance in Chhamb. At the Battle of Asal Uttar, India’s 1st Armoured Division inflicted heavy losses on Pakistan’s 1st Armoured Division. Air forces engaged in dogfights, involving Pakistan’s F-86 Sabres and India’s Gnats and MiG-21s.

The 1965 Indo-Pak war ended with the UN Security Council Resolution 211 for ceasefire on September 22, 1965, after diplomatic interventions by the Soviet Union and the US. India and Pakistan signed the Tashkent Declaration, mediated by the Soviet Union, on January 10, 1966. The two sides agreed to withdraw to pre-August 1965 positions, restoring the status quo ante. The US and UK imposed arms embargoes on both India and Pakistan. This eventually led India to move closer to the Soviet Union for military supplies, a cooperation that continues to this day. Pakistan meanwhile improved its ties with China, which had fought a war with India in 1962. The Tashkent Declaration restored the pre-war status quo, with both sides withdrawing to their original positions and returning captured territories. The war ended without resolving the Kashmir issue, though India repelled Pakistan’s infiltration in Kashmir and gained some Pakistani territory.

At least 5,800 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the war, though Pakistan put the number much lower. Up to 10,000 Pakistanis were injured. Approximately 3,712 Indian soldiers died in the war.