Operation Gibraltar, Reasons, Strategy, Failure, Outcome

Operation Gibraltar was a covert military operation launched by Pakistan in 1965 to incite a mass rebellion among Kashmiri Muslims and weaken India’s control over the region.

The operation was named Operation Gibraltar to motivate its soldiers, by symbolising it with the Muslim conquest of Spain in 711 AD, when a small Muslim force crossed Gibraltar and successfully took control of large parts of Spain

Reasons for Operation Gibraltar 

• Operation Gibraltar was based on Pakistan’s belief that India was militarily and politically weakened after the 1962 Sino-Indian War and would be unable to respond effectively to a limited infiltration.
• Pakistan assumed that discontent among the Kashmiri population would translate into mass support for infiltrators, leading to a spontaneous rebellion against Indian administration.
• A limited covert operation could internationalise the Kashmir issue without triggering a full-scale war.

Operation Gibraltar Strategy 

Under Operation Gibraltar, Pakistani soldiers infiltrated into Kashmir disguised as locals. The infiltrators were organised into groups with code names such as Salahuddin, Ghaznavi, Tariq, Babur and Khalid, each assigned to operate in specific regions of Kashmir. Their tasks included sabotage of bridges and communication networks, attacks on Indian military installations, spreading propaganda, and provoking unrest among the local population.

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Operation Gibraltar Outcome 

• Operation Gibraltar failed as local Kashmiris did not revolt and instead informed the Army and the police about the presence of Pakistani infiltrators.
• Indian security forces detected the infiltration at an early stage, captured or eliminated a large number of infiltrators, and quickly regained control over affected areas. In response to the infiltration, India launched military counter-operations across the Line of Control, expanding the conflict beyond Kashmir.
• Pakistan escalated the situation by launching Operation Grand Slam in the Akhnoor sector, which further intensified hostilities.
• These developments resulted in the outbreak of the full-scale Indo-Pak War of 1965, involving large-scale conventional military engagement on both eastern and western fronts.

The war ended with a ceasefire mediated by the Soviet Union and formalised through the Tashkent Agreement in January 1966, restoring the pre-war territorial status quo.