Brig Advitya Madan (retd)

Sixty years after the guns fell silent on 23 September 1965, the Indo-Pak war remains etched in national memory—not merely as a military confrontation, but as a defining test of India’s political resolve, military leadership and commitment to peace.

As the nation marks six decades of the ceasefire that followed one of South Asia’s fiercest conflicts, veterans recall the events and enduring impact of the war that began with miscalculation and ended with a conscious choice for restraint.

From a veteran’s viewpoint, the 1965 war was triggered by Pakistan’s grave strategic misjudgement. In August 1965, Pakistan launched Operation Gibraltar, infiltrating nearly 3,000 troops in civilian disguise into the Kashmir Valley, hoping to incite a popular uprising. That uprising never materialised. Instead, local civilians exposed the infiltrators, enabling Indian forces to swiftly neutralise the plan.

Lt Gen JS Dhillon, VSM (Retd), who witnessed the war as a young student, recalls how the conflict touched even those far from the frontlines. With his village Manko in Jalandhar district located near the Adampur Air Force Station, the war unfolded in dramatic fashion. Pakistani aircraft attempted to bomb the airbase, while Indian air defence guns lit up the night sky “like Diwali crackers,” a sight that left an indelible impression on a generation.

Another factor behind Pakistan’s gamble was its confidence in numerical strength and the much-vaunted American-supplied Patton tanks. That confidence proved misplaced. In the fields of Khemkaran and Asal Uttar, Indian troops, armed largely with older Centurion tanks and anti-tank weapons, inflicted devastating losses, turning the area into what came to be known as a graveyard of Pakistani armour.

The war also produced extraordinary acts of bravery. CQMH Abdul Hamid of 4 Grenadiers and Lt Col AB Tarapore of 17 Poona Horse were posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest gallantry honour, for their heroic actions against overwhelming odds.

As Brig Advitya Madan (Retd) notes, Pakistan’s failure in Kashmir did not halt escalation. On 1 September 1965, it launched Operation Grand Slam, aiming to seize Akhnoor and sever India’s land link to Jammu. India’s response was decisive and unexpected. On 6 September, Indian forces crossed the international border towards Lahore and Sialkot, transforming a covert campaign into a full-scale conventional war.

Seventeen days of intense land and air battles followed. Despite technological disadvantages, the Indian Air Force held its own with skill and daring, while the Army blunted Pakistan’s armoured thrusts at key battlefields such as Phillora.

The 1965 war had lasting consequences beyond the battlefield. It marked the emergence of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri as a leader of quiet firmness and moral authority. Equally significant was the role of military commanders like Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh, GOC-in-C Western Command, who is remembered for refusing to pull back Indian troops to the Beas River despite pressure, denying Pakistan any bargaining advantage around Amritsar.

For Pakistan, the war was another hard lesson after the conflicts of 1947–48: that strategic miscalculation and overconfidence could not substitute for popular support or sound military planning. Having failed to achieve its objectives, Pakistan sought a UN-mandated ceasefire, which came into effect on 23 September 1965 under UN Resolution 211, with mediation by global powers including the Soviet Union and the United States.

The conflict formally ended with the Tashkent Declaration, signed on 10 January 1966 by Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Pakistan President Ayub Khan. India agreed to return captured territories, reaffirming its preference for peace over territorial gains. Tragically, Shastri passed away hours after signing the agreement, a death that remains shrouded in unanswered questions.

A legacy of lessons

Sixty years on, veterans view the 1965 war as a moment when India demonstrated resilience, unity and restraint. It shattered the myth that superior weapons alone guarantee victory and reinforced the principle that national strength lies as much in leadership and moral clarity as in military might. The ceasefire of 1965 stands not just as the end of a war, but as a reminder that even after fierce combat, the harder—and braver—path is often the choice of peace.