–By Shashi Sharma
26TH JULY,
VIJAY DIWAS, a day to commemorate the SUPREME SACRIFICE of our BRAVE Jawans who laid down their lives during Kargil conflict. WE, INDIANS are all aware of the courage, bravery and selfless service of our Jawans who protect the borders of our Country and sacrifice their lives so that we can all be secure in our homes. WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THEM AND SALUTE THEIR SUPREME SACRIFICE.
It would not be out of place to state that we can’t choose our neighbors and family. Our Country, India, is surrounded by neighbors who do not want to maintain a friendly relationship with us. Kargil war is one such example. The war took place between May and July 1999 in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kargil district.This day, 26th July is celebrated as Vijay Diwas because on this day in 1999 our Army and Airforce jointly forced Pakistan Army to vacate the area infiltrated by them in disguise. The conflict along the Line of Control was referred to as Operation Vijay. The operation of the Air Force was known as Operation Safed Sagar. The cause of the war was the infiltration of Pakistani troops disguised as Kashmiri militants on the Indian side of the LOC.
The town of Kargil is located near Srinagar, facing the Northern Areas across the LOC. Kargil was targeted because the terrain was the area unoccupied by military positions. The war was an example of high-altitude warfare in mountainous terrain, which posed logistical problems.
During the winter of 1998–1999, some elements of the Pakistani Armed Forces were training and sending Pakistani troops and paramilitary forces, some in the guise of Mujahideen, into Indian side of the LOC. The infiltration was code named “Operation Badr”. Its aim was to break the link between Kashmir and Ladakh which Pakistan thought could force India to withdraw from the Siachen Glacier. They also presumed they could then negotiate a settlement of the Kashmir dispute.
There were three major phases to the Kargil War. First, Pakistan infiltrated forces into the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir and occupied strategic locations. The next stage consisted of India discovering the infiltration and mobilizing forces to respond to it. The final stage involved major battles by Indian and Pakistani forces resulting in India recapturing most of the territories held by Pakistani forces and withdrawal of Pakistani forces back across the LOC after International pressure. The Indian Air Force & Navy also played an important role. Operation Safed Sagar is the air operations in the Kargil area which was a milestone in the history of military aviation, as this was the first time that air power was employed in such an environment. The Navy also played a very important role by blocking the Karachi Port & cutting off supply routes. This operation was called Operation Talwar. The Indian Navy’s western and eastern fleets joined in the North Arabian Sea and began aggressive patrols and threatened to cut Pakistan’s sea trade. This exploited Pakistan’s dependence on sea-based oil and trade flows. Later, then Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif disclosed that Pakistan was left with just six days of fuel to sustain itself if a full-scale war broke out.
The terrain of Kashmir is mountainous and rough with narrow roads. It was difficult for our Jawans to carry loads & ammunition at high altitude. Also, Pakistan had occupied 130+ observation posts along the actual stretch of the highway which was under Pakistan. Hence, the Pakistani forces had a clear line-of-sight to fire, thereby inflicting heavy casualties on the Indian side. This was a serious problem for the Indian Army as the highway was the main logistical and supply route.
There was an outbreak of armed fighting on both sides. Pakistan, then sought American help to de-escalate the conflict. However, President Clinton refused to intervene until Pakistan removed all forces from the Indian side of the LOC. As a result most of the fighting came to a gradual halt. But, some Pakistani forces remained in positions on the Indian side of the LOC. In addition, the United Jihad Council (an extremist group) rejected Pakistan’s plan for a retreat & decided to fight on.
The Indian army launched its final attacks in the last week of July in co-ordination with relentless attacks by the IAF, both by day and night, in their totally successful ‘Operation Safed Sagar’. The fighting ceased on 26th July, 1999. The day has since been marked as Kargil Vijay Diwas (Kargil Victory Day) in India. In the wake of its successive military defeats in Kargil, diplomatic isolation in the international arena, its precarious economic situation, and the mounting international pressure, the Pakistani establishment was compelled to negotiate a face saving withdrawal from the residual areas on the Indian side of the LOC, thereby restoring the sanctity of the LOC, as was established in July 1972 as per the Shimla Agreement.
Pakistan was criticized by other countries for instigating the war, as its paramilitary forces and insurgents had crossed the LOC. Pakistan, as usual, denied the charges & linked the infiltration to “Kashmiri freedom fighters”. Pakistan made several contradicting statements & defended the infiltration saying that the LOC itself was disputed. Pakistan also attempted to internationalize the Kashmir issue, by linking the crisis in Kargil to the larger Kashmir conflict, but such a diplomatic stance did not find many takers on the world stage.
India’s then Prime Minister, Mr. Vajpayee set up an enquiry to analyse perceived Indian Intelligence failure. The Committee was headed by eminent Strategic Affairs analyst, Mr. K. Subrahmanyam. The Committee’s final report referred to as ‘Subrahmanyam Report’ led to restructuring of Indian Intelligence.
To honour our Jawans & to commemorate their SUPREME SACRIFICE, Kargil War memorial was built by the Indian Army. The Memorial is located in Dras, in the foothills of the Tololing Hill. A poem “Pushp Kii Abhilasha (Wish of a Flower) by Makhanlal Chaturvedi, a renowned Hindi poet, is inscribed on the gateway of the memorial. The names of the soldiers who lost their lives in the War are inscribed on the Memorial Wall and can be read by visitors. A museum attached to the Kargil War Memorial was established to celebrate the victory of Operation Vijay. It houses pictures of Indian soldiers, archives of important war documents and recordings, Pakistani war equipments and gear, and official emblems of the Army from the Kargil war.
The Indian Government awarded highest gallantry awards to the martyrs of Kargil War. I cannot forget Captain Vikram Batra’s words which brings tears to our eyes. Before going into the battle he said, “I will either come back after raising the Indian flag in victory or return wrapped in it”.
We are PROUD of our Jawans and bow our heads in reverence and salute the undaunted dedication of our BRAVE JAWANS.
GOD BLESS THEM,
JAI HIND!!
Views expressed are those of writers.
TeamSP Official 