Relations between India and Pakistan have been complex and largely hostile due to a number of historical and political events. Relations between the two states have been defined by the violent partition of British India in 1947, the Kashmir conflict and the numerous military conflicts fought between the two nations. Consequently, their relationship has been plagued by hostility and suspicion. Northern India and Pakistan somewhat overlap in areas of certain demographics, shared lingua francas and shared cuisines inherited from the Mughal Empire.
The Kashmir conflict is a territorial conflict primarily between India and Pakistan, having started just after the partition of India in 1947. China has at times played a minor role. India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir, including the Indo-Pakistani Wars of 1947 and 1965, as well as the Kargil War of 1999. The two countries have also been involved in several skirmishes over control of the Siachen Glacier.
On 14 February 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethpora in the Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The attack resulted in the deaths of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and the attacker. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed. The attacker was Adil Ahmad Dar, a local from Pulwama district, and a member of Jaish-e-Mohammed. India has blamed Pakistan for the attack. Pakistan condemned the attack and denied any connection to it.
Jammu and Kashmir is a state in northern India, often denoted by its acronym, J&K. It is located mostly in the Himalayan mountains, and shares borders with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south. The Line of Control separates it from the Pakistani-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan in the west and north respectively, and a Line of Actual Control separates it from the Chinese-administered territory of Aksai Chin in the east. The state has special autonomy under Article 370 of the Constitution of India.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is India's largest Central Armed Police Forces. It functions under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. It is also known as a paramilitary force. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and counter insurgency. It came into existence as the Crown Representative's Police on 27 July 1939. After Indian Independence, it became the Central Reserve Police Force on enactment of the CRPF Act on 28 December 1949.
Pulwama is a district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. District Pulwama came into being in the year 1979 in the larger interests of maintenance of law and order, closer supervision, more effective control and above all to ensure balanced development of the area. The district is centrally located in the valley of Kashmir and is a resting place for adventure tourists since it has abundant water and hospitable countryside. The district has also been nicknamed the rice bowl of Kashmir for its production of rice. Besides Pulwama is famous all over the world for Saffron cultivation which is mainly grown in the Pampore, Kakapora and Pulwama blocks. Pulwama is often called the 'Anand of Kashmir' or 'Dudha-Kul of Kashmir' on account of its high milk production. The National Highway NH1 that connects Srinagar and Jammu passes through Pulwama.
On 26 February the Indian Air Force conducted airstrikes inside Pakistan — for the first time since 1971. India claimed it conducted a preemptive strike against an alleged terrorist training camp and claimed to have killed a "large number"[23] of militants who had plans to conduct terror attacks in India.[12][24] Local residents[25] and the Pakistani military disputed India's claims about the strike, saying no one was killed nor was infrastructure damaged.[23]
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks fourth amongst the airforces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflict. It was officially established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary air force of the British Empire which honoured India's aviation service during World War II with the prefix Royal. After India gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, the name Royal Indian Air Force was kept and served in the name of Dominion of India. With the government's transition to a Republic in 1950, the prefix Royal was removed after only three years.
The 2019 Balakot airstrike occurred on 26 February 2019, when twelve Mirage 2000H jets of the Indian Air Force crossed the Line of Control in Kashmir to perform an airstrike on what India says was a terrorist training camp inside Pakistan. The airstrikes were a retaliation for an attack on its paramilitary forces, which took place two weeks prior. The Indian government stated that it was a "preemptive non military air strike based on credible intelligence" that another attack on India was planned by JeM.
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the liberation war in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 to the fall of Dacca (Dhaka) on 16 December 1971. The war began with preemptive aerial strikes on 11 Indian air stations, which led to the commencement of hostilities with Pakistan and Indian entry into the war of independence in East Pakistan on the side of Bengali nationalist forces. Lasting just 13 days, it is one of the shortest wars in history.
