Civilians throng exhibition commemorating 1965 war with Pakistan

Residents of Shimla on Friday thronged an exhibition organised by Army Training Command (ARTRAC) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war with Pakistan.

The 1965 war was fought over Kashmir and ended in a ceasefire and a return to front lines that predated the conflict. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence and partition in 1947.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Himachal Pradesh Governor, Acharya Dev Vrat and will go on for a week.

It also provided citizens with information on five of the 13 important fights during the war.

Also on display at the exhibition were busts of heroes who laid down their lives for the country.

Chief of ARTRAC, Lieutenant General P.M. Hariz, said the idea behind organising the exhibition was to help people understand the history of their country better.

"There have been celebrations of anniversary of the 1965 war across the country and it is being talked about all over. In fact, an exhibition was also held at Rajpath in New Delhi so we thought the citizens of Shimla, especially the children, should also get a chance to see the elements of this war so that they can learn more about their country's history and the army," said Hariz.

India captured 1,920 kilometres of Pakistani land while Pakistan took over 540 kilometres of Indian territory in the 1965 war.

Fighting ended after the United Nations intervened.