India-Pakistan Relations Since 1947: War, Peace, and the Road Ahead in 2025

In 1947, after the independence of India, a new country named Pakistan came into existence which is made up of four states Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Since the talk of independence, the relationship between India and Pakistan has always gone through a delicate phase.

 

The pain of partition and many conflicts between the two countries have deeply affected the relationship. To maintain peace in the continent of Asia, especially for the global politics of South Asia, it is important that there is stability in the relationship of both the countries, but now it is difficult to say. Today in this article we will know how Pakistan's relationship with India has been since becoming a new nation after independence, know in detail -

Historical background

 Since the independence of India in 1947, the background of the relationship between the two countries is historical. The relationship between the two countries India and Pakistan has almost never been normal. The main reasons for this are as follows.

Partition of 1947

 After independence in 1947, the country was divided and a new nation Pakistan came into existence. India was divided on religious grounds. Due to the division on religious grounds, millions of people had to move from one place to another, in which violence took place at many places. After some time Pakistan became an Islamic nation, but India is always a true secular nation like before.

Kashmir issue 

 After independence, there was such a princely state of Jammu and Kashmir which did not agree to go with any country, but after the attack by the Qabaliyo of Pakistan, before the merger of Jammu and Kashmir with India by the King of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan's occupation of about one-third of Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan has remained the biggest obstacle in the relations between the two countries till date. This has been the case since the time of independence.

War and conflict

After independence, after the formation of the new nation of Pakistan, there have been four wars between the two countries till now. And India has won all these wars.

1. War of 1947-48: Immediately after independence, there was a war between the two countries over Jammu and Kashmir and later when India went to the United Nations, a ceasefire was declared by the United Nations. After that, the armies of Pakistan and India were on the part of Jammu and Kashmir and from there it was called the Line of Control between the two countries which is still there.

 2. 1965 War: In 1965, Pakistan launched Operational Gibraltar in Jammu and Kashmir. The aim of this war was also the Kashmir issue. This war also did not yield any significant result and after some time a ceasefire was declared. India was victorious in this war too.

3. 1971 War: In 1971, the third war between India and Pakistan took place. In this war, India broke Pakistan into two parts and in this war a new nation Bangladesh came into existence.

4. 1999 Kargil War: In 1999, the Pakistani army took cover and captured the peaks of Kargil, but in front of the indomitable courage and valor of the Indian army, the Pakistani army had to retreat and then a ceasefire was declared.

 Main Disputes

 If we go briefly then the main disputes between the two countries are as follows. Kashmir dispute, cross border terrorism, dispute over Siachen Glacier, water distribution (Indus Water Treaty which India has just suspended), advertising, media and cultural boycott.

Positive initiatives

To normalize bilateral relations between the two countries, the governments of both countries have tried to normalize many important activities such as cricket, trade, films and people-to-people relations. The Lahore bus journey of Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999 is a notable example of this peace. In 2014, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi invited the Prime Minister of Pakistan to the swearing-in ceremony and went to Pakistan to normalize relations. In the same sequence, the establishment of the Kartarpur Corridor by both the countries in 2019 was a major diplomatic achievement. Despite so much clearing, the ice in the relationship between the two countries has not melted yet. And the relationship between the two remains the same. There has been no improvement in these relations so far.

Current Perspective (2025)

 Even in the year 2025, there has been no significant change in the relationship between the two countries. Recently, there was a terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir state of India, after which the tension between the two countries increased further. A small war took place between the two countries. Operation Sindoor was launched by the Indian Army. India took action on nine terrorist bases located in Pakistan. The foreign policy of the Indian government has always been of zero tolerance. Pakistan's economic challenges and its internal instability are very challenging for it. The government there remains under the control of the army.

 Global perspective

The role of the world's major powers, America, Russia and China, has been very important in balancing the relations between India and Pakistan. Most of the time the stance of America and Russia has been neutral. But China's inclination towards Pakistan as always and now America's new strategic partnership with India has given a new form to the relations between the two countries India and Pakistan in the politics of South Asia.

Future prospects

 If both countries have to normalize bilateral relations in the future, Pakistan will have to take the first step. First of all, Pakistan will have to stop supporting cross-border terrorism. It will also have to try to communicate through back channel diplomacy and dialogue because India has already made it clear that Pakistan will have to take some important steps to normalize bilateral relations. It will have to stop cross-border terrorism and work on dialogue on real issues. Only then can the relations between the two countries improve.

Conclusion

Since its inception in 1947, Pakistan's relationship with India has been marked by recurring conflicts, mutual distrust, and severe geopolitical challenges. Despite occasional attempts at reconciliation—such as cricket diplomacy, high-profile visits like Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 1999 Lahore bus trip, Modi’s invitation to Nawaz Sharif in 2014, and the 2019 Kartarpur Corridor—these efforts have consistently fallen short of transforming the bilateral landscape. As of 2025, the situation remains tense: incidents like the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam and India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor continue to deepen the divide. Pakistan’s internal instability and economic struggles, often under military influence, add further obstacles to peace.

Looking ahead, normalization of ties between the two nations appears contingent upon Pakistan taking meaningful steps—most importantly, ending its support for cross-border terrorism. Only if it commits to addressing core issues and engages in sustained, substantive dialogue can India–Pakistan relations begin to improve in a genuine and lasting way.