KARGIL DIVAS
Today,
on 26th of July, we are celebrating Kargil Divas. On this 15th anniversary
let’s pay our homage to all those brave soldiers who fought for our
country. It is also a moment full of
pride and pain for all the Indian soldiers as they fought bravely and laid down
their lives to safeguard our motherland in 1999. On this day we are here to
discuss the war with its causes and consequences. The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict
was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May
and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of
Control (LOC). In India, the conflict is also referred to as Operation Vijay
which was the name of the Indian operation to clear the Kargil sector. Kargil
was an international armed conflict more than a war.
The
cause of the war was the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri
militants into positions on the Indian side of the LOC, which serves as the de
facto border between the two states. During the initial stages of the war,
Pakistan blamed the fighting entirely on independent Kashmiri insurgents, but
documents left behind by casualties and later statements by Pakistan's Prime
Minister and Chief of Army Staff showed involvement of Pakistani paramilitary forces
led by General Ashraf Rashid. The Indian
Army, later on supported by the Indian Air Force, recaptured a majority of the
positions on the Indian side of the LOC infiltrated by the Pakistani troops and
militants. With international diplomatic opposition, the Pakistani forces
withdrew from the remaining Indian positions along the LOC. Pakistan was
criticized by other countries for instigating the war, as its paramilitary
forces and insurgents crossed the Line of Control. The Pakistan army had
initially denied the involvement of its troops in the intrusion; two soldiers
were awarded the Nishan-E-Haider (Pakistan's highest military award). Kargil War memorial, built by
the Indian Army, is located in Dras, in the foothills of the Tololing Hill. The
memorial, located about 5 km from the city centre across the Tiger Hill,
commemorates the martyrs of the Kargil War. The special thing about the War
memorial is that it has been built on the theme of the India Gate.
The names of the soldiers who lost their lives in the War are inscribed on the Memorial Wall and can be read by visitors. On July 4 1999, India recaptured Tiger Hill after an 11-hour long battle. On July 5, the then Prime minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif ordered withdrawal of Pakistani Army from Kargil following the meeting with the former US president Bill Clinton. The then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared Operation Vijay (Kargil War) a success. On July 26, Kargil War officially came to an end as the Indian Army announced complete eviction of Pakistani intruders.
Kargil Vijay Diwas is named after the success of Operation Vijay and is annually observed on 26th July. On July 26, 1999, the brave Indian Army had hoisted the Indian flag at the Tiger Hills and India had successfully taken command of the high outposts which had been lost to Pakistani intruders. We pay our respects to all the heroes who sacrificed their lives for our betterment. We pay our deep condolences to all the Martyrs of the war. We are proud of our brave soldiers.
The names of the soldiers who lost their lives in the War are inscribed on the Memorial Wall and can be read by visitors. On July 4 1999, India recaptured Tiger Hill after an 11-hour long battle. On July 5, the then Prime minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif ordered withdrawal of Pakistani Army from Kargil following the meeting with the former US president Bill Clinton. The then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared Operation Vijay (Kargil War) a success. On July 26, Kargil War officially came to an end as the Indian Army announced complete eviction of Pakistani intruders.
Kargil Vijay Diwas is named after the success of Operation Vijay and is annually observed on 26th July. On July 26, 1999, the brave Indian Army had hoisted the Indian flag at the Tiger Hills and India had successfully taken command of the high outposts which had been lost to Pakistani intruders. We pay our respects to all the heroes who sacrificed their lives for our betterment. We pay our deep condolences to all the Martyrs of the war. We are proud of our brave soldiers.
JAI HIND
