Kargil Day or Kargil Vijay Diwas observed on July 26 to mark the end of the 1999 Kargil War, is celebrated to remember the martyrs of the Kargil war. The 17th Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations started with great fervor and enthusiasm under the aegis of the Fire and Fury Corps from July 21 and will end today with a formal wreath laying ceremony by Army Commander, Northern Command.

Image Source: dailyO

Kargil Vijay Diwas

Seventeen years ago, today our armed forces won us a gritty yet decisive war against Pakistan in May-July 1999. The war that lasted about two months was fought mainly in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan armies. India launched ‘Operation Vijay’ to clear the Kargil sector of infiltration by Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants on the Indian side of the Line of Control.

Both sides lost many soldiers and finally war came to an official end when on July 26, India fought and took command of the outposts that had been lost to Pakistani intruders, thus making it the Vijay Diwas

How did the Kargil War start?

After the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, the two sides rarely engaged in direct armed conflicts involving the military forces even though both the countries have consistently tried their best to control the Siachen Glacier by establishing military outposts on nearby mountain ridges. This had resulted in military scuffles in the 1980s which escalated in the 1990s. The nuclear tests that were conducted both by both countries in 1998 only made it worse. In an attempt to defuse the situation, both the countries signed the Lahore Declaration in the February 1999 promising to provide peaceful solutions to the Kashmir conflict.

The nuclear tests that were conducted both by both countries in 1998 only made it worse. In an attempt to defuse the situation, both the countries signed the Lahore Declaration in the February 1999 promising to provide peaceful solutions to the Kashmir conflict.

But, by some accounts, in the same year, some elements of the Pakistani Armed Forces were secretly training and sending their troops and paramilitary forces to enter the Indian side of the Line of Control (or LoC). Their aim was to sever the link betweenKashmir and Ladakh and also cause Indian forces to withdraw from the Siachen Glacier, thus forcing India to negotiate a settlement of the broader Kashmir dispute

Initially, the Indian armed forces had very little idea about the nature of this infiltration. Assuming infiltrators to jihadis, Indian armed forces in the area expected to evict them in just a few days. However, it was only later that they realized that the whole plan of attack from Pakistan was much bigger and they spotted infiltration elsewhere along the LOC.

The Government of India responded with Operation Vijay and they recruited approximately 200,000 Indian troops to fight. Finally, the war came to an official end on July 26, 1999, thus making it the Vijay Diwas. A total number of 527 soldiers of the Indian Armed forces lost their lives during this war.

Nation Remembers Brave Soldiers:

On Kargil Vijay Diwas, we bow to every valorous soldier who fought for India till the very last breath. India will never forget the fearlessness with which our courageous soldiers gave a befitting & unforgettable reply to the intruders.

Also Read: Things You Should Know About Indian Soldiers Defending Siachen, World’s Highest Battlefield