1947 First Indo-Pak War:
Click here for detailed report on wikipedia.
Known to most people by the first Kashmir War, this was the first of the four wars between India and the then new republic State of Pakistan.
Causes
Kashmir,inhabited by 75% Muslims was always under conditions of revolts and protests against Maharaja Hari Singh, the pre independece hindu king of Kashmir.Post independence, according to the instruments of partition of India, the rulers of princely states were given the choice to freely accede to either India or Pakistan. Initially,Maharaja hesitated fearing tribal warfare, but later on fell to India's pressure and joined the Republic in October 2007.This accession was questioned by Pakistanis. Pakistani claimed that since 75% of the inhabitants of Kashmir were Muslims, it should be a part of Pakistan.
The War
War began when Azad Kashmir Forces backed by new Pakistan government and (still doubtful) British support,entered Kashmir (Operation Gulmarg) with an objective of occupation of Kashmir, closely followed by other operations
Battling over a period of more than 2 months (Oct to Dec,1947),The occupation of a significant part of Kashmir change hands from India to Pakistan
At this stage Indian Prime Minister Mr. Jawahar Lal Nehru decided to ask UN to intervene. A UN cease-fire was arranged for the 31 December 1948.
Aftermaths
Pakistan was successful in having a significant part of Kashmir, though the war was claimed to be won by India.Approximately 2500+ soldiers were killed overall. Kashmir saw use of rifles,light tanks and armoured cars in this war.
1965 Second Indo-Pak War:
Click here for detailed Report on Wikipedia
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965,also known as second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between India and Pakistan.
The War and its Causes
The primary cause of conflicts was usually the Accession of Kashmir, although other border disputes existed, most notably over the Rann of Kutch, a barren region in the Indian state of Gujarat. Though the erstwhile princely state of Junagadh was integrated into India, its borders, especially in the marshlands to the west were ambiguous. This gave rise to a dispute between Pakistan and India.A war broke out in lands of Kutch.Pakistan was succesful in gaining 350 square miles (900 km²) of the Rann of Kutch. General Ayub Khan,Military commander of Pakistan is said to have believed that the Indian Army was unable to defend itself against a quick military campaign in the disputed territory of Kashmir, following a loss to China in 1962. Pakistan believed that the population of Kashmir was generally discontented with Indian rule and that a resistance movement could be ignited by a few infiltrating saboteurs. This was codenamed Operation Gibraltar. However, the Pakistani infiltrators were soon discovered, aided primarily by the local Kashmiris themselves and the entire operation ended in a complete disaster.The Indians pressed on a massive raid on Lahore on 6th September, which was defended by Pakistani troops and later ceased by UN intervention.The war ended in an agreement between Shastri and Ayub Khan on signing withdrawl of forces from Kashmir on 25th Feb,1965.
Aftermaths
More than 6600 soldiers from both sides were killed in the war.This was the largest amassing of troops in Kashmir.The war invloved battles on ground, water as well as in air.The war witnessed some of the largest Tank Battles since World War II.
128 Indian tankswere destroyed, 152 Pakistani tanks captured, 150 Pakistani tanks destroyed.Officially 471 Pakistani tanks destroyed and 38 captured.Both sides lost many aircrafts(50 approx).
Though the war was indecisive, Pakistan suffered much heavier material and personnel casualties compared to India. Both India and Pakistan increased their defense spending and the Cold War politics had taken roots in the subcontinent.The Indian premier, Shastri was hailed as a hero in India.
On the other hand many Pakistanis rated the performance of their military positively. September 6 is celebrated as 'Defence Day' in Pakistan in commemoration of the successful defence of Lahore against the Indian army.
USA declared its neutrality in the war by cutting off military supplies to both sides,leading Islamabad to believe that they were "betrayed" by the United States who were their allies in the Cold War. Another negative consequence of the war was the growing resentment against the Pakistani government in East Pakistan, particularly for the West Pakistan's obsession with Kashmir. Bengali leaders accused the government for not providing adequate security for East Pakistan during the conflict, even though large sums of money were taken from the east to finance the war for Kashmir.Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was apprehensive of this situation, and the need for greater autonomy for the east led to another war between India and Pakistan in 1971..
Nuclear tests.
Attack on parliament 13th Dec 2008
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