Kargil Victory: An ecstasy now lost in oblivion

Biplob Ghosal

July 26 is celebrated as Vijay Divas to commemorate the victory of the Indian Army in Kargil. However, many of us seem to have forgotten the ones who sacrificed their life for the nation during that war. The Kargil war, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan lasting for more than two months (May 8 to July 14). Pakistani forces and Kashmiri militants were located on the Kargil ridges when both sides had commonly ceased their military operations. The war took place because of the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants on the side of the Line of Control, which acts as the border between the two countries. But today, it seems that people of India have forgotten the young brave soldiers who gave their life for the pride of the country. Their families got wholehearted support during the war, but at present, they are fighting the battle of life alone. Nobody seems to be bothered about them, not even the government. June 9 was the date when the mutilated bodies of Lieutenant Saurav Kalia and five others of the 4 Jat Regiment were received by the Indian soldiers from the Pakistani Army in the Kargil sector. It was a gruesome sight as their bodies had been badly mutilated. These were true signs that they had been tortured. This was clearly aimed at causing nationwide outrage and provoking India’s sentiments. Earlier, on June 7, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had given a staunch statement saying, "We must hope, my countrymen, that even now reason will prevail, that those within Pakistan, who see the folly of aggression, will have their way." And then he added, "Till that happens, we have a job on our hands." The power in his voice spread across the country conveying his and India`s resolve to give a stiff reply to the Pakistani offensive in the Kargil sector. Background After the Indo-Pak War of 1971, there had been a long period of relative calm between the two countries. But during the 1990s, tensions and conflict with separatists in Kashmir as well as nuclear tests by both countries in 1998 changed the scenario. Both the countries had signed the Lahore Declaration in February 1999 to provide a peaceful solution to the Kashmir issue. However, some officers in the military of Pakistan covertly trained and sent troops and paramilitary forces, some allegedly in the guise of mujahideen, into the Indian territory. The aim was to cut down the link between Kashmir and Laddakh, and force Indian forces to withdraw from the Siachen Glacier, thus forcing India to negotiate a settlement on the Kashmir dispute. Pakistan also had in mind that tension in the particular region would bring international concern over the Kashmir issue, helping it to a speedy resolution. But some writers have also have the thinking that it might have been a retaliation for India`s ‘Operation Meghdoot’ in 1984 that seized much of Siachen Glacier. Because of the extreme winter in Kashmir, it was common practice for the Indian and Pakistan Army to vacate the posts and reoccupy them in the spring. That particular year, the Pakistan Army reoccupied the posts before the scheduled time. The Occupation It was during May 1999 when the Pakistani Army decided to grab the Kargil posts, which at that time were vacant as the Indian Army was pulling back from these high altitude posts because of severe weather conditions during winter. Troops from the elite Special Services Group as well as four to seven battalions of the Northern Light Infantry backed by Kashmiri guerrillas and Afghan mercenaries had accumulated and overtly set up their bases on the Indian-controlled region. Initially, these incursions were not spotted as the Pakistani Army continuously indulged in artillery fire from across the Line of Control, which provided a safe cover for the infiltrators. But in the second week of May, an Indian patrol team, acting on a tip-off by a local shepherd in the Batalik sector, was suddenly attacked from a covert position. This led to the exposure of the infiltration. The Indian troops initially, with little knowledge of the extent of the encroachment, claimed that they would force out the infiltrators within a few days. However, reports of infiltration from the other areas of the LoC made it clear that the plan of attack was on a much bigger scale. The Government of India responded strongly with ‘Operation Vijay’ and a massive mobilisation of 200,000 Indian troops was declared. But due to rugged terrain, division and corps operations could not be increased; most of the fighting was at the regimental or battalion level. In effect, two divisions numbering 20,000, plus several thousands from the paramilitary forces of the Indian Army and the Air Force, were deployed in the particular zone. The total number of Indian soldiers that were involved in the operation in the Kargil-Drass sector was approximately 30,000. The number of infiltrators was close to 5,000 that included troops from Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which were providing additional artillery support. The Kargil war can be divided into three stages: Pakistan first captured several strategic high points in the Indian-controlled sector of