Today marks the 10th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas (Kargil Victory Day) in India.10 years ago,on 26th July 1999,the Kargil war came to an end with the Indian Flag flying high.
Indian Army was successful in defeating the intruders but not without losses.65 gruelling days of fighting which took the lives of 537 brave Indian soldiers.
One of the heroes of the Kargil war was Havaldar Yogendra Yadav. A Paramvir Chakra Awardee, he was just 19, ten years ago, when the war took place.
Reasons for the undeclared war
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The War took place between May 8 and July 26th, when Pakistani forces and Kashmiri militants were detected atop the Kargil ridges. It is believed that the planning for the operation, by Pakistan, may have occurred about as early as the autumn of 1998.
There were three major phases to the Kargil War. First, Pakistan infiltrated forces into the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir and occupied strategic locations enabling it to control NH1. 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 capturing positions held by Pakistani forces and the withdrawal of Pakistani forces back across the Line of Control.
Peace at last
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Pakistan was criticised by other countries for allowing its paramilitary forces and insurgents to cross the Line of Control.
As the Indian counter-attacks picked up momentum, Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif flew to meet U.S. president Bill Clinton on July 4 to obtain support from the United States. Clinton rebuked Sharif, however, and asked him to use his contacts to rein in the militants and withdraw Pakistani soldiers from Indian territory. Clinton would later reveal in his autobiography that "Sharif’s moves were perplexing" since the Indian prime minister had travelled to Lahore to promote bilateral talks aimed at resolving the Kashmir problem and "by crossing the Line of Control, Pakistan had wrecked the talks." On the other hand, he applauded Indian restraint for not crossing the LoC and escalating the conflict into an all-out war.
G8 nations supported India and condemned the Pakistani violation of the LOC.The European Union also opposed Pakistan's violation of the LOC. China, a long-time ally of Pakistan, did not intervene in Pakistan's favour, insisting on a pullout of forces to the LoC and settling border issues peacefully. Other organizations like the ASEAN Regional Forum too supported India's stand on the inviolability of the LOC.
Faced with growing international pressure, Sharif managed to pull back the remaining soldiers from Indian territory. The joint statement issued by Clinton and Sharif conveyed the need to respect the Line of Control and resume bilateral talks as the best forum to resolve all disputes.
Thus,Peace was finally declared on July 26th after both countries agreed on ceasing military operations.
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