Kargil Vijay Diwas |  Puducherry L-G Kiran Bedi pays respects: 'Our homage and gratitude to the bravest'

India's first woman IPS officer and the current Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, Kiran Bedi, saluted the heroes and martyrs of the Kargil War in 1999 on the eve of 20th anniversary Kargil Vijay Diwas. She took to Twitter to pay homage and express gratitude to our brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives to keep the country safe. She shared a picture of a Kargil Diwas observation in the union territory of Puducherry where she is seen paying respects at a war memorial. 

Read the tweet here:

READ | Kargil Vijay Diwas | President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu Pay Respects To The Heroes Of The Kargil War

The Prime Minister also paid rich tribute on Friday, posting pictures from 1999 when he had got an opportunity to go to Kargil and support the forces during the war.

THE 1999 KARGIL WAR 

It was on July 26, 1999, when the Indian Army recaptured all the Indian posts in Kargil which had been occupied by the Pakistani Army. The war that took place between May and July of 1999 in Jammu and Kashmir's Kargil district, was orchestrated by the then Pakistan army chief General Pervez Musharraf, who would later stage a coup and overthrow then Pak PM Nawaz Sharif. 

The Pakistan Army infiltrated into Indian territory in remote locations using subterfuge and captured several mountain tops overlooking the strategic Srinagar-Leh highway, after which the Indian Army launched Operation Vijay, based on the information from local shepherds about they alleged positions. Even as the Pakistani Army had positioned itself at higher altitudes due to its first-move infiltration, the Indian Army was quick to respond. Amid the war, Pakistan had asked the US to intervene, however, the then US President Bill Clinton refused to help until Pakistani forces withdrew from the Line of Control. The Indian Army attacked and defeated Pakistan, recapturing all positions by July 26, 1999. 

India celebrates 20th Kargil Vijay Diwas on Friday, remembering the sacrifices made by the Indian Army during the 1999 Kargil War to push away Pakistan's infiltration from Indian territory. In the lead up to the victory celebrations  which are based on the theme 'Remember, Rejoice and Renew', there are various tributes dedicated to the martyrs by the Indian Army,

The Victory Flame, commemorating 20 years of successful termination of Operation Vijay, was ignited by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh from the eternal flame at National War Memorial, New Delhi. The flame has been carried by a team of motorcyclists over 11 towns and cities and will finally merge with the flame at Kargil War Memorial, Dras on Friday.