Kashmir. India then attacked and captured the vital transportation routes and finally pushed Pakistani forces back across the Line of Control with its mighty military power. By the time Operation Vijay reached its fourth week, the Indian armed forces had, to an extent, reversed the tide. With the Air Force and artillery providing fire cover, infantry platoons skilled in mountain warfare had scaled frightening heights averaging 18,000 ft to be able to strike down the intruders hidden on the ridges. But, victory comes with huge sacrifice and this time also the sacrifices were too many. While the brave Indian soldiers were moving ahead for the kill, they were shot down by some murderous firing. The death toll reached 98 by June 11, with over 317 injured. Though the Indian Army was claiming that they had pushed the intruders back by almost 10 km all along the 180-km stretch of the Line of Control, it was hard to believe. Still, the Army was able to get back some of the key ridges after hard-fought battles but Pakistan was in a commanding position and had possession of the vital peaks from where it posed a major threat to India. To dislodge even one soldier occupying the high ground it requires as many as 100 soldiers, including infantry and artillery support. As the strategic ridges manned by the infiltrators were being reinforced by trained Pakistani Army regulars numbering close to 1,000 - much higher than earlier estimates of 300 to 700. With the backing of well-coordinated military planning and leadership and extensive firepower and heavy artillery support the Indian Army had sensed that the war would not be a brief one. The Pakistani artillery accurately hit the Kargil district headquarters just when it had moved to what it thought was the safer Suru valley nearby. Under the sustained offensive, the Indian Army was forced to rethink its strategy on Kargil as to how long it will take to reoccupy the heights. That`s because Defence Minister George Fernandes` announcement of 48 hours to push the intruders behind the LoC had become a joke as the Army Headquarter was forced to shift that to a month. Meanwhile, the Army had moved 25,000 additional troops to the war zone. By the last week of June, the Indian Army had shaken off the advantage of surprise that Pakistan had and worked out a tactical strategy to make the infiltrators flee Indian territory. A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs along with the three services chiefs made an assessment of the situation and also looked at other factors that would play an important role in forcing Pakistan to back down. Nuclear factor One of the main concerns in the international community during the Kargil crisis was that both neighbours had access to weapons of mass destruction, and if the war intensified, it could have led to nuclear war. The India-Pakistan conflict became very tensed when the US received intelligence that Pakistani nuclear warheads might be used. Then US President Bill Clinton tried to dissuade Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif from nuclear brinkmanship threatening the South Asian country of dire consequences. Sensing a deteriorating military scenario, diplomatic isolation, and the risks of a larger conventional and nuclear war, Sharif ordered the Pakistani Army to vacate the Kargil heights. He later claimed in his official biography that General Pervez Musharraf had moved nuclear warheads without informing him. War coming to an end Following the US’s warning on July 4, Sharif agreed to withdraw the Pakistani troops, most of the fighting came to a halt. Though, some of the militants did not wish to retreat, and the United Jihad Council rejected Pakistan`s plan to retreat, instead deciding to fight on. Indian army launched its final attacks in the last week of July; as soon as the last of these Jihadists in the sector had been cleared, the fighting was ceased on July 26. Since, then the day has been marked as Kargil Vijay Diwas (Kargil Victory Day) in India. Lessons to be learnt Pakistan must understand that dialogue is the best option for sorting out mutual problems between the two countries. Pakistan should make serious efforts to ensure that a General doesn`t take steps that deliberately weaken the peace process. India `s policy of peace had earned her praise from all over the world, yet it must take serious steps to enhance its defence preparations and do not take defence preparedness for granted. Kargil has also been termed as an intelligence failure and negligence. India must make sure that such mistakes don’t repeat and steps should be taken to make intelligence system more powerful. Kargil Vijay Diwas July 26 is Vijay Divas, the day we celebrate our victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War. It is the day, which makes us proud not only of the victory but also of our soldiers, who helped us hold our heads high. It’s the day in the year 1999 that the Indian victory over Pakistan was complete. And it has been nine years today, nine long years since our pride was restored. It seems that the nation has forgotten the unsung heroes of our motherland as this particular day was directed to keep celebrations of Kargil victory, a low profile event in the subsequent years.