India has begun, what will be more than three weeks of celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of victory in the 1965 war with Pakistan. The celebrations began with President Pranab Mukherjee laying a wreath at the martyr’s memorial at Delhi’s India Gate monument on Friday.
The celebrations began on 28 August, the day Indian troops captured the strategic Haji Pir Pass in Pakistan. They will go on until 22 September – the day India and Pakistan agreed to a UN-sponsored ceasefire. The main event – a “victory carnival” with a show of military might, song and dance – is planned for 20 September on Rajpath.
On Friday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi “praised the courage & bravery of our Armed Forces” on Twitter.
The 1965 Conflict
The 1965 conflict began when Pakistan sent up to 30,000 troops into Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Indian soldiers invaded Pakistan in retaliation and Indians claim that their forces had the clear upper hand in the war.
The war was fought on the western front where for over three weeks. The fighting killed more than 8,000 men, most of them Pakistanis.
Kashmir – still a flashpoint
India and Pakistan have fought two wars and a limited conflicts over Kashmir.
India’s Border Security Force said three civilians had died and 22 were wounded in firing across the border in the Jammu region.
