Zee Media Bureau


Srinagar: Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh, Friday, paid tribute to the martyrs who gallantly laid down their life for the nation in the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan.

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The Army Chief visited the war memorial in Drass and paid homage to the brave fallen soldier. Bikram Singh is set to retire on July 31.

Besides the Army Chief, other top commanders of the Army, war heroes, martyrs’ families, and other dignitaries were present at the commemorative wreath laying ceremony at the Kargil War Memorial located in Drass. Speaking on reporters, General Singh said, “Army has the capability to protect sovereignty of nation.”

On the issues concerning the armed forces, he said, “Let me assure you that the present government is committed to ensuring that the aspirations of soldiers are met.”


Each year since 1999, the ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ is celebrated on 26 July every year to mark the exit of Pakistan Army from Indian territory and Indian Army bunkers captured by them. On `Vijay Diwas` the nation remembers the soldiers who laid down their lives in the cold desert of Ladakh, fighting to reclaim every inch of their motherland.

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley will lead the armed forces in paying homage to the martyrs at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate in Delhi tomorrow.


Fought under the NDA government led by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Kargil conflict was the most serious military engagement between the two neighbours since the war of 1971 that resulted in the division of Pakistan into two countries and the creation of Bangladesh.