KARGIL AND ITS AFTERMATH
Kargil and its aftermath
Introduction
A Platoon after capturing a peak.
1999 was a very important year. Many back then awaited for the "millennium" and it was marked by many technological advancements like the arrival and popularity of feature-phones etc.For India too,1999 was very important and many Indians associate the year with Operation Vijay or Kargil war which was a more popular name for a series of incidents which happened over a span of around two months.Generally the regiments mobilised were the Infantry battalions which were acclimatised to the area along with field artillery units.The war was made and featured in movies like LOC Kargil,Lakshya and Mausam which showed the operations executed by the IAF to some extent.
The Kargil war was an armed conflict which took place in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and to some extent in other states along the Line Of Control,a de-facto border between India and Pakistan.
Kargil is a town which is strategically located town with a distance of around 127 miles from the state capital Srinagar. A few other places in the conflict were the town of Drass,Mushkoh valley,Batalik etc.
A typical example of high altitude warfare ,the peaks which were captured by the intruders who were later to be Pakistani Army regulars disguised as militants had a structure which gave the intruders a natural advantage.
The Indian media covered the conflict greatly and there was a lot of attention given by TV channels for the conflict,which was uncommon those days.
A typical example of high altitude warfare ,the peaks which were captured by the intruders who were later to be Pakistani Army regulars disguised as militants had a structure which gave the intruders a natural advantage.
The Indian media covered the conflict greatly and there was a lot of attention given by TV channels for the conflict,which was uncommon those days.
Events leading to the conflict
The local shepherd played an important role in this war which was mainly fought in the Ladakh region.
There were a few direct conflicts for the posession of Siachen Glacier which led to the naming of the glacier as the world's highest battleground.
There was a mutual agreement between the two sides that any firing would not take place in the forward sectors in the winter months and both armies would vacate the posts in the harsh winters.
In the summer months of April and May intruders were noticed by the local Ladakhi shepherds which lead to the discovering of the mass infiltration.
Main events
The war was heavily covered by Indian media.Capt Batra is famous for his slogan,"Yeh Dil Maange More"
The infiltrations were not discovered initially as heavy artillery fire camouflaged and provided cover to the intruders.
An ambush team led by Capt S Kalia with information from a local shepherd discovered the intruders.
Capt Kalia and his team were brutally tortured and murdered.
The intruders were thought to be as militants but when the bunkers were annexed the people discovered papers and ammunition which proved that the men were from the Pakistani army.
Soon the three forces launched their respective operations collectively which was known as the "Kargil War"
Around 200000 troops were mobilised. The operations only took place at a regiment level.
The IAF launched Op Safed Sagar but due to the high altitude and weather only a few airstrips could be utilised and hence it had a limited impact.
The Mirage 2000 were the asset of the IAF as they could operate in Kargil's low temperatures as well as high altitude.
The infiltrators had mortars,artillery and anti-aircraft guns.The Pakistani side had sophisticated UAVs and radars
supplied by the US which has been its ally since the establishment of the state.
The Bofors artillery gun was vital but could not be deployed due to lack of space.The gun helped the Indian side to capture Tiger hill.A few areas and peaks were a turning point like Chorbat La,Pt 5353,Tololing,Khalubar.
The Indian side's first prisoner-of-war was Flt.Lt Nachiketa who was flying his MiG 27 but due to engine flameout had to eject.Sqn Ldr A Ahuja who had gone to track him with his MiG 21-Bison was hit by a Stinger Missile, A US weapon.It is found in enquiries that he ejected safely but was shot by Pakistani Forces.
