Last Updated on August 15, 2026 by Bharat
India and Pakistan have been involved in four full scale wars, in the last 80 years. For students pursuing history, political science, or international relations, and the candidates preparing for defense exams, civil service exams, and various other competitive exams, knowing about the Indo Pak war is very essential.
It is also an interesting read for general readers who are keen on learning about history, geopolitics etc. Presented below is a collection of all the major India Pakistan wars and the recent Operation Sindoor in 2025.
First India Pakistan War -1947
The first India Pakistan war began on 22nd October, 194, just a few months after Independence, when tribal militias with backing from Pakistan invaded the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The ruler of the state i.e Maharaja Hari Singh till that time didn’t join either India or Pakistan. But, when the state was under attack, he signed the Accession to India on October 26th, 1947, after which Indian troops were airlifted to Srinagar on the next day.
The fighting between the two nations continued till a year. Finally, United Nations intervened and a ceasefire was established on January 1st, 1949. Ceasefire was also marked by drawing of a line between the two countries, which later became the Line of Control or LoC. According to a 2001 Press Information Bureau (PIB) release, India lost 1104 army personnel during the course of this war.
Second India Pakistan War – 1965
The second war between India and Pakistan was fought in 1965 when Pakistan Army launched Operation Gibraltar in August 1965, in which thousands of army personnels disguised as local militants were to enter India to create internal conflict. The plan however failed as local Kashmiris did not ally with the infiltrators and informed the Indian army instead.
Full scale war between Indian and Pakistan broke out on September 6, 1965. The Indian troops entered Punjab lying on the side of Pakistan. The 1965 India Pakistan War was famous for tank battles, which was regarded as one of the largest tank battles seen after World War II, most notable among them were the Battle of Asal Uttar and Battle of Chawinda.
Third India Pakistan War – 1971
The most decisive of all the wars fought between India and Pakistan took place in the year 1971, and this time it was not about Kashmir, instead it was due to India’s role in aiding East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in their independence movement from the clutches of West Pakistan (now Pakistan).
The war started on December 3rd, 1971 when Pakistan launched preemptive airstrikes targeting 8 airforce bases of India on the western sector under the name Operation Chengiz Khan. This attack led to then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi to announce that this attack forced India into a state of war.
India subsequently launched an offensive on all fronts in both eastern and western sector. Within 13 days, Indian troops had gained control of Dhaka. This led to the largest military surrenders of all time when on December 16, 1971, Lieutenant General A.A.K Niazi or Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi signed the instrument of surrender in the presence of Indian counterpart Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora.
The surrender involved 93,000 soldiers and civilians, and is counted as one of the largest military surrenders after World War II. The war resulted in the liberation of East Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh. It also became the medium for the Shimla Agreement between India and Pakistan, which formalised the Line of Control between India and Pakistan.
Fourth India Pakistan War – 1999
The fourth war between India and Pakistan occured during the year 1999. Pakistani soldiers posing as militants started occupying high altitude posts in the Indian side of LoC in Kargil.
The first report of this intrusion was provided by local shepherds and a team headed by Captain Saurabh Kalia was ambushed in the Batalik Sector leading to confirmation of the intrusion.
Indian army launched Operation Vijay to counter the Pakistani Army and the Indian Air Force launched Operation Safed Sagar to bomb the positions of the inflitrators.
Indian army successfully captured most of the points like Tololing and Tiger Hill by July. In the course of capturing the points many senior army officers lost their lives. Under increasing pressure from international quarters, Pakistani troops started withdrawing from the positions from July 11, 1999. It was on 26th July, 1999, India declared that the operation was complete.
The same date is celebrated annually as Kargil Vijay Diwas. India reported 527 casualties in the War, while Pakistan officially issued 453 deaths, although estimates suggest losses in tunes of thousands.
Operation Sindoor – 2025
Although not to be classified as a war between two sides, one notable conflict took place in 2025, when militants crossed over to India in Pahalgam and opened fired at the tourists there killing 26 of them. The militant group Laskhar-e-Taiba was blamed for the attacks.
The retaliation from Indian army and airforce came on the night of 6th may and continued till 7th May 2025 in the form of measured strikes in 9 places which were alleged to be linked with terrorist groups Laskhar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.
This operation was known as Operation Sindoor. The operation lasted for 4 days during which Pakistan attempted to engage multiple military targets in Northern and Western India which included Awantipura, Srinagar, Bhuj, Bhatinda, Ludhiana, Amritsar etc using drones and missiles but were effectively neutralised by the integrated air defence systems which consisted of Pechora, S-400, Akash, Akashteer systems.
Other Notable Conflicts between India and Pakistan
Below are some of the notable conflicts that took place between India and Pakistan over the period of 80 years.
Battle of Rann of Kutch – 1965
The battle of Rann of Kutch was a precursor to the full scale war of 1965. It was codenamed Operation Desert Hawk by Pakistan and was used to test India’s response and preparedness.
The conflicts started on April 1965, when Pakistan launched offensive with Patton Battle tanks and field guns. Pakistani forces successfully captured the position after met with a fierce resistance from Indian army.
A ceasefire was proposed by British Prime Minister Harold Wilson on 29th April 1965, and the ceasefire became effective on July 1, 1965. The dispute was finally resolved in 1968 with Pakistan receiving around 828 square kilometers of Kutch.
Siachen Conflict (1984-2003)
Siachen conflict arose when both India and Pakistan laid their claims on the Siachen Glacier, it was through Operation Meghdoot conducted by India on April 13, 1984 that India captured the complete 70 km stretch of Siachen glacier.
The two sides continued to debate over the possession of Siachen Glacier deploying troops, most notable was Operation Rajiv in 1987. It was not until November 2003 that a ceasefire was announced by both the countries along the Glacier also referred to as the Actual Ground Position Line or AGPL.
Surgical Strike – 2016
The surgical strike was done in the early hours of September 28 and 29 in retaliation for the attack on army brigade headquarters, Uri by heavily armed militants on September 18. The attack resulted in 19 casualties in the Indian camp.
India successfully conducted cross border operations with pinpoint precision destroying terrorist camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
Balakot Strike – 2019
The Balakot strikes of 2019 was an pre-emptive strike done by India across LoC on terrorist camps of Jaish-e-Mohammad in retaliation of the suicide attack on CRPF personnel in which 40 soldier lost their lives. Although it was not a standoff or conflict between the armies of two nations.
How Many India Pakistan War Involved Kashmir?
Kashmir was the central point of 3 out of the 4 major India Pakistan wars namely the 1965, 1971 and 1999 war.
For more such well-researched GK articles helpful for exam aspirants and general readers seeking authentic and up-to-date coverage of current affairs, history, polity, science, technology, economy, sports, and beyond, keep exploring GKinfoBuzz, your trusted resource for knowledge and information.
