Kargil:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while paying a tribute to soldiers who died in the 1999 Kargil War, said that Pakistan has not learnt anything from the loss and continues to harbour terrorists. 

“Pakistan faced defeat whenever it has carried out any misadventure. It has not learned any lessons from history,” PM Modi said at the Kargil War memorial.

Paying a tribute to the Indian soldiers who died in the war, PM Modi said that their sacrifice for the nation is immortal and will always be remembered in the form of Kargil Vijay Diwas.

On July 26, 1999, the Indian Army announced the successful culmination of ‘Operation Vijay’, declaring victory after a nearly three-month-long battle on the icy heights of Kargil in Ladakh.

The day is observed as Kargil Vijay Diwas to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the war.

Earlier today, PM Modi carried out the “first blast” for the construction of a tunnel that aims to provide all-weather connectivity between Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Ladakh. The Prime Minister carried out the “first blast”, marking the start of construction of the Shinkun La tunnel, remotely from Ladakh’s Drass.

Kargil (Ladakh):

As the country celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas on Friday, the families of the soldiers remembered the bravery and dedication of their loved ones and paid tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives in the 1999 Kargil War.

Param Vir Chakra awardee Subedar Major (Honorary Capt) Yogendra Singh Yadav (Retd.) said that the people of the nation are proud of the soldiers who laid their lives for the country.

“Today the people of the country are proud of the soldiers who laid their lives for the country. Today we have gathered here at the memorial in Drass to pay homage to those brave soldiers,” he said.

Subedar Major RT Rais Ahmed said that he got involved in the Indian Army in 1997 and remembered all the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

“For the past three years, we have come here to pay tribute to our brave soldiers. The Army has become much stronger and stronger. They fight for our country in our situation. On the occasion of 25 Kargil Vijay Diwas, we remember all our soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation. Ahead of PM Modi’s visit here today, the morale of the Armed Forces will be boosted,” he said.

Veteran Chief Petty Officer Radio IND Navy Anant Joshi said, “The 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas is very important for us. In which 527 people sacrificed their lives for the nation. The people who sacrificed their lives for the country were the youngsters. The people of today’s generation should learn all this.”

Eshanika, daughter of an Army officer, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that, as the PM, he is doing a really great job.

“PM Modi coming here is a really good thing and I am always a fan of him, like he is my role model. So I am pretty happy. Him coming here and paying tribute is a really good thing.” she said.

Tashi Namgyal, the man who first spotted Pakistani intruders, said that he gave the report to the forces and after eight, the war started.

“During that time, I saw six people with the binoculars and then I gave the report to the Punjab unit,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Kargil, security was heightened ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Kargil War Memorial on the occasion of the 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas 2024.

PM Modi will visit Kargil today on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas and pay homage to the bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.

PM Modi will visit the Kargil War Memorial at around 9:20 am and pay tribute to the bravehearts. Prime Minister Modi will also carry out the first blast of the Shinkun La Tunnel Project, virtually

The arrangements are in full accordance with security purposes at the Kargil War Memorial at Dras, ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit.

Kargil Vijay Diwas, observed annually on July 26, commemorates the success of Operation Vijay in 1999. During this conflict, Indian forces successfully reclaimed strategic positions in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir that had been infiltrated by Pakistani soldiers and terrorists.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said the Kargil Vijay Diwas is an occasion to pay tributes to the ‍courage and extraordinary valour of the country’s armed forces.

Kargil Vijay Diwas is observed on July 26 every year to mark India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1999 war.

The Indian Army had launched a fierce counter-assault to push back Pakistani forces that had stealthily occupied important heights in Ladakh.

“Kargil Vijay Diwas is an occasion for a grateful nation to pay tribute to the ‍courage and extraordinary valour of our armed forces,” Murmu said in a post in Hindi on X.

“I pay tribute to each soldier who made the supreme sacrifice while protecting Mother India on the peaks of Kargil in 1999 and bow in reverence to their sacred memory. I am sure that all countrymen will draw inspiration from their sacrifice and valour. Jai Hind Jai Bharat!” she said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Ladakh:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kargil today on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas and pay homage to the bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.

PM Modi will visit the Kargil War Memorial at around 9:20 am and pay tribute to the bravehearts.

The arrangements are in full accordance with security purposes at the Kargil War Memorial at Dras, ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit.

The Prime Minister will carry out the first blast of the Shinkun La Tunnel Project virtually.

An official release said that Shinkun La Tunnel Project consists of a 4.1 km long Twin-Tube tunnel which will be constructed at an altitude of around 15,800 feet on the Nimu – Padum – Darcha Road to provide all-weather connectivity to Leh.

Once completed, it will be the highest tunnel in the world. Shinkun La tunnel will not only ensure swift and efficient movement of the country’s armed forces and equipment but also foster economic and social development in Ladakh.

As the country celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas today, the families of the soldiers remember the bravery and dedication of their loved ones who laid their lives during the war between India and Pakistan at icy heights in 1999.

Madhubala, widow of Kargil hero Vinod Kumar, said, “On May 18, 1997, we got married and on June 14, 1999, he lost his life. I feel very good to be here and feel proud.”

