Since its establishment in 1947, Pakistan has been involved in numerous armed conflicts both locally and around the world. The main focus of its military operations have both historically and currently been on neighbouring India—against whom Pakistan has fought four major wars in addition to commonly-recurring border skirmishes and standoffs. The two nations have had a hostile and turbulent relationship since their independence from the United Kingdom and subsequent war over the Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir. Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in its entirety but have not exercised control over the entire region, which remains divided and contested between the two states by the Line of Control. The Kashmir conflict has seen extensive—albeit unsuccessful—intervention and mediation by the United Nations.
Pakistan has also had a turbulent relationship with neighbouring Afghanistan, characterized by armed border skirmishes and periods of diplomatic tension. The Pakistani government has increased military activity along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border and built a border barrier to crack down on illegal immigration, militancy, and smuggling.
Outside of its home region of South Asia, Pakistan has also engaged in international conflicts in the Middle East and Africa as part of larger coalitions, and remains one of the largest contributors of troops to various United Nations peacekeeping missions. The country was designated as a major non-NATO ally by the United States in 2004, and has participated extensively in the American-led war on terror following the 9/11 attacks.
List
Conflict Pakistanand allies Opponents ResultsFirst Indo-Pakistani War(1947–1948) Furqan Force Swat State Hunza State Nagar State Chitral State Jammu and Kashmir Ceasefire Partitioning of Kashmir between India and PakistanFirst Kalat Rebellion(1948) Kalat insurgents Victory Defeat of the insurgents Waziristan rebellion (1948–1954) Pakistan WaziristanSupported by: Afghanistan Pakistani victory Failure to foment an extensive uprising End of Insurrection Datta Khel area of Waziristan recaptured by PakistanSecond Kalat Rebellion(1958–1959) Kalat insurgents Victory Surrender of Nauroz KhanDir campaign(1959–1960) Dir opposition
Supported by: Swat state Dir state Jandol State
Supported by: Afghanistan (until 1960) Pakistani/Opposition victory Overthrow of Nawab Jahan KhanBajaur Campaign(1960–1961) Afghanistan Pakistani victory Deterioration of Afghanistan–Pakistan relations1960s insurgency in Balochistan(1963–1969)Supported by: Iran Parrari PFAR Baloch Liberation Front Bugti militiaSupported by: Kingdom of Afghanistan First Republic of Iraq (until 1968) Ba'athist Iraq (from 1968) Syria Ceasefire Abolition of the "One Unit" policySecond Indo-Pakistani War(1965) Inconclusive United Nations mandated ceasefire Both sides claim victory No permanent territorial changes (see Tashkent Declaration)1971 JVP insurrection(1971) Ceylon United Front () SLFP CCP (Pro-Soviet) LSSP
Australia Egypt India Pakistan Singapore Soviet Union United Kingdom United States Yugoslavia China JVP
Supported by: (alleged) ASBPI CCP (Maoist) (alleged)Victory Rebel forces surrender Ceylonese government reestablishes control over entire islandBangladesh Liberation War(From March 1971)Third Indo-Pakistani War(From Dec 1971) Provisional Government of Bangladesh Defeat Independence of Bangladesh Simla Agreement1976 Dir rebellion (3–10 September 1976) Dir Levies Dir rebels Pakistani victory Suppression of rebellionFourth Balochistan Conflict(1973–1978) Iran Baloch separatists Pashtun Zalmay VictoryNewsline: A History of the Baloch Separatist Movement Return to status quo ante bellumSoviet–Afghan War (1979–1989) Afghan mujahideen Pakistan Victory
Afghan mujahideen victory and repulsion of the Soviet invasion Continuation of Pakistani involvement in the ensuing Afghan conflictSiachen conflict(1984–2003)Defeat Annexation of the Siachen Glacier into India following Operation Meghdoot India captures Quaid Post / Bana Top during Operation Rajiv Ceasefire since 2003Malakand insurrection(1994–1995)
FCKP(N) TNSM Black turbans Foreign jihadists Victory Suppression of rebellionKargil War(1999) Defeat India regains possession of Kargil Return to status quo ante bellumWar in North-West Pakistan(2004–2017) Drone war(2004–2018)A Quiet Deal With Pakistan , The Washington Post, 4 October 2008
CIA Supported by: Taliban Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat-ul-Ahrar Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi Lashkar-e-Islam Al-Qaeda Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Haqqani network Jundallah (until 2014) Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (until 2015) Turkistan Islamic Party (until 2015)
