On this Kargil Vijay Diwas, know about the events and the significance of India’s 1999 victory

Every year on July 26, Kargil Vijay Diwas, also known as Kargil Victory Day, is celebrated to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1999 war. The day remembers the courage and sacrifices made by Indian soldiers throughout the gruelling and protracted conflict.
In 1971, the two neighbouring nations engaged in a violent struggle that led to the creation of Bangladesh and ever since, tensions between the two nations have persisted. Although there haven’t been many direct battles, they have been setting up military outposts on the neighbouring mountain ranges in an effort to gain control of the Siachen Glacier.

When both countries conducted nuclear tests in 1998, the situation worsened. They agreed to the Lahore Declaration, which sought a peaceful, bilateral resolution to the Kashmir problem, in order to reduce the tension. However, in the Drass and Batalik Sectors of Kargil, Ladakh, the Pakistani armed forces secretly trained and sent men to breach the Line of Control (LOC) and occupy fortified positions that overlooked NH 1A to gain control over local military and civilian movements.

Significance of the day

The Indian soldiers initially thought the intruders were terrorists or “jihadis” with a radical aim. But as things went on, it became clear that the attack was part of a bigger, more planned scheme. As a result, the Indian side was forced to strike back and send almost 200,000 Indian troops into the area. 527 troops from the Indian Army died during the Kargil War. On July 26, 1999, the Pakistani army was compelled to withdraw from their captured positions, indicating India’s victory. In order to respect and remember the ultimate sacrifice given by the soldiers during the conflict, this day has since been designated as Kargil conflict Diwas.