Rajender Kumar, the elder brother of Kargil hero, soldier Bejender Kumar, said that he feels proud that his brother died for the country.

“I feel so proud; he died for the country. We remember him every day,” he said.

Prashanti, wife of Kargil hero, Group Captain K Nachiketa Rao, said that, like all the other countrymen, she used to pray everyday for his repatriation from Pakistan.

K Nachiketa Rao was a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force who was captured by Pakistani forces before he was handed over to the Indian authorities.

“I feel very proud. The bravery and courage he had shown. We were not married at the time of the war. We married after two years of it. Like all the other countrymen, we used to pray every day for his repatriation (from Pakistan). We feel proud as there are very few people who get such a chance to show such bravery and then get to comeback and live to tell those tales,” Prashanti said.

Kargil Vijay Diwas, observed annually on July 26, commemorates the success of Operation Vijay in 1999. During this conflict, Indian forces successfully reclaimed strategic positions in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir that had been infiltrated by Pakistani soldiers and terrorists.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A quarter of a century after India secured a victory for the ages in the Kargil War, one of the most challenging high-altitude battles ever fought, the division which led the charge has another major reason to celebrate. Major General Sachin Malik is now commanding the 8 Mountain Division, which had led the charge in the Kargil War under the overall leadership of his father, General (Retired) VP Malik, who was the Army chief at the time. 

General VP Malik had also once commanded the 8 Mountain Division and the father and son are now in Dras to mark the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas on Friday. That is where NDTV caught up with them for an exclusive conversation. 

“This is the 25th anniversary, which is a special occasion. I always come here to pay homage to the officers and men who were killed in action during the war and also to remember all the good work that our Army did. This year, it has also become special because Sachin is here and he is commanding the same division that I did, at the same place where we fought the war,” General VP Malik said. 

On the challenges in commanding the 8 Mountain Division, which works in difficult conditions right on the line of control, Major General Sachin Malik said he looks at it as a privilege as well as a huge responsibility. 

“It is a huge privilege to command the 8 Mountain Division, which is known as the ‘Forever in Operations’ division – it has always been in operation right from raising (in 1963). While we are commemorating the Rajat Jayanti of the Kargil War, we have to remember that the bulk of my division remains committed and deployed on the line of control to ensure nothing of the sort ever happens again,” Major General Malik asserted. 

“The first thing that comes to mind is the huge responsibility. These peaks… a lot of blood has been shed on them and there is no way we will ever allow anybody to do that ever again. So we have to always remain absolutely alert, we have to remain ready for anything and we have to ensure nothing of that nature happens ever again,” he added. 

Major General Sachin Malik took over as the 42nd General Officer Commanding of the Mountain Division in February. 

The Kargil War was fought between May and July 1999 when intruders from Pakistan occupied positions on the Indian side of the LoC. The Indian Army and Air Force valiantly fought them off and recaptured many strategic posts, forcing a withdrawal from the remaining ones. 

In this Feb. 20, 1999 file photo, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, left, receives Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Wagah border near Lahore, Pakistan.
| Photo Credit: AP

Former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif on May 28 admitted that Islamabad had “violated” an agreement with India signed by him and ex-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999, in an apparent reference to the Kargil intrusion by Gen Pervez Musharraf.

“On May 28, 1998, Pakistan carried out five nuclear tests. After that Vajpayee Saheb came here and made an agreement with us. But we violated that agreement…it was our fault,” Mr. Sharif told a meeting of the PML-N general council that elected him president of the ruling party six years after he was disqualified by the Supreme Court.

Also read | Vajpayee, Sharif spoke over phone in the midst of Kargil War, says book

Mr. Sharif and Vajpayee signed the Lahore Declaration on February 21, 1999, after a historic summit. The agreement that talked about a vision of peace and stability between the two countries signalled a major breakthrough, but a few months later Pakistani intrusion in the Kargil district in Jammu and Kashmir led to the Kargil War.

“President Bill Clinton had offered Pakistan $5 billion to stop it from carrying out nuclear tests but I refused. Had [former prime minister] Imran Khan like a person been on my seat he would have accepted Clinton’s offer,” Mr. Sharif said on a day when Pakistan marked the 26th anniversary of its first nuclear tests.

Mr. Sharif (74) talked about how he was removed from the office of the prime minister in 2017 on a false case by then chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar. He said all cases against him were false while the cases against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder leader Imran Khan were true.

He also talked about the role of former ISI chief Gen Zahirul Islam in toppling his government in 2017 to bring Imran Khan into power. He asked Imran Khan to deny that he was not launched by the ISI.

“I ask Imran not to blame us [of being patronised by the army] and tell whether Gen Islam had talked about bringing the PTI into power,” he said and added Khan would sit at the feet of the military establishment.

The three-time premier talked about receiving a message from Gen Islam to resign from the office of Prime Minister [in 2014]. “When I refused, he threatened to make an example of me,” he said.

Mr. Sharif also praised his younger brother Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for standing by his side through thick and thin. “Efforts were made to create differences between us but Shehbaz remained loyal to me. Even Shehbaz was asked to become PM in the past and leave me but he declined,” he said.

Mr. Sharif said after assuming the office of the PML-N President he would renew efforts to strengthen the party.