Amid Op Sindoor, A Look At History Of India-Pakistan Armed Conflict

In retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, India launched coordinated missile strikes early on Wednesday on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK). Among the targets were the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke.

The multi-branch military action was carried out under 'Operation Sindoor' two weeks after the killing of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. India has blamed Pakistan for the terror attack and accused Islamabad of backing the deadliest terrorist operation in years on civilians in Kashmir on April 22.

The name for the action -- Operation Sindoor -- refers to the red vermilion that many Indian women wear to signify their married status. In the Pahalgam terror attack, the husbands of several women were killed in front of them, including an Indian Navy officer.

India's latest action adds to a long list of military conflicts between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Here is a look at some of the key clashes:

1947: Conflict After Pakistan's Invasion Of Kashmir

After the British rule ended on August 15, 1947, the Indian sub-continent was divided into India and Pakistan. The partition unleashed bloodshed that possibly killed thousands of people and displaced 15 million others.

At the time of the partition, the ruler of Kashmir, Hari Singh, initially hesitated to choose between joining India or Pakistan as he explored options for remaining independent. 

However, he eventually opted to join India after Pakistan-backed armed tribals along with the Pakistan military launched an attack, triggering the first armed conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. 

Fighting raged for months, until the United Nations intervened to establish a 770-kilometre (478-mile) ceasefire line in 1949 between the two neighbours.

1965: War Over Kashmir

Again seeking control over Kashmir, Pakistani forces crossed into India's side in August 1965.  In response, India launched a military incursion across the boundary. The fighting saw pitched battles involving both ground and air forces, and some of the biggest tank battles in history. Thousands are killed during the war, before a ceasefire in September.

1971: War Over Bangladesh

In 1971, Pakistan deployed troops to suppress an independence movement in what is now Bangladesh, which it had governed since 1947 as East Pakistan. Indian forces lent support to the Mukti Bahini (Freedom fighters) to form the Mitro Bahini (“Allied Forces”) to prevent a genocide in the then East Pakistan.

An estimated three million people were killed in the nine-month conflict, leading to the creation of the independent nation of Bangladesh. 

1999: Kargil War

Pakistani paramilitary forces infiltrated Indian territory in the  Kargil district of Ladakh, leading to the Kargil War, also known as the Kargil Conflict or Operation Vijay. Pakistan-backed terrorists seized Indian military posts in the icy heights of the Kargil mountains, following with Indian forces retaliated. The conflict continued along the Line of Control (LoC) from May to July 1999, before it concluded with a clear victory for India, as Indian forces successfully evicted Pakistani troops and reclaimed the territory.  Both sides suffered hundreds of casualties in the war.

2016: Uri Attack 

On 18 September 2016, four Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists from Pakistan targeted an Indian Army brigade headquarters near the town of Uri in the Indian Jammu and Kashmir, killing 19 soldiers, leaving several others injured. In response, India conducted surgical strikes on several terrorist launchpads in Pakistan along the border. 

2019: Pulwama Attack

On 14 February 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying Indian security personnel on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethapora in the Pulwama district. The suicide attack killed 40 security personnel. In response, India sent fighter jets, which carried out air strikes on Pakistani territory to target a terrorist training camp strike 12 days later.

One Indian jet was shot down over Pakistani-controlled territory, with the captured pilot safely released within days back to India.