ISIL-aligned groups Khorasan Province Jundallah Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (until 2015) VictoryJavaid, U. and Javaid, R. (2016). Zarb-e-Azb: A Successful Initiative to Curtail Terrorism. South Asian Studies, 31(1), 281–296. – Argues that Operation Zarb-e-Azb was highly successful in dismantling terrorist networks in North Waziristan. Most areas under Pakistani control with the Success under Operation Zarb-e-AzabKhan, S.R. and Khan, A. (2020). From War to Peace: The Challenges and Opportunities in Pakistan's Counter-Terrorism Environment Post Operation Zarb-e-Azb. Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, 15(2), 121–139. – Notes that Operation Zarb-e-Azb secured control over previous militant strongholds and denied them space.Gulf News (2016, June 16). Two years after 'Zarb-e-Azb': Pakistan stronger against terror. https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/two-years-after-zarb-e-azb-pakistan-stronger-against-terror-1.1850692 – Contemporary news analysis of the success of Operation Zarb-e-Azb after two years.Roul, A. (2016). How Operation Zarb-e-Azb Changed Pakistan's Tribal Areas. Jamestown Foundation Terrorism Monitor, 14(12), 5–7. – Discusses gains made by Pakistan army in previously uncontrolled tribal areas during the operation. Main force of Pakistani Taliban take refuge in Afghanistan
United States-Allied Victory 430 drone strikes confirmed 81 high-level insurgent leaders and thousands of low-level insurgents killed"Pakistan Leaders Killed" . New America Foundation. 23 June 2018 Large number of insurgents killed while some fled to Afghanistan Most recent drone strike launched in January 2018Insurgency in Sindh(2003–present) Pakistan
Sindh Supported by:
Sindhudesh movement Sindhi separatists Supported by: Baloch separatists Ongoing (extremely low-level)Insurgency in Balochistan(2004–present) Baloch separatist groups: Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar BLA BLF Baloch Republican Guards Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army
Sectarian groups: Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (since 2007) People's Fighters Front (2025–present) Jaish ul-Adl (from 2025) Nasr Movement (2010–present) Pada Baloch Movement (2017–present) Mohammad Rasul Allah Group (1970s–present) Ansar Al-Furqan (since 2013)
Islamic State (since 2015) IS-KP (since 2014) IS-PP (since 2019) OngoingDesk, Quetta Voice Web (20 December 2023). "BNA Commander Sarfaraz Bangulzai Along With 72 Militants Surrender". Quetta Voice Breaking News, English News, Technology, Health. Retrieved 20 December 2023. Extension of the conflict into IranWar against the Islamic State(2013–present)In multiple regions: Ongoing Coalition victory (territorial) Ongoing low-intensity insurgency| Airstrikes on IS positions in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Nigeria and Afghanistan Multinational humanitarian efforts Arming and supporting local ground forces Millions of civilians in Iraq and Syria flee their homes, sparking a refugee crisis Terrorist attacks in Paris (Jan 2015 and Nov 2015), Brussels (Mar 2016) and many other places Thousands of civilians executed by IS forces in Iraq and Syria IS controlled around 40% of Iraq at its peak in mid-2014 IS controlled around 50% of Syria by late May 2015 Emergence of independently-governed Kurdish regions IS military defeated and lost all of its territory in Libya in December 2017 Boko Haram loses territory, but its insurgency continues IS controlled 5.67% of Syria's land by November 2017 and around 3% of Iraq by October 2017 IS loses all territory in Iraq and most territory in Syria in December 2017 IS loses all remaining territory in Syria in March 20192024 Iran–Pakistan conflict(16–18 January 2024)
XII Corps Artillery Regiment Corps Air Defence Command
Southern Air Command 39th Tactical Air Wing 2nd Squadron ‘Minhasians’ Claimed by Iran: Jaysh al-Adl Iranian Armed Forces
Air Defense Force IRGC Aerospace Force Missile forces Air Defence Forces Claimed by Pakistan:
BLFDe-escalation2025 India–Pakistan conflictCeasefire2025 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
Frontier Corps
201 Khalid Ibn Walid Corps Pakistani Taliban Hafiz Gul Bahadur GroupCeasefire2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war Pakistani TalibanOngoing
Pakistan launches Operation Ghazab Lil Haq
See also Outline of Pakistan military history Pakistan Armed Forces deployments UN peacekeeping missions involving Pakistan Other military conflicts involving Pakistan: Kashmir conflict 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff 2008 Indo-Pakistani standoff India–Pakistan border skirmishes (disambiguation) Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes 2017 Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmish 2008–12 Pakistan–United States skirmishes Afghanistan–Pakistan clashes (2024–present) 2025 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
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