Escalating the situation, India and Pakistan exchanged fire across the Line of Control on 26 and 27 February. Ten Indian soldiers were injured[5] while four Pakistani civilians were killed in the shelling.[26] On the latter day, Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Indian-administered Kashmir which caused no casualties or damage.[27]
The term Line of Control (LoC) refers to the military control line between the Indian and Pakistani controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but is the de facto border. Originally known as the Cease-fire Line, it was redesignated as the "Line of Control" following the Simla Agreement, which was signed on 3 July 1972. The part of the former princely state that is under Indian control is known as the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistani-controlled part is divided into Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit–Baltistan. The northernmost point of the Line of Control is known as NJ9842. The India–Pakistan border continues from the southernmost point on the LoC.
Also on 27 February, Pakistan claimed that it had captured two pilots after shooting down two Indian jets over Pakistani airspace. India claimed that only one MiG-21 had been lost and demanded the release of the pilot. India also claimed to have shot down a Pakistani F-16, which Pakistan denied. Pakistan later clarified that only one Indian pilot, Abhinandan Varthaman, was captured, and he was subsequently released on 1 March.[6]
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek by Polish pilots due to the shape of its fuselage. It was also nicknamed "Én bạc" by North Vietnamese, now Vietnam People's Air Force, pilots and the Vietnamese people.
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,500 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. Although no longer being purchased by the U.S. Air Force, improved versions are being built for export customers. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta.
Abhinandan Varthaman is a wing-commander in the Indian Air Force. In the 2019 India-Pakistan standoff, he was held for 60 hours under captivity in Pakistan after his aircraft was shot down in an aerial dogfight.
India and Pakistan have long been at odds with each other, having engaged in several wars, conflicts, and military standoffs. The roots of the continued tension are complex, but have centered mainly around the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. After the 1947 Partition of India, the newly-formed independent states of Pakistan and India squabbled over it, which led to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 and a subsequent sharing of the state. The settlement was non-agreeable to both the parties and since then, this had become an ongoing intractable issue leading to a war in 1965. The nations also partook in another war in 1971 which led to the formation of Bangladesh. Both countries developed nuclear weapons in the 1990s and this had a sobering effect on the next major conflict – the 1999 Kargil War.[28]
Jammu and Kashmir was, from 1846 until 1952, a princely state of the British Empire in India and ruled by a Jamwal Rajput Dogra Dynasty. The state was created in 1846 from the territories previously under Sikh Empire after the First Anglo-Sikh War. The East India Company annexed the Kashmir Valley, Jammu, Ladakh, and Gilgit-Baltistan from the Sikhs, and then transferred it to Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu in return for an indemnity payment of 7,500,000 Nanakshahee Rupees.
The partition of India in 1947 eventually accompanied the creation of two independent dominions, India and Pakistan. The Dominion of India became the Republic of India in 1950, and in 1957 the Dominion of Pakistan became the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. In 1971, the People's Republic of Bangladesh came into being after the Bangladesh Liberation War. The partition involved the division of three provinces, Assam, Bengal and Punjab, based on district-wide Hindu or Muslim majorities. The boundary demarcating India and Pakistan came to be known as the Radcliffe Line. It also involved the division of the British Indian Army, the Royal Indian Navy, the Indian Civil Service, the railways, and the central treasury, between the two new dominions. The partition was set forth in the Indian Independence Act 1947 and resulted in the dissolution of the British Raj, as the British government there was called. The two self-governing countries of Pakistan and India legally came into existence at midnight on 14–15 August 1947.
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, sometimes known as the First Kashmir War, was fought between India and Pakistan over the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir from 1947 to 1948. It was the first of four Indo-Pakistan Wars fought between the two newly independent nations. Pakistan precipitated the war a few weeks after independence by launching tribal lashkar (militia) from Waziristan, in an effort to capture Kashmir, the future of which hung in the balance. The inconclusive result of the war still affects the geopolitics of both countries.
