Patriotic

kistan. However, Pakistan maintained control of one-third of this territory, and the dispute continues.
[edit]Operation Polo, 1948


Maj. Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri at Secunderabad
Main article: Operation Polo
After the war with Pakistan, India turned its attention to the independent Hyderabad State. India perceived the nearby independent Muslim state and potential Pakistani ally as a threat. In a five-day operation, India invaded and annexed Hyderabad.
[edit]Invasion of Goa, 1961
Main article: Invasion of Goa


Goans greet Indian as they march through Panjim shortly after the Portuguese retreat
In 1961 tension rose between India and Portugal over the Portuguese-occupied territory of Goa, which India claimed for itself. After Portuguese police cracked down violently on a peaceful, unarmed demonstration for union with India, the Indian government decided to invade. A lopsided air, sea, and ground campaign resulted in the speedy surrender of Portuguese forces.[13] Within 36 hours, 451 years of Portuguese colonial rule was ended, and Goa was annexed by India. Portuguese losses were 31 killed, 57 wounded, and 3,306 captured. Indian losses were 34 killed and 51 wounded.
[edit]Sino-Indian War, 1962


Zhang Guohua, the People's Liberation Army field commander during the Sino-Indian War
Main article: Sino-Indian War
India fought a month-long border war against China in 1962. Neither nation deployed air or naval resources during a conflict heavy with mountain combat. China ended the war by declaring a unilateral ceasefire after it had taken all the territory it had claimed. The defeat prompted India to make major changes in its military. The Department of Defence Production was established to create an indigenous defence production base, which would be self-reliant and self-sufficient. Since 1962, 16 new ordinance factories have been built under the program.
[edit]Second Indo-Pak war, 1965
Main article: Indo-Pakistani War of 1965


Lt. Hari Singh of the India's 18th Cavalry posing outside a captured Pakistani police station (Barkee) in Lahore District. The second Indo-Pak war was also fought over Kashmir conflict. It ended in overall stalemate, with each of India and Pakistan capturing some territory from the other. Nonetheless, India was perceived as the victor due to its success in halting the Pakistan-backed insurgency in Kashmir. In its October 1965 issue, TIME quoted a Western official assessing the consequences of the war: "Now it's apparent to everybody that India is going to emerge as an Asian power in its own right."[citation needed]
While the overall performance of the Indian military was praised, military leaders were criticized for their failure to use India's superior numbers to exact a decisive victory over Pakistan. The Pakistani government was accused by foreign analysts of spreading disinformation among its citizens regarding the actual consequences of the war.[14] Most observers[who?] agree that the myth of a mobile, hard hitting Pakistan Army was badly dented in the war, as critical breakthroughs were not made.[citation needed]
[edit]Third Indo-Pak war, 1971


Indian T-55 tanks near Dhaka
Main article: Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
In the third Indo-Pak war, India intervened decisively in what was then East Pakistan. The proximate cause was the mass exodus of refugees to India following West Pakistani military action in East Pakistan, a conflict later called the Bangladesh Liberation War. India succeeded in removing Pakistani soldiers from the area, capturing 97,000 Pakistani POWs in the process. Following the war, East Pakistan became the independent nation of Bangladesh. This is often cited as India's greatest military victory in its 5,000-year history. Bangladesh claims a huge genocide committed by the Pakistani Army, with figures of as much as three million killed often agreed upon.[citation needed]
[edit]Siachen War, 1984
Main article: Siachen conflict
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Pakistan began organising tourist expeditions the Siachen Glacier, disputed territory with India. Irked by this development, in April 1984 India mounted Operation Meghdoot, capturing the top of the Glacier. It still maintains a military base there.[15] Pakistan on the other hand spends just under US$1 million per day, though as % of GDP Pakistan spends 5 times as the Indian Military does to maintain its share of the glacier.[16] Pakistan tried in 1987 and in 1989 to re-take the glacier but was unsuccessful. A stalemate has arisen: India controls the top part of the glacier and Pakistan controls the bottom.
[edit]Kargil war, 1999, Operation VIJAY


IAF MiG-21s were used extensively in the Kargil war. India fought a brief border skirmish with Pakistan in Kashmir in 1999. Dubbed the Kargil War, after the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and paramilitary in the Kargil area, India recaptured most of the territory using specialized high-altitude infantry units, heavy artillery, and close air support. Pakistan retreated from all but a few of the remaining bases occupied by them. Following international diplomatic pressure, Pakistan vacated the remaining posts as well.
[edit]Other operations
[edit]The Chola incident, 1967
A Sino-Indian skirmish known today as the Chola incident took place in October 1967. The People's Liberation Army made a brief incursion into Sikkim but retreated within 48 hours.
[edit]Operation Blue Star, 1984
Main article: Operation Blue Star
In June 1984, then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered an attack on Sikh separatists belonging to the Khalistan movement who had holed up in the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The operation resulted in 500-1,500 civilian deaths and heavy damage to the Akal Takht.
[edit]Sri Lanka mission, 1987–1990
Main article: Sri Lankan Civil War#Indian involvement
The Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) carried out a mission in northern and eastern Sri Lanka in 1987–1990 to disarm the Tamil Tigers per the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. It was a difficult battle for the Indian Army, which was not trained for an unconventional war. After losing approximately 1,200 in personnel and several T-72 tanks, India ultimately abandoned the mission in consultation with Sri Lankan government. In what was labeled as Operation Pawan, the Indian Air Force flew about 70,000 sorties to and within Sri Lanka.
[edit]Operation Cactus, 1988