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- By Shivangi Sharma
- Mon, 19 May 2025 06:28 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Operation Gibraltar: As tensions between India and Pakistan flared once again following the deadly April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, prompting the Indian Army to launch Operation Sindoor, it is worth revisiting a similar flashpoint in history that nearly pushed the two nuclear-armed neighbours into full-scale war. The current security crisis is not without precedent. One of the earliest and most infamous examples of Pakistan’s attempts to alter the status quo in Jammu and Kashmir through covert military action was Operation Gibraltar, a failed military campaign launched in August 1965. It was a conspiracy born out of strategic miscalculations, flawed assumptions, and misplaced hopes of inciting an uprising in the Kashmir Valley.
Launched by the Pakistan Army under the leadership of then-President Ayub Khan and Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Operation Gibraltar aimed to infiltrate thousands of armed commandos disguised as civilians across the Line of Control into Kashmir. Instead, it led to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, marking one of the most critical failures in Pakistan’s military history.
Named after the historic Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula launched from Gibraltar, the operation was designed to invoke religious symbolism and revolutionary zeal. Pakistani military leaders believed that the Muslim-majority population of Kashmir was ripe for rebellion. Their assumption: that Pakistani troops, disguised as Kashmiri locals, could slip across the Line of Control (LoC), incite revolt, and trigger international intervention in favour of Pakistan.
Backed by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and executed under the leadership of Major General Akhtar Hussain Malik, the operation involved thousands of infiltrators, regular troops and commandos from the Azad Kashmir Regular Force and Special Services Group.
Planning The Infiltration
The plan was in development since the 1950s, but was accelerated in the mid-1960s following perceived Indian weaknesses. After the 1962 Sino-Indian War, India was undergoing military reorganisation. Pakistan had modernised its military with significant US aid. Encouraged by limited gains in the Rann of Kutch conflict earlier in 1965, Pakistan’s leadership thought the time was ideal to launch a covert operation.
Operation Gibraltar aimed to deploy around 40,000 infiltrators organised into ten units named after historic Islamic warriors. They would sabotage infrastructure, encourage armed rebellion, and create enough unrest to draw India into negotiations or possibly incite UN intervention.
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Operation Gibraltar (Image credits: X)
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Execution And Collapse
In August 1965, the infiltrators began crossing the Ceasefire Line into areas like Gulmarg, Uri, and Baramulla. The plan quickly unravelled due to poor coordination, overestimation of local support, and India’s rapid military response. The expected mass uprising in Kashmir never materialised.
One of the most notable sub-operations was carried out by the Ghaznavi Force, commanded by Major Malik Munawar Khan Awan, which achieved limited success in the Poonch-Rajouri area. The rest of the forces either failed to reach their objectives or were quickly neutralised.
As the Indian Army began discovering and capturing the infiltrators, it became evident that these were not just militants but Pakistani army regulars. India launched a counteroffensive and crossed into Pakistani-held territory, capturing strategic locations such as the Haji Pir Pass.
Why Operation Gibraltar Failed
Several factors led to the failure of Operation Gibraltar:
- Misjudgment of Kashmiri Sentiment: Contrary to Pakistani assumptions, the Kashmiri people did not rise in revolt.
- Poor Coordination: Pakistan’s military services were not adequately briefed or prepared. Even the air force was kept in the dark.
- Underestimation of Indian Response: Pakistan assumed India would not escalate the conflict, which proved disastrously wrong.
Air Marshal Nur Khan later revealed that the Pakistani Army had misled the nation and that the operation was based on false confidence. Many within the Pakistani establishment were either unaware of or opposed to the plan, fearing it could provoke a full-scale war, which it eventually did.
On 1 September 1965, Pakistan launched Operation Grand Slam, an open offensive against Indian positions in Jammu and Kashmir. This marked the beginning of the Second Indo-Pakistani War. The operation’s failure had not only exposed Pakistan’s covert ambitions but also triggered an all-out war that ended in a stalemate after intense fighting.