The standoff occurred ahead of the 2019 Indian general election.[34][35] After the Pulwama attack, Pakistan's PM attributed Indian government's desire to retaliate against Pakistan to the upcoming election.[36][37] The Indian government rejected the allegation.[36] Many analysts have stated that a military response to Pakistan would improve the electoral prospects of India's ruling party.[38][39][35][40]
The 2019 Indo-Pakistan military standoff is a result of[41] a militant attack in February 2019, when a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy carrying security personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethpora in the Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Over 40 CRPF personnel and the perpetrator were killed in the attack, which Jaish-e-Mohammed took responsibility for. The attacker was identified as Adil Ahmad Dar, a militant from Jammu and Kashmir, and a member of Jaish-e-Mohammed.[42] This was the deadliest attack on Indian forces in Kashmir since 1989.[43]
On 26 February 2019, the Indian Air Force conducted airstrikes at Balakot in Pakistan. The strikes were subsequently claimed to be "non-military" and "preemptive" in nature; targeting a Jaish-e-Mohammed facility within Pakistan. The Indian government stated that the airstrike was in retaliation to the Pulwama attack and that "a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis" were eliminated who were preparing for launching another suicide attack targeting Indian assets.[44]
Pakistani officials acknowledged the intrusion of Indian aircraft into the country's airspace but rejected the claims about the results. They asserted that the Indian jets were intercepted and that the payloads were dropped in unpopulated areas and resulted in no casualties or infrastructural damage.[23]Pervez Khattak, the Pakistani Defence Minister, stated that the Pakistani Air Force did not retaliate at that time because "they could not gauge the extent of the damage".[47]
Business Today India stated that the area around Balakot had been cordoned off by the Pakistan Army and evidences such as the dead bodies were being cleared from the area.[48]Praveen Swami writing for Firstpost claimed that Indian intelligence estimated a figure of about 20 casualties and that there were five confirmed kills per burial records.[49] He also noted a JeM rally in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on 28 February, wherein Masood Azhar's brother, Abdul Rauf Rasheed Alvi mentioned India's attack of their headquarters and vowed revenge.[49] In another piece he stated that RAW analysts estimated 90 casualties including three Pakistani Army trainers, based on intercepted communications.[50] Swami also noted a lack of witness testimony to independently assess the validity of above claims.[50]
This airstrike was the first time since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 that aerial attacks had been carried out across the Line of Control.[50]
Villagers from the area claimed that four bombs struck a nearby forest and a field resulting in damage to a building and injuring a local man around 3:00 AM.[51][52] A team from Al Jazeera visited the site two days after the strikes and noted "splintered pine trees and rocks" which were strewn across the four blast craters. Local hospital officials and residents asserted that they did not come across any casualty or wounded people. The reporters located the facility,[46] a school run by Jaish-e-Mohammed, at around a kilometre to the east of one of the bomb craters, atop a steep ridge, but were unable to access it.[53] Reporters from Reuters were denied access to the madrassa by the military but they noted the structure and its vicinity to be intact from the rear.[52]
Some diplomats and analysts have raised doubts about the efficacy of the strike, claiming that the terrorist groups along the border would have vacated the area, after the Indian Prime Minister vowed to retaliate against the Pulwama attack.[54] The local people varied as to the purpose of the facility.[53] Whilst some claimed its being an active Jaish training camp, others asserted it to have been a mere school for the local kids and that such militant camps had used to exist far earlier.[52][53] Satellite-data analysis by Nathan Ruser, from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute noted the absence of any apparent evidence to verify Indian claims.[46][55][56] Michael Sheldon, a digital forensics analyst at the Atlantic Council, did an independent investigation on the issue, in which he asserted that no damage was caused to any infrastructure around the target site. He concluded that "something appears to have gone wrong in the targeting process", which was mysterious in light of the autonomous nature of the missiles supposedly used.[57][58][59][60]
