India-Pakistan War 1965

The incorporation of Kashmir into Pakistan remained a priority for the military-dominated Pakistani government. On August 5, 1965, Pakistan began to support an expected popular uprising against the Indian occupation of Kashmir by infiltrating troops from Azad (Free) Kashmir, the Pakistani held part of the territory, as well as mujahedeen volunteers into Indian Kashmir. There was no uprising but the insurgents soon clashed with Indian forces. Pakistani regulars also crossed the border and the first major engagement between the armed forces of the two sides took place on August 14th. Beginning on August 16th, Indian troops, supported by prolonged artillery barrages crossed the 1949 ceasefire line, capturing three important mountain positions.

The Indian gains led to a major Pakistani counter-attack on September 1st in Punjab, where Indian forces were caught unprepared and suffered heavy losses; Pakistani troops advance almost 30km into Punjab. India responded by opening an offensive against Lahore in Pakistani Punjab on September 6th. These major escalations expanded what was a limited war contained to a limited area into a broader India-Pakistan war. Two days later Indian forces attacked on two more fronts but the Lahore front had already become the focus of the opposing armies. A counter-attack launched by Pakistan on September 7th pushed the Indian forces back but the units soon encountered severe resistance at the Battle of Asal Uttar which prevented further progress. Beginning on September 14th, in one of the largest armored clashes since the German-Soviet Battle of Kursk during World War II, the Indian army attacked with the intention of seizing the Sialkot-Pasur railway thereby cutting off the line of supply for Pakistani forces in operating in Kashmir to the north. The results were indecisive.

Although the war expanded beyond Kashmir, India and Pakistan had limited objectives, and neither was economically capable of sustaining a long war. With both countries rapidly exhausting the limited military stores, the war was at the point of stalemate when the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution on September 20th that called for a cease-fire. India accepted the cease-fire resolution on September 21st and Pakistan on September 22nd, and the war ended on September 23rd. The Soviet-brokered Tashkent Declaration was signed on January 10, 1966. It required that both sides withdraw by February 26, 1966, to positions held prior to August 5, 1965, and observe the cease-fire line agreed to on June 30, 1965. The agreement also called for the long delayed plebiscite in Kashmir to determine its future in either India or Pakistan. In West Pakistan the agreement elicited an adverse reaction; students and politicians demonstrated in urban areas, and many were arrested.

References

Clodfelter, 1091-4; COW166; India - A Country Study; Kohn, 227-8; Pakistan - A Country Study.

Category

Inter-State War

Region

South Asia

Belligerents

India, Pakistan

Dispute

Territory

Initiation Date

August 5, 1965

Termination Date

September 23, 1965

Duration

1 month, 19 days
(50 days)

Outcome

Unresolved Truce
(UN intervention)

Fatalities

Total: 7,061
India: 3,261
Pakistan: 3,800

Magnitude

3.8