Hyderabad: Twenty years after Indian troops recaptured several mountain tops overlooking the strategic Srinagar-Leh highway from Pakistani intruders, they will again scale the jagged heights and recreate the victory scenes to mark the anniversary of the Kargil war on July 26.
The 20th anniversary of "Operation Vijay" will be celebrated with the theme 'Remember, Rejoice and Renew'. And to honour the Kargil War heroes, ETV Bharat will explain all you need to know about the Kargil War and how it was won.
How it all began?
With an ill-will to cut off the strategic national highway 1A (Srinagar-Leh Highway), alter the status of LOC and give impetus to insurgency in Kashmir valley and elsewhere in J&K, Pakistani military tried to infiltrate and capture the Kargil region.
A shepherd from Garkhon village, Tashi Namgyal, had first spotted some intruders at Jubar ridgeline in Batalik on May 3, 1999. He, along with two of his friends, had gone looking for a lost yak.
While peering through his binoculars, he saw six Pakistani soldiers dressed in black Pathani outfits. He immediately alerted the Indian Army.
Action taken
The Indian Army sent a patrol to survey the situation on May 5. However, Captain Saurabh Kalia went missing from the patrolling team.
Then on May 26, the IAF launched airstrikes in the region. An IAF MiG-27 was brought down by the Pakistani Army and an IAF pilot was taken as a prisoner of war by Pakistan.
'War-like situation' arises
After the incident, the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee declared it to be a “war-like situation” in the Kargil region. Few days later, Pakistan returned mutilated bodies of our six soldiers which forced India to declare war against Pakistan.
War begins
Operation Vijay began and India initiated strict military action against Pakistan. Major offensives were launched in Kargil and Drass sectors to keep the crucial Srinagar-Leh highway free from any Pakistani threat. These were accompanied by airstrikes.
After the action was initiated against Pakistan, 12 Pakistani foreign ministers came to New Delhi for peace talks. External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh rebuffed his proposals for negotiations saying that Pakistan must first withdraw all infiltrators from the Indian territory.
India captured the crucial Tololing peak which was a crucial point in the war. The then PM visited Kargil amid heavy shelling. On June 15, the then US president Bill Clinton asked the then Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif to pull out from Kargil and praised India's restraint from bigger military action.
Operation Vijay succeeds
The Indian Army captured the Tiger Hill on July 4. Later, Sharif met Clinton in Washington and on July 5, he announced pullout of Pakistani troops from Kargil.
Pakistan began the pullout on July 11 and India declared Operation Vijay a success on July 14.
Finally, on July 26, Kargil war came to an end and India announced complete eviction of Pakistani troops from the Indian territory.
Our Bravehearts
Though India won the war, it lost several bravehearts- Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav, Captain Vikram Batra, Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, Captain Anuj Nayyar, Captain N Kenguruse, Lieutenant Keishing Clifford Nongrum, Indian Army Major Padmapani Acharya, Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari, Colonel Sonam Wangchuk, Major Vivek Gupta, Naik Digendra Kumar, to name a few.
Also Read: Kargil Day: Father of Martyr Captain Saurabh Kalia still awaits
