India, not Pakistan, won 1965 war, says new book

New Delhi: A new book has rubbished Pakistan's claim of gaining victory over India in the 1965 war.

Notably, Pakistan celebrates September 06 as the 'Defence of Pakistan Day'.

The new book titled '1965, Turning the Tide: How India Won the War' is commissioned by the Army's official think-tank Centre for Land Warfare Studies and will be released on September 1.

Written by defence analyst Nitin Gokhale, the book, as reported by The Times of India, is a part of the Defence Ministry's major project to rewrite histories of all wars and major operations to make them "simple and reader-friendly".

"It is clear India not only thwarted the Pakistani designs but also inflicted unacceptable losses on the Pakistani military, triggering many changes within that country's politico-military structure," says the book.

The book further quotes the then defence minister YB Chavan as saying in Rajya Sabha that for one, India captured 1,920 sq km of Pakistani territory while losing 540 sq km of its own. For another, India lost 2,862 soldiers, while the toll for Pakistan was 5,800.

Also, Pakistan lost more than 450 tanks, while India lost less than 100, notes the 280-page book.

It adds that Pakistan could not achieve its strategic objectives. Operation Gibraltar was also ruined, which then led the then Pakistani president Ayub Khan to launch Operation Grand Slam.

"It was a masterstroke in conception but faltered in execution," says the book.

"Finally, Pakistan's last shot at glory by sending its much-touted 1 Armoured Division into Khem Karan came a cropper... In the end, the so-called glorious war planned by Ayub turned into a military-politico-diplomatic defeat for Pakistan," the book adds.

The Narendra Modi government plans big celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war with Pakistan.

The India-Pakistan war had ended with a United Nations-mandated ceasefire on September 23, 1965.