After two decades of the Kargil War, July still haunts both the nations that took thousands of lives from both the sides and an economical dent on their growth.

The Kargil War or the Kargil conflict took place between May 3 and July 26, 1999, in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LOC). In India, the famous Kargil conflict is also referred to as Operation Vijay, which was the name of the Indian operation to clear the Kargil sector.

Reason of  Kargil War

The cause of the war was the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers disguised as Kashmiri militants into positions on the Indian side of the LOC, which serves as the de facto border between the two states.

During the initial stages of the war, Pakistan blamed the fighting entirely on independent Kashmiri insurgents, but documents left behind by casualties and later statements by Pakistan`s Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff showed involvement of Pakistani paramilitary forces, led by General Ashraf Rashid.

The Indian Army, later supported by the Indian Air Force, recaptured a majority of the positions on the Indian side of the LOC infiltrated by the Pakistani troops and militants. Facing international diplomatic opposition, the Pakistani forces withdrew from the remaining Indian positions along the LOC.

After the signing of peaceful Lahore Declaration in February 1999, promising to provide a peaceful and bilateral solution to the Kashmir conflict, some elements of the Pakistani Armed Forces infiltrated into the Indian side of the line of control (LOC). The infiltration, named as ‘Operation Badr’, aimed at severing the link between Kashmir and Ladakh and cause Indian forces to withdraw from the Siachen Glacier.

However, the Government of India responded with Operation Vijay, with the war coming to an official end on July 26, 1999, thus marking it as Kargil Vijay Diwas. 

Casualties on both the sides

Around 527 Indian soldiers died and 1,363 were wounded as per the official figure stated by India. But there is no final figure by Pakistan on the casualties to their side. Pakistan earlier confirmed the death of 453 soldiers while the US state department made a partial estimate of around  700 fatalities. Nawaz Sharif`s party PML (N)  in its "white paper" on the war mentioned that more than 3,000 Mujahideens, officers and soldiers were killed. Pervaiz Musharraf, on the other hand, differed from all other in his memoir titled "Agnipath in which he stated that 357 troops were killed and 665 wounded.

How world viewed it?

Pakistan was heavily criticized by other countries for instigating the war, as its paramilitary forces and insurgents crossed the LOC (Line of Control)

As the Indian counter-attacks picked up momentum, Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif flew to meet US President Bill Clinton on 4 July to obtain support from the United States. Clinton rebuked Sharif, however, and asked him to use his contacts to rein in the militants and withdraw Pakistani soldiers from Indian territory.

G8 nations supported India and condemned the Pakistani violation of the LOC at the Cologne summit. The European Union also opposed Pakistan`s violation of the LOC. China, a long-time ally of Pakistan, insisted on a pullout of forces to the pre-conflict positions along the LOC and settling border issues peacefully. Other organizations like the ASEAN Regional Forum too supported India`s stand on the inviolability of the LOC.

India and Kargil Vijay Diwas

Since 1999, July 26 is celebrated as the Kargil Vijay Diwas in India, every year, to celebrate the victory of Operation Vijay. While the 60-day long war resulted in the loss of life on both the sides, India won the war by regaining control of all the previously held territory, re-establishing the status quo antebellum.

To honour the Kargil War`s Heroes, who laid down their life for the country, July 26 is celebrated in their memory. From Kargil–Dras sector in North India to Delhi and Assam, functions are organized all over the country to commemorate the contributions of the armed forces.

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