Eventually Nachiketa was returned to the Indian side and is till date serving as A Group Captain flying Transport aircraft.The Mirage 2000 which was a french fighter developed by Dassault aviation was used as it was capable in flying in all those conditions.Bombings on Bunkers and other enemy structure used to take place frequently in that time period.The US origin F-16 s were not used for fighting directly but took part in patrol missions.India was not allowed to use the GPS which is owned by the US military due to obvious reasons.The Indian Navy which also was not really known in this war also executed Op Talwar which executed blockades on mainly the Karachi Port.The prime Minister of that time,Nawaz Sharif stated that Pakistan was left with approximately only a weeks fuel to sustain itself if a full scale war broke out.
Slowly the positions were captured again by the Indian troops in the months of June ad July.The fighting ceased on 26th July which is known as Kargil Vijay Diwas .
The war memorial in Drass,Jammu and Kashmir
Apart from heavy presence by the military in Ladakh and its surrounding areas,there is a silence which lurks around and the people who have visited it before the war would guarantee that things have changed to a great extent.The ones who had fought here have memories like it occurred yesterday.The men who died here are remembered only on few rare and special occasions.The valley which has said to be a paradise on earth moreover has been echoing sounds like bullets being fired and helicopter's rotor blades screeching all the while.The beauty of the Chinar trees and the mountains seems to be overshadowed
In the memories of those who did not return I would like to end with a quote by Thomas Macaulay -
Around 200000 troops were mobilised. The operations only took place at a regiment level.
The IAF launched Op Safed Sagar but due to the high altitude and weather only a few airstrips could be utilised and hence it had a limited impact.
The infiltrators had mortars,artillery and anti-aircraft guns.The Pakistani side had sophisticated UAVs and radars
supplied by the US which has been its ally since the establishment of the state.
The Bofors artillery gun was vital but could not be deployed due to lack of space.The gun helped the Indian side to capture Tiger hill.A few areas and peaks were a turning point like Chorbat La,Pt 5353,Tololing,Khalubar.
The Indian side's first prisoner-of-war was Flt.Lt Nachiketa who was flying his MiG 27 but due to engine flameout had to eject.Sqn Ldr A Ahuja who had gone to track him with his MiG 21-Bison was hit by a Stinger Missile, A US weapon.It is found in enquiries that he ejected safely but was shot by Pakistani Forces.
Eventually Nachiketa was returned to the Indian side and is till date serving as A Group Captain flying Transport aircraft.The Mirage 2000 which was a french fighter developed by Dassault aviation was used as it was capable in flying in all those conditions.Bombings on Bunkers and other enemy structure used to take place frequently in that time period.The US origin F-16 s were not used for fighting directly but took part in patrol missions.India was not allowed to use the GPS which is owned by the US military due to obvious reasons.The Indian Navy which also was not really known in this war also executed Op Talwar which executed blockades on mainly the Karachi Port.The prime Minister of that time,Nawaz Sharif stated that Pakistan was left with approximately only a weeks fuel to sustain itself if a full scale war broke out.
Slowly the positions were captured again by the Indian troops in the months of June ad July.The fighting ceased on 26th July which is known as Kargil Vijay Diwas .
Martyrs
Around 530 men were martyred .A few soldiers like Capt.Vikram Batra ,Capt Manoj Kumar Pandey were awarded gallantry awards.Capt Batra and Capt Pandey received India's highest gallantry award,the Param Vir Chakra posthumously. Maj RS Adhikari and Capt A Nayyar received the Maha Vir Chakra whereas many were awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry.Many of the officers were around 24 to 28 years of age who took part in the war.
India has been blessed to have such fearless and gallant men like them.
Kargil today
Apart from heavy presence by the military in Ladakh and its surrounding areas,there is a silence which lurks around and the people who have visited it before the war would guarantee that things have changed to a great extent.The ones who had fought here have memories like it occurred yesterday.The men who died here are remembered only on few rare and special occasions.The valley which has said to be a paradise on earth moreover has been echoing sounds like bullets being fired and helicopter's rotor blades screeching all the while.The beauty of the Chinar trees and the mountains seems to be overshadowed
In the memories of those who did not return I would like to end with a quote by Thomas Macaulay -
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