In contrast, Indian officials said that synthetic aperture radar showed that four buildings had been destroyed; however, they did not release those images.[56] Vice-Marshal RGK Kapoor of the Indian Air Force said on 28 February 2019 that though it was "premature" to provide details about the casualties, they had "fairly credible evidence" of the damage inflicted on the camp by the air strikes.[52]
Border skirmishes
Heavy skirmishes between Pakistani and Indian forces occurred along the Line of Control on 26 February, with small arms and mortar fire being exchanged.[61] Pakistani officials reported that at least four civilians were killed, and eleven were wounded.[62][63] A 55-year-old woman and her two children were killed in the Nakyal sector. In the Khuiratta sector, a 40-year-old woman was killed.[62]
Throughout 27 February, heavy exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani forces continued along the Line of Control.[64] Ten Indian soldiers were injured along with two residential houses being destroyed in the skirmishes.[5] The Pakistani Army stated that on March 1, two of its soldiers were killed by firing from the Indian Army at the Line of Control.[65]Shelling across the Line of Control killed a Kashmiri woman and her two sons after a shell landed on their home, with another civilian being critically wounded.[66] On 6 and 7 March, Pakistani and Indian forces exchanged heavy artillery fire along the line of control, with Pakistani forces using 130 mm and 105 mm artillery and 120 mm mortars.[67] In response to the Pakistani artillery fire, the Indian army began utilizing 155mm FH77B Bofors cannons against Pakistani positions.[67]
Retaliatory airstrikes, capture and release of pilot
On 27 February, Pakistani military officials announced that Pakistan had carried out an airstrike against multiple targets in Jammu and Kashmir. A military spokesman claimed that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was able to lock onto Indian military installations, but opted to drop weapons into open areas instead, "to avoid human loss and collateral damage."[68][69] Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the airstrikes only aimed to "send a message" and appealed for negotiations to avoid a full-blown war.[70] The spokesman further claimed that the Pakistan Air Force had shot down two Indian aircraft after they encroached on Pakistan's airspace, one of which fell in Pakistan administered Kashmir while the other fell in Indian administered Kashmir.[71][72] It was also claimed that Pakistan Army had captured two Indian pilots but a subsequent statement revised the count to one[68]–Abhinandan Varthaman, a Wing Commander.[8][73]
India rejected this version of events and asserted to have "successfully foiled" Pakistan's attempt to "target military installations".[74] The Indian military claimed that three Pakistan Air Force jets had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) from Nowshera, Jammu and Kashmir and had dropped bombs over Nadian, Laam Jhangar, Kerri in Rajouri District and Hamirpur area of Bhimber Galli in Poonch, before being pushed back by six Indian airforce jets.[75][76][77] There were no damage or casualties.[27] Raveesh Kumar from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs also stated that a Pakistani aircraft of the sortie was shot down by the Indian Air Force in the process.[16][50] India initially contradicted Pakistan's claim of capturing a pilot[78] but subsequently the Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed[16] that an Indian pilot was missing in action after a MiG-21 Bison fighter plane was lost while engaging with Pakistani jets.[79]
ANI also reported that an F-16 was shot down in the process.[80] On 28 February, a picture of aircraft wreckage in Pakistan administered Kashmir was claimed by IAF sources as the wreckage of the PAF F-16 shot down by the IAF MiG-21.[81] This was rebutted by Bellingcat, an open source investigative journalism network, which confirmed it as the wreckage of a MiG-21.[82] The Indian Air Force later presented wreckage of an AIM-120, an air-to-air missile, as evidence that Pakistani F-16 were used. The F-16 is the only aircraft in the Pakistan military that uses AIM-120s.[83][84] India claims that the use of F-16 by Pakistan against India, violates the US arms sales agreement, which restricts the usage of the jets by Pakistan.[85] India also asked US to look into the claimed usage for violations.[86]
The claims of using F-16 in the attack were rejected by Pakistan's military, who claimed to have used Chinese-designed JF-17 s[57] only, whilst asserting that no Pakistan Air Force jet was damaged in the process.[87] The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad has since been looking into a potential violation of end-user-agreement that governed the sale of F16s.[88][89][90]
The retaliatory air strikes coupled with the capture of the Indian pilot led to a heightened state of military alert. Tanks were deployed to the border in the Pakistani side whilst several Kashmiri residents reportedly fled their homes and painted their homes with red-cross signs to avert air-strikes.[91]
