A victory saga of ‘Operation Vijay’, no matter how many time we hear, it always makes us proud. It’s been 21 years of victory on Pakistani troops in Kargil.

The war started after Indian forces detected infiltration from Pakistan side into our territory. By the time Pakistani troops had positioned themselves in key locations and were in a better position than the Indian Army.

After a three month long battle, under the temperature of minus 10 degree Celsius, our brave soldiers fought and evicted the Pakistani troops. The Indian Army succeeded in recapturing the Tiger Hill and other posts as a part of Operation Vijay but in order to achieve this victory we lost nearly 490 officers and soldiers, who gave their supreme sacrifice in this battle.

Today on the 21^st anniversary of the Kargil war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tribute to the brave heart martyrs. On his ‘Mann ki baat’ address he said that, “India can never forget the circumstances under which this war was fought. Pakistan undertook this misadventure with sinister plans to capture India’s land and to divert attention from its ongoing internal conflicts. India was then trying to have cordial relations with Pakistan but as it is said, it is the nature of the wicked to have enmity with everyone for no reason,”; “People of such nature think evil even of those who do good to them. That is why in response to India’s friendly endeavours, Pakistan tried to backstab. But the entire world witnessed the valour and strength of India’s brave forces.”

PM also appealed against the social media posts that, demoralises our soldiers who fight for the country. He added that, ‘these days wars are not only fought on borders but within the country too on multiple fronts simultaneously, and every countryman has to decide his or her role in it.

Some other important facts about the Kargil war:

* IAF’s launched its air operations under Operation Safed Sagar in support of the army on May 26. Indian MiG-21, MiG-27 and Mirage-2000 fighters fired rockets and missiles throughout the Kargil War at the “fortified enemy positions” from their side of LoC.

* IAF had planned to bomb targets in Pakistan during the Kargil War. But the then National Democratic Alliance or NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee instructed the then IAF chief air chief marshal AY Tipnis that his fighter jets must not cross LoC under any circumstances.

* IAF also wanted to cross the LoC slightly during the Kargil War but this request was also rejected by the government.

* Pakistan shot down two Indian fighter jets while another crashed during the operation.

* The Indian Navy also launched Operation Talwar to blockade Pakistani ports, especially the one in Karachi, during the Kargil War to stop the supply of oil and fuel.

* The Indian Navy’s western and eastern fleets patrolled the Arabian Sea and threatened to cut Pakistan’s trade routes.

* Pakistan asked the US to intervene but then American president Bill Clinton declined its request, saying Islamabad must withdraw its troops from LoC.

* Indian armed forces attacked the rest of the outposts as Pakistani troops withdrew and captured the last of them by July 26.

* The official death toll on the Indian side was 527 and that on the Pakistani side was between 357 and 453.

* Pakistan had initially denied it had any role in the conflict and said that India was facing off with “Kashmiri freedom fighters.” It, however, awarded its soldiers medals for the conflict later.

* After the Kargil War, India increased its defence spending in the budget.

* The complete overhaul of India’s intelligence set-up and the creation of a younger and fitter army are among the most significant changes made by the government on the basis of recommendations of the Kargil Review Committee (KRC).

* The creation of the post of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was also among them. General Bipin Rawat took over as the first CDS on January 1 this year and will serve a full three-year term till December 2022.

* The creation of the Defence Intelligence Agency in 2002 and the technical intelligence gathering agency, National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) in 2004, were some of the report’s key outcomes.

* The timespan for promotions was slashed up to the rank of commanding officers (COs) or colonels and their equivalent in the air force and navy.

(Courtesy – Hindustan Times)