The three military operations against India that Pak attempted and failed before Kargil

Team Udayavani, Jul 26, 2021, 10:30 AM IST

The invasion conducted by Pakistan in 1999 in and around Kargil led to a small and localised war there was essentially the last military confrontation the country face with India.

Realising that even possessing nuclear weapons could not get it what it wanted the country’s military deep state went full-on with sub-conventional and unconventional warfare tactics – an example of which was soon presented in the form of the 2001 Parliament attack.

It is known that Pakistan did attempt to militarily change the territorial status of Kashmir four times and failed miserably in the third time so much so that they lost one part of their territory.

Here are the short details of the three military conflicts before Kargil was thrust upon us by Pakistan leading to forced and unnecessary sacrifices.

1. Operation Gulmarg (1947)
The thing that started it all. Pakistan put into effect this military operation on August 20, only a week after its Independence Day. The plan included throwing 1,000 Pashtun raiders into the then Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir to occupy it and merge it with Pakistan.

Its result was that the princely state legally joined India and Pakistan lost its first war.

2. Operation Gibraltar
The operation’s name referred to the southern area of Spain (the entire Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) was conquered by the Umayyad Caliphate in the 8th century).

Again, Pakistan’s intention was to cut off Jammu and Kashmir from India by organising a false local insurgency by sending in its troops.

No insurgency occurred and Pakistan was invaded by India from Punjab leading to a ceasefire after one of the largest tank battles since the Second World War.

3. Operation Chengiz Khan
This third one was not over Jammu and Kashmir but did feature in the war.

Pakistan had launched Operation Searchlight in, what was then East Pakistan, in March 1971 to end, once and for all, the Bengali civic and nationalist movement. It failed as a large part of the population started an insurrection against it.

India helped the insurgents and was attacked by Pakistan for it. They launched the operation thinking that if they conquer parts of western India they can get whatever they want during negotiations.

However, it was Pakistan that lost its eastern part.