Bowing to the sacrifice of soldiers who reclaimed the peak; India salutes the valour and heroism celebrating Kargil Vijay Diwas

New Delhi, July 26: To the valour unhindered, to the love for the nation; the sacrifices of the Indian Army will always be respected and saluted that they had shown in 1999 Kargil war. India on 26 July celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas bowing to the supreme sacrifice of the heroes.

 

The Kargil War 1999

It was on this day in 1999, the Kargil War, formally came to an end, with Indian soldiers successfully recapturing mountain heights that had been seized by Pakistani intruders. India and Pakistan have been at loggerheads since then that the situation has only intensified because of Pakistan not taking action against its militant groups soiling in their land. However Kargil War was the last time India and Pakistan came to a full-blown armed conflict.

 

The Kargil War was prompted by the Pakistan Army intruding into India across the Line of Control and capturing strategic mountain peaks. The intrusion was first detected in May 1999, but at that time it was assumed that the intruders were militants or terrorists and not regular Pakistan Army troops.

Pakistan infiltrating Indian territories

In 1999, the infiltration of the Pakistani Armed Forces into the Indian territory was codenamed "Operation Badr" with an aim to cut off links between Kashmir and Ladakh forcing India to negotiate a settlement of the Kashmir dispute. Initially, Pakistan pinned the blame of the attack on Kashmiri insurgents but the documentary evidence from the casualties proved Pakistan Army's direct involvement in the attack.

 

The three phases of the Kargil War included infiltration by Pakistan so as to occupy strategic locations to bring NH1 within its control. In the second phase, India was seen identifying the infiltration and responding to it while the third phase saw major battles between Indian and Pakistani forces.

Indian Soldiers reclaiming the heights of Kargil

Over the next few weeks, as Indian soldiers fought valiant battles to reclaim the heights of Kargil, it became apparent that it was actually the Pakistan Army that had intruded across the Line of Control.

 

In response, India launched a military and diplomatic blitz, pushing the Pakistani intruders off the captured heights and isolating Islamabad on a global level. Army in close coordination with the Indian Air Force launched its final attacks in the last week of July clearing all of Pakistani forces from the area. The fighting ended on 26 July which has since been celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas.

India recaptured all the peaks by July 26, 1999, bringing the Kargil conflict to an end. More than 500 Indian soldiers were martyred in the Kargil War.