Pakistan released the captured pilot on 1 March, describing the move as a gesture of peace.[6][92][93] The Indian Air Force though asserted the pilot's release as an obligation under the Geneva Conventions.[94] The Indian media also criticized Pakistan's release of his photographs and interrogation videos to be against the protocols of the convention.[95][96] A video published by the state just prior to his release that showed him praising Pakistani Army and condemning Indian media was criticized for being heavily edited.[97][98]
ANI and the Indian media have claimed that the Indian air force has shot down a number of Pakistani drones. The claims include that on 27 February, a Pakistani drone was shot and brought down near the border at Kutch in Gujarat On 4 March, an Indian Su-30MKI fighter jet shot down a Pakistani UAV with an air to air missile in Bikaner sector of Rajasthan.[99][100] On 10 March, Indian army's air defence wing shot and brought down another Pakistani UAV in the Ganganagar sector in Rajasthan. On the same day another drone was fired upon and forced to return back to Pakistani airspace.[101]
Naval intrusion
On 5 March, the Pakistani Navy claimed to have successfully warded off an intrusion attempt by an Indian submarine into its territorial waters and released a video of a surfaced submarine.[102][103][104] The Indian Navy subsequently rejected these claims as "false propaganda."[105]
Other incidents
Closure of Pakistani airspace
On 27 February, Pakistan cancelled all commercial flights and closed its airspace until the midnight of 28 February.[106][107] A NOTAM was issued by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority to close the airspace.[108] Airlines were forced to reroute or cancel their flights with routes planned over Pakistan, leaving passengers stranded.[109] On 01 March, at 11:40 AM (UTC), the NOTAM closing the airspace was extended until 8:00 AM (UTC) on 04 March with 23 exceptions listed.[110] Pakistan's airspace was closed for flights crossing the country's airspace except for arriving and departing flights at major airports around Pakistan as per NOTAM issued by the CAA.[111] The airspace closure was again extended till 11 March.[112]
Suspension of Samjhauta Express
On 28 February, Samjhauta Express, a train that runs twice weekly between India and Pakistan, was suspended by the government of Pakistan.[113] It was scheduled to depart from Lahore with 16 passengers, who were stranded there.[114] On 4 March, Pakistan, and consequently India, resumed the operations of Samjhauta Express.[115]
Pakistan arrests suspected militants
On 5 March, Pakistan arrested 44 members of various groups, including the Jaish-e-Muhammad. Some of those arrested had been named by India in a dossier it gave to Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.[116] Pakistan said those arrested will be held for at least 14 days, and if India provided further evidence they would be prosecuted.[117] Among those arrested were relatives of JeM leader Masood Azhar, including his son Hamad Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf.[116]
International reaction
A number of nations, including Australia,[118] Canada,[119] China,[120] Indonesia,[121] Malaysia,[122] Sri Lanka,[123] the United Arab Emirates,[124] and the United States,[125] expressed their concern, with some calling for restraint. Iran and Turkey have each offered to mediate the crisis.[126][127]
Since the partition of British India in 1947 and creation of modern states of India and Pakistan, the two countries have been involved in a number of wars, conflicts and military stand-offs. The Kashmir issue has been the main cause of all major conflicts between the two countries with the exception of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 where conflict originated due to turmoil in erstwhile East Pakistan.
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is the aerial warfare uniform service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport and logistics capability to Pakistan. As of 2017, per IISS, the PAF has 65,000 personnel. It operates 883 aircraft.
Jaish-e-Mohammed is a Pakistan-based Deobandi jihadist terrorist group active in Kashmir. The group's primary motive is to separate Kashmir from India and merge it into Pakistan. Since its inception in 2000, the terror outfit has carried out several attacks in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It projects Kashmir as a "gateway" to the entire India, whose Muslims are also deemed to be in need of liberation. After liberating Kashmir, it aims to carry its ‘jihad’ to other parts of India, with an intent to drive Hindus and other non-Muslims from the Indian subcontinent. It has carried out several attacks primarily in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It also maintained close relations with Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and continues to be allied to them.
