Operation Gibraltar

Part of Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

Date	August 1965
Location	Jammu and Kashmir
Result	Operational failure of Pakistan Start of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

Belligerents

India

Pakistan

Commanders and leaders

Gen J.N Chaudhurie

Brig. Z.C.Bakhshi

Maj Gen Akhtar Hussain Malik

Strength

100,000 – 200,000

5,000 – 40,000

Casualties and losses

Unknown

Name of Force	Area of operation
Salahudin	Srinagar Valley
Ghaznavi	Mendhar-Rajauri
Tariq	Kargil – Drass
Babur	Nowshera-Sundarbani
Qasim	Bandipura-Sonarwain
Khalid	Qazinag-Naugam
Nusrat	Tithwal-Tangdhar
Sikandar	Gurais
Khilji	Kel-Minimarg

Operation Gibraltar was the codename given to the strategy of Pakistan to infiltrate Jammu and Kashmir, and start a rebellion against Indian rule. If successful, Pakistan hoped to gain control over Kashmir, but the operation resulted in a major failure.

Pakistan specifically choose this name to draw a parallel to the Arab invasion of Spain that was launched from the port of Gibraltar.

In August 1965, Pakistan Army's Azad Kashmir Regular Force troops, disguised as locals, entered Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan with the goal of fomenting an insurgency among Kashmiri Muslims. However, the strategy went awry from the outset due to poor coordination, and the infiltrators were soon discovered.

The operation sparked the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the first major engagement between the two neighbours since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.

In 1947 at the time of the division of the Sub-continent, Sir Cyril Radcliffe was given the charge of the boundary commission formed under the supervision of British viceroy Lord Mountbatten. The commission had decided to incorporate Muslim majority areas into the to-be formed Pakistan territory, while the non-Muslim areas were to be incorporated in India. Many territories like Jammu and Kashmir, Gurdaaspur, Ferozpur, had a Muslim majority but were incorporated into India because they were princely states and the local kings were given opportunity to join either Pakistan or India. This caused a strong revolt in Kashmir, in which there were 86% Muslims. This was the basis of the Indo-Pak wars over Kashmir. Following the First Kashmir War which saw India maintaining its hold over two-third of Kashmir, Pakistan sought an opportunity to win remaining Kashmir areas. The opening came after the Sino-Indian War in 1962 after India's war with the China and as a result the Indian Military was undergoing massive changes both in personnel and equipment. During this period, despite being numerically smaller than the Indian Military, Pakistan's armed forces had a qualitative edge in air power and armour over India, which Pakistan sought to utilise before India completed its defence build-up. The Rann of Kutch episode in the summer of 1965, where Indian and Pakistani forces clashed, resulted in some positives for Pakistan. Moreover, in December 1963, the disappearance of a holy relic from the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, created turmoil and intense Islamic feeling among Muslims in the valley, which was viewed by Pakistan as ideal for revolt. These factors bolstered the Pakistani command's thinking: that the use of covert methods followed by the threat of an all out war would force a resolution in Kashmir. Assuming that a weakened Indian military would not respond, Pakistan chose to send in "mujahideens" and Pakistan Army regulars into Jammu and Kashmir.

...
Wikipedia