Indian armed forces launched missile strikes on nine terrorist locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including Bahawalpur, known as a key stronghold of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group.These strikes, code-named 'Operation Sindoor', carried out in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack, marks yet another chapter in the long-standing military tensions.
The history of the India-Miltel confrontation dates back to the 1947 war after India’s independence and the subcontinental division, extending to India’s 2019 Balakot surgical strike in retaliation for the Pulwama suicide bomb.
1947 (First India-Park War): This war, also known as the First War in Kashmir, broke out in the then Prince State between India's new independent state and Pakistan and Kashmir. It began in October 1947, when Pakistan-backed tribal militias invaded the prince's country. In response, India's Maharaja Hari Singh joined Jamu and Kashmir to the Union of India, sending troops to defend the region, resulting in a full-scale conflict between the two countries.
The conflict continued until January 1949, when an unmediated ceasefire was implemented, leading to the Kashmir division between India and Pakistan on the Line of Control (LOC).
1965 (Second India-Parker War): Armed conflict broke out in Kashmir on August 5, 1965. This is triggered when thousands of Pakistani soldiers (disguised as local rebels) penetrate the LOC of Jamu and Kashmir.
The covert operation, known as “Operation Gibraltar,” aims to destroy the area and cause local uprisings. India responded by launching a military counterattack, which escalated into a full-scale battle on the international border. The war lasted until September 23, 1965, when both sides agreed to a ceasefire led by the Soviet Union and the United States.
1971 (Bangladesh Liberation War): The 1971 India-Pak War was triggered by the Pakistani military's repression of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and its demand for independence. India participated in a war in support of the Bangladesh independence movement, and after fierce fighting on the Eastern and Western fronts, Pakistani troops surrendered on 16 December 1971.
The war led to Bangladesh becoming an independent country.
1999 (Kargir War): The Kagir War in 1999 was a high-altitude conflict between India and Pakistan, from May to July, Pakistani troops and terrorists occupied Gargir in the Chagir region and Kargir in Kashmir. India, supported by the Air Force's “Operation Safed Sagar”, launched “Operation Vijay” to reclaim the territory. The war ended on July 26, and India resumed control, a day now marked “Kargil Vijay Diwas”.
2016 (URI attack): After the terrorist attack on the Indian Army Base in Uri, Jamu and Kashmir on September 18, 2016, 19 soldiers were killed, and India underwent a surgical strike at LOC from September 28 to 29. Indian troops targeted multiple terrorist launch pads, claiming serious casualties among terrorists prepared to infiltrate.
2019 (Pulwama Attack): On February 26, 2019, the Indian Air Force conducted an air strike at the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) terrorist training camp in Barakot, Pakistan in response to the Pulwama terrorist attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel. India used fighter jets to target camps deep in Pakistan's territory, the first such air strike since the 1971 war.