On 10 August 1999, a Breguet Atlantic maritime patrol aircraft of the Pakistan Naval Air Arm was shot down by a MiG 21 fighter of the Indian Air Force over the Rann of Kutch, on the border between India and Pakistan. All 16 people on board the Atlantic were killed. The episode took place just a month after the Kargil War, aggravating already tense relations between the two countries.
Balakot is a town in Mansehra District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The town was destroyed during the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, but was later rebuilt with the assistance of the Government of Pakistan and Saudi Public Assistance for Pakistan Earthquake Victims (SPAPEV), a Saudi relief organisation.
Masood Azhar is the founder and leader of the terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed, active mainly in the Pakistani administered Azad Kashmir. Pakistani authorities took him into 'protective custody' after the Pathankot attack in India, which was widely reported as an "arrest". However he was seen to be free in December, 1999. India had listed Masood Azhar as one of its most wanted terrorists due to his history of militant activities. India has been continuously trying to place Azhar on UN Security Council's counter-terrorism sanctions list, a move supported by all other countries but vetoed by China.
The 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff was a military standoff between India and Pakistan that resulted in the massing of troops on either side of the border and along the Line of Control (LoC) in the region of Kashmir. This was the second major military standoff between India and Pakistan following the successful detonation of nuclear devices by both countries in 1998. The first being the Kargil War of 1999 and the most recent the escalation after the Pulwama Attack in 2019.
No. 1 Squadron is the oldest squadron of the Indian Air Force. It operates as a multirole unit. Based at Gwalior AFB, No. 1 Squadron falls under the Central Air Command, and along with No. 7 Squadron, No. 9 Squadron, and TACDE, forms a part of 40 Wing of the Indian Air Force. 12 days after the Pulwama bombing by a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist killed 40 CRPF troopers, four Mirage 2000 fighters of the Tiger Squadron launched either Crystal Maze missiles or SPICE 2000 smart bombs at Markaz Syed Ahmad Shaheed training camp at Balakot, Manshera, Pakistan, killing, according to intelligence officials, 325 militants and terror recruits.
The history of the Indian Air Force began with its establishment in 1932 and continues up to the present day.
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 saw the Indian and Pakistani Air Forces engaged in large-scale aerial combat against each other for the first time since the Partition of India in 1947. The war took place during the course of September 1965 and saw both air forces conduct defensive and offensive operations over Indian and Pakistani airspace. The aerial war saw both sides conducting thousands of sorties in a single month. Both sides claimed victory in the air war; Pakistan claimed to have destroyed 104 enemy aircraft against its own losses of 19, while India claimed to have destroyed 73 enemy aircraft and lost 35 of its own. Despite the intense fighting, the conflict was effectively a stalemate.
2003 Nadimarg massacre was killing of 24 Hindu Kashmiri Pandits in the village of Nadimarg in Pulwama District of Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists on 23 March 2003.
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon has served the United States and the air arms of 25 other nations. Over 4,400 F-16s have been sold.
Indian Army operations in Jammu and Kashmir include security operations such as Operation Rakshak (Protector) and Operation Sarp Vinash. Other operations include humanitarian missions such as Operation Megh Rahat and operations with a social aim such as Operation Goodwill and Operation Calm Down.
On 29 September 2016, India announced that it conducted "surgical strikes" against militant launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, and inflicted "significant casualties". Indian media reported the casualty figures variously from 35 to 70. Partial footage of the surgical strikes was released to the Indian media on 27 June 2018.
The media coverage of the 2019 India-Pakistan standoff that escalated following an attack in Pulwama on 14 February 2019 through to the Balakot airstrike and the aftermath was criticised for largely being "jingoistic" and "nationalistic", to the extent of the media war-mongering and the battle being fought between India and Pakistan through newsrooms. During the escalation, fake videos and misinformation were prevalent on the social media which were further reported to escalate tensions between India and Pakistan. Once tensions started de-escalating, the media coverage shifted to comparisons being made between "India and Pakistan" and "Narendra Modi and Imran Khan" in terms of who won the "perception battle".
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