President Mukherjee pays tribute to soldiers on 50th anniversary of 1965 war

President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday paid tribute at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, a memorial dedicated to martyred Indian soldiers at India Gate in Central Delhi, to commemorate 50th anniversary of 1965 Indo-Pak War.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid rich tributes to the brave soldiers, saying they had triumphed over every obstacle to protect India's unity and integrity.

"As we mark the 50th anniversary of 1965 war, I bow to all brave soldiers who fought for our motherland in the war," he tweeted.

"The courage & bravery of our Armed Forces is very inspiring. They triumphed over every obstacle & protected India's unity & integrity," Modi said in another tweet.

He also recalled the dynamic leadership of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and said that in the 1965 war, he led from the front and was a key source of strength for the nation.

This day marks the victory of the Indian forces in the battle in the strategic Haji Pir Pass in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India.

This war started following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was designed to infiltrate forces into Jammu and Kashmir to precipitate an insurgency against rule by India.

India retaliated by launching a full-scale military attack on West Pakistan.

The seventeen-day war caused thousands of casualties on both sides and also witnessed the largest tank battle since World War II.

The hostilities between the two countries ended after a ceasefire was declared following diplomatic intervention by the Soviet Union and the United States of America and the subsequent issuance of the Tashkent Declaration.

Both India and Pakistan claimed victory. However, most neutral assessments agree that India had the upper hand over Pakistan when ceasefire was declared.