Role of the Indian Navy in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965

Background

The tension between India and Pakistan was high in the mid-1960s, especially after the 1965 elections in Pakistan. The elections had resulted in a victory for the military dictator, General Ayub Khan, who had taken power in a coup in 1958. Ayub Khan was determined to wrest control of Kashmir from India and had launched several attacks on Indian border posts in the months leading up to the war. On 6th September 1965, Pakistan launched a full-scale attack on India, starting the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965.

Role of the Indian Navy

During the 1965 Indo-Pak War, the Indian Navy maintained a largely defensive posture. At the time, India’s naval capabilities were still undergoing modernisation, and the Navy was primarily tasked with coastal defence, patrolling Indian waters, and maintaining readiness in the event of Pakistani naval aggression.

Although there were internal discussions about imposing a naval blockade on Karachi, Pakistan's key port city, no such blockade was carried out. The Indian Navy did not engage in any major offensive operations during the war.

The only notable naval action came from the Pakistan Navy, which launched a symbolic bombardment of the Indian coastal town of Dwarka in Gujarat on the night of 7 September 1965. The attack caused minimal damage and did not elicit a direct naval retaliation from India. However, the incident exposed gaps in India’s coastal defence and led to a strategic reassessment of naval preparedness.

In the aftermath of the 1965 war, the Indian Navy initiated a significant modernisation program, including the acquisition of missile boats and the development of offensive naval capabilities. These efforts laid the groundwork for India’s decisive naval operations in the 1971 war, including the famed Operation Trident and Operation Python, which targeted and damaged Karachi harbour.

While the Indian Navy’s role in 1965 was limited, the experience proved to be a turning point in shaping India’s maritime strategy, transforming the Navy into a more assertive and capable force in the years to come.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Indian Navy’s role in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 was limited but strategically important. While no naval blockade of Karachi was carried out and major operations like Operation Trident and Operation Python occurred later in the 1971 war, the 1965 conflict highlighted the need for a stronger and more offensive maritime force. The Pakistan Navy’s shelling of Dwarka served as a wake-up call, prompting significant naval modernisation in the years that followed. Though the Navy did not play a frontline combat role in 1965, its readiness, discipline, and post-war transformation were instrumental in shaping India’s future naval successes. The lessons of 1965 laid the foundation for the Indian Navy’s evolution into a formidable blue-water force.