Kargil Vijay Diwas 2020: Know all about Kargil War of 1999, history & more

Today, on July 26, India celebrates its win over the high outposts, which had been lost to Pakistan in Kargil, Jammu. Named after the successful Operation Vijay, Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated to honour the sacrifices of the Kargil War heroes. The Prime Minister of India, too, pays homage to the soldiers at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate every year. Here is everything you need to know about the history and significance of the day.

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History of Kargil Vijay Diwas

Post the Indo-Pak War of 1971, tensions escalated between India and Pakistan and the conflicts touched an all-time high in the 90s due to separatist activities in Kashmir, which led to an increasingly belligerent atmosphere in the Valley. In an attempt to defuse the tensions over the disputed areas of Jammu, India and Pakistan signed the Lahore Declaration in February 1999, which aimed to provide a peaceful solution to the Kashmir conflict. However, in 1998-1999, Pakistani army was secretly training and sending the troops across the Line of Control into the Indian territory, disguised as ‘mujahedeen’.

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Irrespective of the nature or extent of the infiltration, the Indian troops in the area allegedly assumed that the infiltrators were Jihadis. However, discoveries of infiltrations in other areas of the valley made the Indian armed forces realise that the attack was staged on a much bigger scale. Responding to the transgression along the LOC and the disregard for agreements of the Lahore treaty, the Government of India launched Operation Vijay and deployed nearly 2,00,000 Indian troops in the Valley. The war came to an end in the year 1999 and reportedly 527 Indian soldiers were martyred in the battle.

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What was the motive behind the incursion?

As per reports published online, the aim of the incursion was to allegedly sever the link between Kashmir and Ladakh and cause Indian forces to withdraw from the Siachen Glacier. It was believed that the neighbour troops did not aim to internationalise the Kashmir issue, which would prove futile to secure a speedy resolution. The Siachen conflict started in the year 1984 after India allegedly captured the area as part of Operation Meghdoot. The Siachen Glacier dichotomises the direct linkage between Pakistan and China, avoiding any military association between the two nuclear-armed countries. 

(Image credits: Mohammed Kaif Twitter)

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