1965: War, indecision and much pomp & show

At a time when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s Rs 35-crore celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war with Pakistan has drawn a lot of attention — even a mini Republic Day-type parade has also been planned at Rajpath on September 20 — Business Standard pieces together the reportage by foreign media on the historic war.

The battle

The war of 1965 was fought on the western front after Pakistan launched ‘Operation Gibraltar’ — a covert offensive in which up to 30,000 fighters were pushed across the ceasefire line into India-administered Jammu & Kashmir. India retaliated by crossing the international border near Lahore.

From foreign newsman’s eye

Here are a few things that emerge about the war from news reports abroad:

Who’s the victor ?

In an article written for DW, a Berlin-based news channel, Shivam Vij said both India and Pakistan claimed they won the 1965 war. The truth of the matter is, however, that both sides actually lost the war. 
 

About ‘taste’ and ‘waste’

In an article written for BBC, Geeta Pandey says India plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its “victory” over Pakistan in the 1965 war — with a series of events, including a “grand carnival”. But critics say it is in bad taste and a waste of money.

To what end ?

A report on the website of the US Department of State says the India-Pakistan 1965 war was the second conflict between the two countries over the status of the state of Jammu & Kashmir. The clash did not resolve this dispute but it did engage the US and the Soviet Union in ways that would have important implications for subsequent superpower involvement in the region.

The Pak take

An article published in Pakistani daily The Dawn says the proposed celebration appears to be part of a nationalist distraction Mr Modi’s (Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s) government uses to change discussion away from the main theatre of politics where he has been criticised roundly at home and abroad for policy failures.